Universal MultiChannel Challenges and How to Succeed Them

Multichannel management is like juggling, except that the better you become at it, then the more you have to juggle until you inevitably start dropping balls.

Multichannel marketing offers a vast number of problems and issues to overcome, and the worst part is that the better you become at it, the more problems erupt, and the harder the whole process becomes.

Here are a few difficulties you may face when you are multichannel marketing, from multichannel messaging to an inability to get things started on specific social media platforms.

1. A General Misunderstanding Based on Intuitive Design

All are a fancy way of saying that many social media platforms have similar features that are so similar you fall victim to using the same techniques, rules, and functions and then are bewildered because they do not work.

A typical example is Instagram and Twitter. You may be a whiz on Instagram and have people eating out the palm of your hand, so you have a go at Twitter, and you cannot break 100 followers.

You use all the same material, content, and hashtags that you do on Instagram, and it just doesn’t work. You post one of your most famous Instagram images on Twitter, and it floats by lifelessly like a coffin down a river.

What went wrong is that the rules, trends, and even the essential functions for each social media platform are different. Just because icons do similar things doesn’t mean their service has the same effect.

For example, a hashtag on Twitter is pretty powerful, but a hashtag on YouTube is closer to being a cataloging function than a promotional tool.

Another example is how embedding some of your social media content on your website is a great way to get people over to your social media profiles, except YouTube, where all the benefit stays on-page and where very few people will navigate onto YouTube from a website that has a video embedded.

2. Dealing With Multiple Messages

Going back to Instagram, if you launch one of those 24-hour videos, then people cannot comment, and they have to leave a message instead. Even with humble 20K followers, you are going to receive a lot of words that would have otherwise comment.

Now, combine this with the messages you are going to receive from all your other social media profiles, and you are faced with an avalanche of words. Plus, the more successful you are, the bigger your problem becomes. That is why many companies use multichannel messaging to receive and even send their messages over numerous channels.

Do not forget that one of the most significant points of contact are the messaging and comment systems that social media contain. Larger companies have no time for contacts, messages, and comments, but smaller businesses do have the time, and they can offer a wealth of information and marketing opportunities.

3. Some Platforms Are Very Biased

Overcome social media bias by understanding them. As you gain more experience with social media marketing, you will learn how some are biased in very distinct and testable ways. For example, Twitter is not biased in terms of overall functionality, but many Twitter users are, which is often why the platform is so full of controversy.

Plus, it is geared towards celebrities, and local areas, so smaller businesses trying to go national are going to struggle.

Facebook is very left-wing and relies heavily on shock media, which means your non-spammy content will ironically do the worst. That is not to say that you should write visible spam messages, but if your posts do not claim to “Blow-up” Facebook, then they will probably suffer.

YouTube favors big business, especially larger media publishers, so you are going to have a hard time penetrating the platform if you are not prepared to spend a lot of money on your production values. Also, using affiliate advertising for your videos is far more expensive than if you were paying for website affiliate clicks.

Instagram is biased for women in that it is tough for males to promote and grow their channels, but do not make the mistake of pandering to women on Instagram because they can see through it. Offer things that men and women find appealing, but remember that if you need an Instagram ambassador, then make her female.

A Lack of Content

More channels mean a more significant demand for content. However, despite this being a problem, it becomes a real problem when you lower your quality to keep pace with your output.

As your audience grows, you are going to want to keep them engaged, but it is far better to lower moderate your production and keep things at a high quality, rather than try to rush content or start paying low-quality producers.

With that said, if you can grab a few freelance producers who genuinely understand your audience and your brand, then you can set them off on their way to helping keep your audience warm.

But, it probably goes without saying that if you pick a poor quality producer or somebody who doesn’t understand your target audience, then you may lose all your followers and credibility, or worse still, start attracting the wrong type of people.