Multichannel vs. Omnichannel Marketing in B2B SaaS Marketing

With over 30000 SaaS companies competing, it’s no wonder businesses test various strategies to deliver on-point messages to their clients. At this point, many of them face the dilemma of multichannel vs. omnichannel marketing. 

In this article, you’ll learn the main differences between the two approaches. You’ll also gain insight into the ins and outs of multichannel and omnichannel marketing. Finally, you’ll discover the best implementation practices to guide your strategy.

Let’s get started!

Understanding multichannel marketing in B2B SaaS

The multichannel marketing approach uses different channels that are not linked together to reach the target audience. It’s primarily a company-centric way to engage with clients.

Multichannel marketing is expected to reach $28.6 billion in 2030, up from $5.69 billion in 2022. This growth highlights a promising future for companies that adopt this approach. 

But what does successful multichannel marketing look like in practice? Let’s examine Slack’s success story.

Slack has leveraged multichannel marketing to boost its brand awareness and revenue. The results? They’re nothing short of impressive. 

The company made $902.6 million in 2020, a 43% increase from 2019. These numbers come from Slacks’ strong presence on the following channels:

Website: This is used by those who want to learn more about Slack. The website allows you to sign up for a free account, explore various features, and more.

Blog: used for posting insights, tips, and best practices on productivity, remote word, etc.

Email allows personalized messages to be sent based on data gathered. For example, Slack’s weekly emails provide workspace analytics, including message activity. Moreover, they subtly promote premium features by reminding users of their current plan. 

Having discussed the definition of multichannel marketing, let’s explore its main aspects.

Pro tip: With the Recurring Time trigger in Encharge, you can send weekly report emails similar to the ones Slack sends to their customers. 

Characteristics of multichannel marketing in B2B SaaS

1. Separate strategies for each channel

With this multichannel approach, you’ve got different strategies running for other channels. The social media team is doing its own thing to build awareness, while the email crew is focused on conversions. Similarly, both teams can be focused on lead generation and profit increase using different tactics. There’s no coordination between the two.

2. Siloed teams and data management 

Another thing is that since each team owns its own channel, the data becomes siloed, too. The sales folks might not have the complete picture of specific customers because that info is scattered. So, it might be hard for them to personalize and properly give customers what they need.

3. Inconsistent customer experience 

Customers get different messages and offers across channels. They might have to repeat themselves repeatedly when dealing with separate teams. This characteristic shows the difference between multichannel and omnichannel marketing.

4. Channel-specific content

With a multichannel approach, you’re creating distinct content for every platform you use. It’s all about customizing your message to fit each channel’s unique format and audience.

Implementation of multichannel marketing

A B2B multichannel marketing strategy requires an action plan for successful execution. Every strategy is unique, and you should consider the specific needs of your businesses and audience. Let’s figure out several steps that might help you throughout your journey.

Identifying the key channels for your company is critical. Knowing what platforms resonate with your audience will let you act upon the info accordingly. Here are some of the most common for B2B businesses:

• LinkedIn allows you to connect with professionals and share insights
• Email is great for personalized communication. Let’s you tune your messages for specific individuals or groups
• Webinars are perfect for detailed demos
• Industry blogs enable reaching a niche audience with helpful content
• Social media allows you to share valuable updates. 

A clear vision of where your audience hangs out will help you make your efforts more targeted.

The next step you should take is creating relevant content adapted to the chosen channels. Here are some tips:

• LinkedIn: publish thought-leadership content, industry news, etc.
• Email: send personalized messages tailored for different audience segments.
• Webinars: demonstrate key features in real-time, focusing on how they address specific pain points. Include Q&A sessions where potential customers can voice their concerns directly.
• Industry blogs: detailed, well-curated, and informative articles are essential for this channel. Demonstrate your expertise.
• Social media: share content that addresses different user intents: informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional.

Measuring the effectiveness of your marketing strategies is a key step. It will help you identify what’s working and what needs improvement.

Make use of CRMs, marketing automation tools, Google Analytics, etc.

Understanding omnichannel marketing

Omnichannel marketing is all about providing consistent experience regardless of customers’ channels. This aspect is a significant advantage because 57% of customers expect consistency.

In SaaS, omnichannel marketing can often be found in the following forms:

• Email campaigns 
• Live chats
• Webinars
• Social media management 

Among real-world omnichannel examples, we can find Dealhub. It’s a company that offers software for businesses. 

Dealhub had difficulty understanding what channels were working best. Besides, a lack of consistent data made it hard for them to get a clear picture of their clients. This factor also prevented them from seeing what marketing practices worked best.

Sounds familiar? These are common hurdles in the B2B space.

To fix this, Dealhub implemented an omnichannel marketing strategy, which allowed them to:

1. Track all customer interactions across channels (website, email, social, etc.) for a unified view
2. Consolidate scattered customer data from various sources into one place
3. Optimize marketing tactics based on insights from consolidated data

Thanks to such analysis, they were able to make their efforts more targeted.

Characteristics of omnichannel marketing in B2B SaaS

Now, let’s figure out the main aspects of omnichannel marketing.

1. Centralised customer data and insights 

Having all that customer information consolidated across the company means marketers can make smarter decisions. But it gets better — with everyone accessing the same data, different teams can actually collaborate effectively. 

 2. Consistent content and messaging across channels 

By leveraging omnichannel marketing, companies recognize the importance of consistent messaging. These efforts allow them to align their content and benefit from the strengths of each channel. Besides, marketing teams use this consolidation to support their fundamental sales objectives. 

3. Seamless transitions between channels 

Here, pieces fall into place with the multichannel vs. omnichannel marketing puzzle. True omnichannel ensures a smooth flow as customers transition from websites to social media. For example, clients browse social media, save items in apps, and purchase in-store effortlessly. Staff access complete digital histories, smoothly continuing conversations across channels. Click-and-collect services sync with real-time inventory. Personalized messages reflect both digital and physical interactions. This integrated approach eliminates fragmentation, delivering consistent experiences everywhere.

Implementation of omnichannel marketing

Successful B2B omnichannel marketing requires a clear view of each customer. B2B clients expect a seamless experience across all channels and want to progress quickly through their buying journey. 

It takes a lot of work for companies to achieve that level of interconnection, which means that their efforts often remind siloed multichannel marketing rather than a consistent omnichannel approach.

To offer extraordinary omnichannel journeys, you must understand your customers in depth. It would also be useful to conduct research on your clients. Insights into their behavior and preferences at each stage would help. 

To achieve such a detailed view of your customers, you can make use of the following methods:

• Transaction log analysis 
• Voice of Customer (VoC) studies
• Journey mapping workshops 

Besides, modern CRMs offer full journey visibility across all touchpoints. This level of transparency combines leads from all sales channels and eventually provides seamless experiences. The benefits of these efforts are clear in the following numbers:

• Companies that offer powerful omnichannel experiences see a 9.5% year-over-year boost in annual revenue
• In contrast, businesses with weaker strategies have only a 3.4% boost

For content, you’ll want to get a CMS that can distribute content across all your channels. Pair it with an AI-powered digital asset management (DAM) system to manage and reuse assets. To build lasting engagement, standardize your content operations with templates, guidelines, etc.

But getting to true omnichannel integration requires some serious AI and programming firepower. We’re talking about teams that can connect all your data sources, build algorithms for personalization, etc. If you don’t have that expertise in-house, staff augmentation could be an option worth considering. You can check this rating of top services.

The difference between omnichannel and multichannel is clear. Let’s compare them on the basis of several factors to help you choose what’s best for you.

Comparing multichannel and omnichannel approaches in B2B SaaS 

Now, let’s compare omnichannel marketing and multichannel marketing.

Source: https://www.moengage.com/

Customer experience 

• Clients may feel frustrated with multichannel because of the lack of consistency across channels. The content is tailored to each channel’s strengths, which is a plus.
• The omnichannel approach, on the other hand, makes the customer journey way smoother. They don’t have to keep providing the same context or repeating themselves over and over. Plus, they get that unified brand experience.

Data management and insights 

• With multichannel, data is managed separately, which makes it super hard to get that unified view of customer interactions. A lack of insights into client behavior means you can’t offer those fully personalized experiences. 
• However, with omnichannel, integrated data allows visibility into the customer journey at each stage. That way, the most relevant content can be created and shared.

Content and messaging 

• With the multichannel approach, there’s a risk of sending conflicting messages to clients. When different teams create content separately, it can lead to duplicate efforts, which is a waste. 
• Omnichannel is all about that consistency, though. The messaging and content align with sales objectives.

Implementation complexity 

• Multichannel campaigns are way easier to set up and manage since they require less coordination and integration.
• But with omnichannel practices, there has to be extensive planning in advance to determine how all the processes should work. It’s just more complex.

Resource requirements 

• With multichannel, the upfront investment is lower, which is excellent for smaller businesses starting out. 
• But omnichannel requires investment in tech, training, and other resources, which can be a huge obstacle for many companies.

Summing it up

The battle between multichannel and omnichannel marketing can be a source of confusion. While both aim to connect with customers, they take different approaches.

Multichannel marketing allows you to reach audiences across different channels in a straightforward way. Omnichannel aims for a more unified experience but requires more planning.There is no one-size-fits-all approach to multichannel vs. omnichannel marketing. The “best” option depends on your resources, team capabilities, goals, and strategy.