Multichannel marketing explained for mobile app marketers

Multichannel marketing continues to rise as more marketers utilize a greater number of channels to acquire new customers. By 2030, the multichannel marketing industry is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 22.3% and hit US$28.6 billion. App marketers and developers looking to grow their app’s user base should consider taking a multichannel marketing approach. Learn what this strategy entails, how to create multichannel marketing campaigns, and get real examples for inspiration.

As the name suggests, multichannel marketing is a marketing strategy that uses many promotional and distribution channels to acquire customers. By employing different channels, a company increases the chance of conversion as customers can—and are more likely to—convert in their preferred channel.

The channels included are:

• Email
• Website
• Mobile advertisements (wink, wink, mobile marketing)
• Brick-and-mortar shops
• Direct mail
• Social media
• Search engine optimization
• Influencer marketing
• Connected TV (CTV)

Benefits of multichannel marketing

• Greater reach

  Multichannel marketing is a fantastic approach if your app has a broad target audience. For example, the ride-sharing app Uber is used by the elderly to go to doctor appointments, by young Gen Zers coming home from parties, and everyone in between. Uber’s ad on TV will reach the older demographic while their ad on TikTok is best to capture younger users.

• Increased engagement

  Promoting your app across several channels, rather than just one, increases exposure to your app and therefore, boosts the chance of conversion.

• Builds brand awareness and customer trust

  Related to engagement, the more times a consumer views your ad with the same message on different channels, the more familiar they will be with your brand. These extra touchpoints serve to grow consumer trust.

Challenges of multichannel marketing

• Requires more resources

  Unsurprisingly, as marketers incorporate more channels into their strategy, they will need to dedicate more resources in terms of time, money, and effort to unlock the right approach for each channel.

• Attribution can be murky

  When a brand has multiple messages across different channels, it can be hard to determine the specific message that prompted a user’s action. Accurate attribution is possible though, with the right measurement tools. We recommend working with a mobile measurement platform (MMP) and incorporating media mix modeling (MMM).

• Targeting requires precision

  Multichannel marketing is not a “catch-all” marketing approach and needs proper targeting—the more in-depth, the better. Factors like user demographic, purchasing history, in-app behavior, and more should be taken into consideration when crafting messages for each target audience you pursue.

While both multichannel and omnichannel marketing utilize multiple channels to reach customers, they differ in strategy. In the former, the strategy revolves around the product or service offered while the latter centers on the customer. Each channel of a multichannel strategy works independently and provides messaging specific to that channel. For example, an ad viewed on YouTube will not be the same ad you see on Facebook.

Conversely, all marketing channels are integrated with each other in an omnichannel strategy so that when customers move between different touchpoints on the customer journey, they will see the same message across channels. For example, in an omnichannel approach, a user abandons an item in an online cart and later receives an email or text message with a discount to encourage the user to complete the purchase.

DoorDash

Food delivery app DoorDash invested in both online and offline channels to increase brand awareness and meet potential customers wherever they might be. The company utilized Out-of-Home (OOH) marketing with billboards along highways, banners by bus and train stations, as well as digital channels like advertisements across top social media channels, and email marketing.

The brand also cleverly placed a major keyword “food delivery” in its app name, “DoorDash —Food Delivery”, so that users searching on the app stores would easily find it. DoorDash reported its earnings in 2022 had increased by 34% from the year before, at USD$6.58 billion, so it’s safe to say that its multichannel marketing approach has worked well.

Dunkin’

From celebrating its mobile app’s anniversary with raffles on Twitter to the latest Super Bowl LVII commercial starring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Dunkin’ has long utilized a multichannel strategy to drive customer engagement. The baked goods and coffee chain has remained adaptable to trends as evidenced when it partnered with TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and veteran rapper Snoop Dogg to pursue a younger demographic on TikTok.

To succeed in using the multichannel marketing approach, there are a few essential elements marketers must have.

The 3 keys to multichannel marketing strategy

1. An in-depth understanding of the target market
2. Accurate attribution data
3. A unified view of all marketing data

Without the above, marketers cannot effectively delve into this approach.

Segment the audience

After doing some research and crafting user personas, divide your audience into segments.

Most common segments used by app marketers

• Number of days spent in-app
• Demographic information
• User preference
• In-app behavior
• Triggering of specific action

Most marketers find it helpful to add a segmentation tool to their marketing stack to help them automate this process. For example, with Adjust’s Audience Builder, marketers can create custom audiences and automate segmentation and set up dynamic audiences with any ad network.

Develop consistent marketing messaging

Because this isn’t omnichannel marketing in which the channels are integrated, make sure your messaging and branding are standardized across all channels you use. You can’t predict if a user will first see a message as they stream on a connected TV device or see it while in-app or  view it in an email marketing message. So, to ensure you don’t diminish trust in your brand, project the same vibe in each of your ads, regardless of channel.

A/B test

Perform an A/B test to determine which message resonates best with your users and potential users. From message and CTA to brand element, there are always aspects of an ad that can be optimized to best engage your target audience. To learn more, check out Everything you need to know about A/B testing for mobile apps.

Partner with a measurement platform

Running campaigns across multiple channels requires accurate attribution data and a centralized place to monitor performance. We recommend partnering with an MMP to collect, organize, and attribute your brand’s campaign performance. In addition to ensuring your data remains clean, MMPs often offer automation solutions for your bids and budget optimization and can, therefore, drastically reduce the time spent managing them.

Adjust is more than an MMP. We’re a comprehensive analytics suite built for app marketers. Let our powerful solutions empower you to grow your app using a multichannel marketing approach. With Datascape, you can view all of your marketing data in one place and easily drill down across time, campaigns, and apps as needed. As mentioned earlier, in Audience Builder, you can create and share targeted audiences and even split segments for easy A/B tests. Additionally, Mobile Attribution lets you quickly uncover the best channels and users for your app. There’s more, of course, but we’d love to show you ourselves, so if you’re curious, schedule your Adjust demo now.