Top 4 Software for Multichannel Marketing Automation and What to do With Them

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n the past few years, we’ve seen customer journeys increasingly blend offline and online touchpoints. Savvy marketers know that it’s not about being everywhere at once – it’s about focusing on the channels your customers are most active on. 

A multichannel marketing solution can help with this endeavor, blending data collection and automation to help businesses scale their campaigns and understand which channels are the most cost-effective.  

What is multichannel marketing software?

Multichannel marketing software is a platform or tool that helps businesses implement marketing campaigns across multiple channels (such as email, SMS, social media, push notifications, and more). 

This type of software often has features like the ability to segment audiences for personalization, dashboards to track campaign performance and engagement, and APIs or integrations so teams can connect this software to third-party tools for further analysis, reporting, or activation. 

3 reasons to use multichannel marketing software

With so many ways to reach customers, marketing has gotten much more complex. Multichannel marketing software enables teams to build consistent brand experiences, even as channels proliferate and tactics evolve.

1. Frees up time

Multichannel marketing software can streamline processes and reduce repetitive tasks since you don’t have to manually manage each channel. When it comes time to review how your campaigns are doing, you can view real-time analytics to identify what’s working and what isn’t, and adjust your strategy accordingly. 

2. Cost-effective

Any tool that helps automate time-consuming or repetitive tasks offers cost-savings benefits for your team. It allows people to spin up campaigns at a faster rate, and more quickly identify which channels have the biggest (or lowest) ROI. Many solutions also come with native channels like email or SMS, which makes campaign creation even simpler. 

3. Greater marketing impact

Multichannel marketing software allows teams to scale their efforts, and create more impactful campaigns. From automating certain tasks, to accessing analytics in real time, marketing teams can have more confidence in the channels they’re focusing on and the tailored messages they're sending. 

3 things to look for in multichannel marketing software

The marketing automation software space has exploded over the past decade, with dozens of vendors to choose from. Consider how the options stack up in the following areas.

1. Cost

While most solutions can bring enhanced ROI, they still need to fit into your budget. Does the vendor you’re looking at price monthly or annually? Can you scale up or down as needed? Some companies offer à la carte pricing, so you only buy the features you'll actually use.

2. Integrations

A multichannel solution is only as good as the channels it supports. Data integrations should be seamless and easy to implement. Look for vendors that offer out-of-the-box integrations for your existing data sources, and regularly add new partners to their list. Also ask if there is the ability to create custom integrations if needed. 

3. Reviews

User testimonies can help you understand different use cases, and gain honest insight into the effectiveness and usability of different tools.  Look for reviews that haven’t been sponsored by the software company, like those aggregated on software review sites.

4 steps to effectively use marketing tools into your multichannel strategy

Launching a new multichannel marketing solution can be exciting, but you’ll get the best ROI with a steady, measured approach toward implementation.

1. Set clear goals

You likely had an idea of what you wanted your marketing software to do before you purchased it. Are those still your top objectives? Outline measurable milestones for your campaigns, whether they’re related to traffic, sales, or customer sentiment. You’ll use these goals to reverse engineer your marketing campaigns and set up the right integrations and analytics from the get-go.

2. Collect and analyze data

Data is a pivotal part of understanding the customer experience and campaign performance. Be sure to have a clear understanding of your metrics for success, like engagement, conversion rates, and cost of acquisition across channels. Also think about how you’ll make this data accessible to the larger team, to help hone larger business strategies and avoid siloed workflows. 

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3. Segment your customers

Segmenting your customers allows you to create tailored messaging that resonates with your target audience. Consider what drives different purchasing behaviors among your customers or different personas. For example, you might create segments based on age, geographic location, or business size.

Top 4 multichannel marketing tools

What software solutions are most talked-about today? Here are some of the top multichannel marketing software solutions on the market. 

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a software solution used by brand marketers and retailers around the globe. It offers support for SMS, email, and mobile app push, plus collects and displays customer reviews. 

Salesforce

Salesforce Marketing Cloud allows companies to track customer behavior, create emails, and schedule campaign updates from inside the platform. It supports easy integration with its own family of data apps but also comes with access to the AppExchange, a marketplace for 1000s of additional, compatible integrations.

Hubspot

The Hubspot Marketing Hub is designed for B2B, inbound marketing professionals who want a customer relationship management (CRM) with advanced prospecting and lead generation tools. It lets you track email sends and opens, create enhanced customer views, and follow customers through an end-to-end funnel. 

Twilio Engage

Twilio Engage is a powerful multichannel marketing platform that offers a single, real-time view of your customers and the ability to scale personalized interactions. With native email, SMS, and WhatsApp, and the ability to connect with over 450 pre-built integrations, Twilio Engage allows teams to orchestrate multi-step customer experiences that evolve and adapt with people’s real-time behavior. Customer profiles are also built with privacy in mind, ensuring businesses always remain compliant with privacy laws and regulations. 

And with Journey Analytics you can set custom conversion goals for the performance of each channel.