Make In-Game Adjustments

In her new guide, “The New Rules of Multichannel Marketing,” Debra Ellis, president and founder of Wilson & Ellis Consulting, a management, marketing and operational solutions consulting firm, says conducting business as usual won’t work anymore. Your competitors are thinking up new ways to entice your customers, as technological advancements have created new channels and opportunities.

These new channels and technologies are creating a virtual marketplace when, where and how consumers want it, Ellis says. The companies that can best integrate their various channels into a seamless shopping experience will be those that realize growth and profitability. That said, use your available tools to build relationships instead of simply processing promotions and orders, she advises. To help your company accomplish this, follow her five rules below.

1. Leave everything better than you find it. Your company can no longer operate in silos. What happens in the marketing department affects the Web team; what happens in the warehouse affects the call center, and so forth. Teamwork and integration are essential ingredients for a successful multichannel marketing company today, Ellis says. Adopt the “leave it better” rule to reduce interdepartmental surprises. When this philosophy is accepted throughout your company, employees value the needs of the whole instead of themselves.

2. Disrupt ‘business as usual.’ The old rule, “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” has been successfully challenged by a few disruptive thinkers, Ellis notes, citing such companies as Amazon, Netflix and Apple. But don’t just change for the sake of change. Build a unique business model by combining working strategies with new technology. Quietly make changes that improve customer interaction, she says.

3. Your best customers and products are losing value. Their value will continue to decline as channels and shopping opportunities continue to expand, Ellis warns. Prior to the growth of e-commerce, most consumers were confined to local retail or catalog shopping. Space and cost restrictions limited product selection. Consistent buying patterns emerged.