How to Define Omnichannel PR

We’ve been hearing a lot about omnichannel retail, but how exactly do we define omnichannel in marketing and PR?

Omnichannel is the holistic process by which consumers interact with a business via multiple channels and across every touch point. For marketers, the omnichannel imperative means building marketing plans around customers, making it easy for them to connect with the brand on the channels of their own choosing and providing them with consistent brand messages across every available touch point.

Starting to Define Omnichannel Marketing and PR

According to Forrester Consulting, 94 percent of retail decision makers surveyed said that their companies face significant barriers to becoming an integrated omnichannel company. Marketers and PR professionals play an important role in developing omnichannel experiences in retail and other industries. Here’s how to get started:

1. Pitch to traditional news sources and online publications. Diversification counts. In addition to targeting online media targets, omnichannel marketing maintains strong relationships with print journalists and traditional media outlets. In many cases, the owned media, shared media and earned media can be leveraged to turn traditional channels into direct engagement opportunities with the audience.
2. Keep content up-to-date. Old or outdated content isn’t useful to audiences. So for omnichannel marketers, it’s critical to keep content current and relevant across all available channels and touch points. White papers, case studies, blogs—by keeping all content up-to-date, you can significantly improve the omnichannel experience and incentivize audiences to regularly visit your brand’s digital assets for the latest news and developments.
3. Utilize digital marketing. Digital marketing is integral to building omnichannel relationships. By optimizing the availability of content, promotions and interactions across a range of online, mobile and social channels, a robust digital marketing strategy can deliver personalized and engaging experiences to key audiences, strengthening relationships with customers and prospects.
4. Tailor the user experience. It’s not enough to just know who your customers are—you also have to know where, when and how they connect with your brand, and understand their preferences and expectations across all channels and touch points. Armed with granular insights about user preferences, it’s possible to create a tailored user experience that creates opportunities for deeper connections with your brand.
5. Build a social media presence. A carefully crafted social media presence supports your organization’s omnichannel marketing agenda by creating cross-channel synergies. With the right strategy, social media can be leveraged to promote omnichannel content and to capture important insights from customers and prospects.

Walker Sands can help you create an effective, data-driven PR strategy and define omnichannel marketing for your brand. Call us at (312) 267-0066 to get started today.