The omnichannel plan is a key element of any communication strategy, whatever your sector of activity. The aim: to optimise the customer journey and maintain the relationship by connecting multiple communication and sales channels.
Increasingly demanding, customers are looking for increasingly fluid and personalised interactions at every stage of their journey. The world of agriculture is no exception to this trend. The farmers of today, and even more so those of tomorrow, are connected and have mastered digital tools for production and farm management. They also remain loyal to paper-based tools, proof if any were needed that no channel should be neglected with this audience. And that’s where – spoiler alert – the omnichannel (or 360) strategy comes in!
A few definitions to help you understand
Omnichannel, multichannel, cross-channel, so many channels… but for which strategy?
Multi-channel is the use of several independent channels. These channels are added together like isolated silos with no common customer journey.
Cross-channel takes into account the transition from one channel to another during the purchasing process (for example, click-and-collect, which allows customers to buy a product online and collect it from the shop).
Omni-channel, the topic of the day, optimises the different communication channels to make them complementary. Networks are interconnected so that at every point of contact, whether physical or digital, the user is connected to a seamless experience.
Multiplying contact points
The omnichannel strategy is called 360° because it encompasses all the communication tools used to reach and serve the end customer. This means linking digital communication tools such as the website, social networks and newsletters with physical tools such as operational marketing, press relations and events.
To link these different tools, you can imagine a multitude of solutions. Here’s a sample:
- Add links to your website on your social networks and newsletters
- Add a QR Code to your printed materials: it’s an easy-to-use tool that’s accessible to all smartphones. It allows you to make your website or social networks easily accessible from your brochures, magazines, business cards, etc.
- Call your followers on your social networks to join you on an event such as a farm or factory visit. Don’t hesitate to share your photos of the day on your pages, but also on your blog. And why not issue a press release about the day?
- Create a podcast with your suppliers and customers to maintain links with them and share real-life experiences. This podcast will be available on the various listening platforms, so that your listeners can enjoy it during their lunch break or directly in the tractor. They will already have discovered it through your social networks or via the latest newsletter, which will have made them want to listen to it. They can even share it with a neighbour by text message. Life really is too easy in this interconnected world!
Multiplying the points of contact with your target improves the visibility of your message and helps to create a dialogue.
Creating your omnichannel strategy
OK, omnichannel strategy is what you need! But how do you go about it? Well, first of all, it’s vital to define your objective. Boat, you may say. Yes, but without that, you’ll go nowhere, or rather you’ll go everywhere without coherence. So why are you communicating? Are you starting out and want to make a name for yourself? Do you want to rejuvenate your image? Are you expanding your business and want to get the word out? Is customer satisfaction at the heart of your values, and do you want to put this message at the heart of your communications?
Once you know what you want, you need to look at your target audience : who is it? Who are the farmers you want to communicate with? Are they livestock farmers or market gardeners? Are you targeting a particular age group? How do they communicate, what tools do they use and when? You should also think about what they want from you and what they expect from you.
You can now choose the relevant communication tools to exploit and produce consistent overall content. The paper invitation to the stand at the next exhibition will have the same graphic identity and contain the same essential message as the Facebook and LinkedIn publications. These two elements will give an idea of what the customer or prospect will find on the stand. This will make the farmer want to join you at the show, and you will have made it easier for them to do so.
As you will have realised, the omnichannel or 360° strategy is very comprehensive and requires a great deal of work before you can get started. But the possibilities are endless as long as you work consistently across the different channels.