Since last year, there has been a shift in more brands moving towards a direct-to-consumer (D2C) business strategy. Companies see the benefits of manufacturing, marketing, and distributing their own products as the number of internet platforms grows. Businesses that utilize this strategy ship products directly to consumers or retailers.

There are many brands have also taken the initiative to build their D2C channel. For example, Magic Spoon has become one of the fastest growing direct-to-consumer brands in then cereal industry. Magic Spoon cereal puts a healthy twist on your favorite childhood breakfast. With delicious, low-carb, guilt-free products, they identified the market that prioritizes taste and nutrition. Their direct-to-consumer business model and focus on subscription allows the company to have a personal relationship with their customers. This approach is beneficial to product development, as they are able quickly respond to customer feedback.

By using this business model, organizations can reduce costs and interact with consumers directly, providing a great customer experience. Direct customer interaction with a company creates a compelling experience, especially for first-time buyers. Direct-to-consumer sales have many benefits including control over pricing, brand differentiation, personalization, and feedback.

Omnichannel Marketing

An omnichannel marketing strategy is the delivery of the customer experience through every communication and channel. This multichannel approach allows companies to build lasting and loyal relationships with their consumers. The main difference of the omnichannel approach versus the multichannel marketing approach is that omnichannel is customer focused. Overall, the goal is to understand the customer and their engagement with certain products.

The Power of Personalization

Personalization is a great tool to help you stand out from the competition. Instapage data shows 74% of customers feel frustrated when website content is not personalized. People are more excited to engage with brands that share a personalized shopping experience. Personalization can take the form of using a customer’s name in emails and newsletters or creating services or offers based on their needs.

Conversely, people are also more willing to share information with organizations that provide them with a great shopping experience. Companies that don’t utilize personalization provide a generic approach with no appeal to new customers. In the highly competitive retail environment, it’s important to make sure your customer experience strategy stands out from the rest.

Identify the Needs of Your Target Market

COVID-19 has made online shopping a necessity compared to previous years. Many people began new lifestyles and became accustomed to the digital experience. One of the key reasons for the rise in ecommerce’s popularity is the elimination of going to the store. Consumers nowadays want to purchase products quickly and easily.

Predictive analytics is a great tool to understand changing consumer habits. Using data and analytics helps you plan your marketing approach for the future. Understanding your data can help you produce relevant messaging that provides the most value. By focusing on the wants and needs of your customers, you can save time and money in the long run.

Your Consumer’s Journey

By gaining insight into what type of messaging or promotions your customers respond to, you can begin to design a consumer journey. When you understand your target market, you can tailor your messaging accordingly rather than using generic messaging. Targeted messaging allows you to drive more engagement and revenue communicating to the right audience with the right messaging at the right time.

There are a few ways to begin your consumer journey. First, use your data to analyze any specific patterns or similarities. Next, develop your different types of customer groups who exemplify the most common similarities you discover.

Create consumer persona profiles for your team to understand your different types of customer groups. Finally, utilize touchpoints across different channels to see how these consumers engage with your brand.

Touchpoints can trigger specific actions to engage with your brand, such as:

• Clicking product links in emails or SMS texts
• “Following” or connecting on social media
• Watching video content on either your website or social media

All content posted on either your website, social media, or emails should reflect the needs of your target market. You can send the correct message to the right individuals every time by understanding your customer personas.

Maintaining Strength and Consistency

Your customers should feel like they’re interacting with the same brand across all channels. Your communications should have a similar look and feel, along with a similar voice and tone. This way, the customers know what to expect from your brand.

Make your brand’s voice embody your brand’s personality. Always make sure the look and feel of your brand is the same across all communications. Whether it’s through social media or email, you want to show your brand’s personality and what you represent.

Small Steps for Major Results

Using an omnichannel marketing plan can help you grow your brand over time. It’s important to analyze the performance of your efforts to see what’s working and what’s not, that way you can identify new opportunities or strategies.

You save money by focusing on the customers who respond most to your brand’s offerings. Remember that these simple activities can help your organization stand out from the crowd while also increasing profits.

Alliance Sales & Marketing is a food broker serving clients across the country. We can help you expand your brand by implementing an omnichannel strategy into your marketing plan. Through our extensive industry experience, we can turn your vision into life.  Contact us today to learn more.