Understanding multi-channel marketing
Every way a retailer can communicate with their customer is known as a channel; this includes in-person contact, websites, and social media, as well as various forms of traditional and digital advertising. Used together strategically, this array of channels drives sales, builds brand visibility, and helps the jeweller become the dominant player in their marketplace. Retailers must understand the various channels, their relative importance, and the role they occupy in the marketing funnel. With this understanding, it becomes possible to craft and implement a cohesive strategy that delivers maximum results.
The marketing funnel has six levels: awareness, consideration, preference, action, loyalty, and advocacy. During the awareness stage, a customer discovers or is reminded of a retailer, brand, or campaign. Social media has rapidly become the dominant channel being used to establish and maintain awareness of a retailer’s existence and offerings; additionally, YouTube, a store’s own website, and mobile messaging have joined the ranks of traditional awareness-generation channels, such as print and television advertising.
The consideration stage is when the customer is actively choosing between several retailers; by the time they reach the preference stage, the customer knows which jewellery retailer is best-equipped to meet their needs. During the action stage, purchases are made; loyalty means the customer will default to doing all their business with their preferred jeweller. In the advocacy stage, customers actively encourage friends and acquaintances to bring their business to their favourite jeweller. During each stage, the relationship between the customer and retailer can be further strengthened through communication via multiple channels.
