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What are Marketing Channels and How Can They Help You Maximize Your Campaigns?

Shivkumar M 20+ yrs shaping technology Product & GTM strategy. Fintech, healthcare & retail industry expertise. Leads product launches, adoption & GTM as Director, Product Marketing.
What are Marketing Channels and How Can They Help You Maximize Your Campaigns?

The classic definition of marketing channels: they’re platforms a brand uses to promote its products or services to potential customers. You use multiple channels to expand your brand’s reach and name recognition, eventually driving sales. Every channel you use has its own distinct benefits and constraints, so the selection of channels will depend on several factors:

  • Who is your target audience?
  • What budget are you working with?
  • What are your marketing goals?

With the right combination of channels, you maximize your brand reach and increase engagement. The idea is to connect with customers via different channels and give them personalized messages aimed at starting a conversation with them.
Globally, there are 5.16 billion internet users out of which 4.76 billion are on social media*. According to Statista the number of mobile users is expected to reach a staggering 7.50 billion by 2025. These trends explicitly highlight the significance of leveraging digital marketing channels to reach out to customers.
What channels are available to a brand? Some of the most common include: web messaging, text messages, push notifications, Whatsapp, email, and in-app notifications

Web Messages: One of the Most Basic Marketing Channels

Real-time personalized web experiences have the power to engage web visitors with relevant content and messages tailored to their preferences and previous actions.

  • Web pop-ups can be used to encourage high-intent users to download your app or complete a purchase. Cart abandonment can be reduced by sending out an exit intent pop-up with special offers or discounts to convert visitors into subscribers.
  • To re-engage with users, deploy web push notifications and inform them about offers on products from their wishlist or new products based on purchase or browsing history.

Optimizing web experience through the right campaigns is a crucial activity for any app marketer. A/B testing can compare up to three different elements of a message– such as visuals and CTA buttons — to determine which version could improve CTRs the most.
A web message personalized to the user's name

Push Notifications: The Workhorse Marketing Channel

There are multiple ways to utilize this marketing channel to boost engagement.

  • If users drop off after signing up, push notifications can be sent to remind them to complete registration and explore new features.
  • Additionally, offers can be provided to encourage users to return to their cart and complete the purchase.
  • Marketers can also send reminders to users about bookings made through the app or re-engage inactive users with promotions and deals.

Since most devices are inundated with push notifications, marketers need to be innovative and effective to grab a user’s attention. Learn more with our white paper on How to Write Push Notifications That Engage and Convert.
One more thing: simply delivering a notification that doesn’t render on the user’s device is a waste of resources. The rendering rate of push notifications is a better metric of success, as about 40% of delivered notifications aren’t visible to the user. Rendering notifications can improve brand reach, click-through rates, and campaign ROI. CleverTap’s RenderMax enhances push notification rendering rates, expanding the reach of push notifications and maximizing user engagement. RenderMax addresses both push notification delivery and rendering and can increase render rates up to 90%, allowing for engagement with previously unresponsive users and increasing push campaign ROI.
Image of a DoorDash push notification - with some useful best practice tips

In-App Messaging: The Channel for Active Users

In-app messages are delivered to users while they are actively using your app, as opposed to push notifications which appear on the mobile device home screen.
For best results, these messages should include personalized content and be used to improve user experience, onboard new users, drive new feature adoption, and send promotional offers or personalized recommendations to your most active users.
Vodafone achieved a 15% boost in CTR and 3x engagement by using CleverTap’s notifications and onboarding campaign, driving brand loyalty and long-term customer value.
Learn more: In-App Messaging: Best Practices for Campaigns that Fuel Retention & Revenue

Email Marketing: One of the Most Effective Marketing Channels

Email marketing is a high-powered direct marketing channel that allows businesses to share their latest products and updates with their customers directly to their email inboxes. Because it typically gives a high ROI, it’s a crucial part of most businesses’ overall inbound strategy.
The success of an email campaign can be measured by tracking metrics such as open rates, CTRs, unsubscribe rates, and conversion rates. A well crafted email marketing plan not only generates revenue but also builds a loyal following for your brand.
BigShyft, a career platform for top professionals looking for their next career move, efficiently used personalized email marketing to increase retention rates by 40%. Their secret: they mapped out multiple journeys for their audience and delivered genuinely helpful email content at the right moment for each recipient.
Email marketing channel - image of a Shopify email

WhatsApp Campaigns: Messaging One-on-One

With instant messaging and texting becoming the primary way people share information, WhatsApp has gained popularity as a marketing channel among marketers and growth managers because it allows direct and personalized communication with customers, making it a highly effective channel for amplifying customer engagement. And with over 2 billion active users globally, WhatsApp marketing is crucial for businesses to reach out and engage with a wide audience.
Personalized WhatsApp campaigns can prove to be an effective way to engage users who are less responsive to push notifications or email campaigns. Trigger campaigns can enhance user engagement by sending messages in response to specific user actions or inactions, creating a personalized, interactive experience.
WhatsApp can be a valuable platform for sending reminders and updates about bookings, refunds, delivery status, subscription renewals, and automated replies to common questions.
Using CleverTap’s Whatsapp Business API, SayurBox, the web platform offering fruits and vegetables, saw a 45% uplift in app opens and a 25% increase in purchases on the app by targeting those in their audience who were less likely to engage through push notifications and email.

Effective Marketing Channels? All Of Them

The fact remains that any company seriously looking to grow their audience cannot afford to rely on just one or two marketing channels. You’ve got to use as many as your target audience uses. You’ve got to build an omnichannel solution that gives your customers a consistent experience across various channels.
Omnichannel marketing builds stronger brand-customer relationships by unifying messaging across all touchpoints, from marketing to support.
Lean more:

Mobile Marketing is Easier with Expert Guidance

Last updated on March 29, 2024