Although we’ve based our business at OMI on leveraging acquisition email to help our clients find more customers and grow their businesses, we also believe email partnered with other marketing mediums can deliver exceptional results. It turns out, new research verifies this teamwork approach.

A new study by marketing platform provider Braze concludes that email is even more efficient and successful when working in conjunction with other marketing channels. In findings that examined more than 300 million user profiles, the key takeaway is that merging email with other marketing channels – direct mail, social media, online advertising, video, etc. – should yield higher results as a whole than the individual campaigns working alone ever could.

As you work to build synergies between email and other channels, here are a few ideas to keep in mind:

• Create a Unified Brand Experience

The goal for marketers is to create a united brand experience that carries the same (or similar) message across all marketing channels -- to work in harmony, coordinate timing and leverage data to optimize the message. If these efforts are disjointed or lack a unified message, the result is not only inefficiency in terms of creatives and other campaign assets, but there’s also the risk that the messages shared via the individual channels are working against each other. That’s why taking proactive steps to build synergies across channels is essential.

• Aim for Consistent & Complementary Messaging Across Channels

As an example of this synergy, many organizations will use email campaigns to help drive social media followers. And, by adding an email opt-in form on their social media pages, they also drive email list growth. Looking at a major announcement that your company might make from an omni-channel perspective, consider this: If you’re sending the announcement to your email list, use the opportunity to extend the conversation into the social media realm. For B2B marketers, this might mean announcing a new product or service via email, and then posting related content, such as screen shots, product demos, reviews or awards on social media sites. You might also consider a special promotion, such as a free trial, to those who “like” any of this content. (For more ideas here, see my blog post on integrating social media and email campaigns.) With the Blaze study as evidence, using joint mediums to promote the other should yield a net improvement to both.

• Today’s Buying Decisions Are Made Based on Multiple Interactions

Few people make buying decisions today based on information obtained from a single source or interaction. They might find out about your business on social media, then check your website, followed by Yelp or YouTube. The reality is, when marketers focus all their energy on a single channel, they are likely missing out on the reinforcement opportunities afforded by incremental channels.

As we move forward into 2018, omni-channel marketing is only going to get bigger. How do you plan to use it to your advantage in the New Year?

Outward Media’s accurate, targeted email data can help you achieve better email marketing ROI, and convert more prospects into customers. Ask us how. Also, please take a minute to review our latest case studies to find out about the business-building results we’re generating for our clients.