13 principles for your multichannel strategy

If you haven’t had chance to read The Role of Email in Multichannel, here is one of the key takeaways from the paper: a checklist of key principles to make sure you cover all the bases:

• Ensure you capture data from all touch points and that you don’t build silos
• Test every aspect of your strategy for customer-friendliness
• Teach your staff to understand the criticality of a uniform customer experience
• Make sure digital interaction is as seamless as your best customer service staff
• Put your customer right at the center of any discussion and all activities
• Listen to the feedback your customers give you, and act on it
• Be smart by using analytics to track patterns and understand behaviors
• Match the message to the delivery medium and customer preferences
• Don’t underestimate the growing importance of mobile
• Don’t just personalize messages, make them truly personal
• Use as much automation as possible especially triggers and timed deliveries
• Don’t always try to sell something – become an informed guide
• Never forget that it takes years to build a relationship, and moments to destroy one

Building an effective Multichannel strategy can be done quickly, but the great danger of rushing in is that you build something that is right for today, but not sustainable as your audiences evolve – along with your business.