For years, marketers have relied on legacy channels like static display ads and paid search to make up the foundation of their digital advertising initiatives. While those legacy channels still exist and can be extremely effective, they’re hardly the only opportunities for brands to connect with audiences. The emergence of new digital channels has opened exciting doors of opportunity — but only for brands willing to walk through them and accept that customer expectations have evolved.
It’s easy to see this evolution all around. Employees no longer listen to the radio on their daily commutes; they tune in to Spotify podcasts while working from home. Families have cut the cord and now consume video content on streaming platforms across an assortment of devices. Fortunately, this isn’t the death of legacy channels; it just means marketers need to shift their media playbooks to include an omnichannel approach that encompasses these newer consumer habits.
Omnichannel marketing is the primary way to ensure consistent, engaging customer experiences across the entire buying journey. Furthermore, eight out of 10 buyers believe a business’s customer experience is as just as important as what it sells. Brands that want to deliver memorable experiences have to be where their target audiences are, which, in all likelihood, is on emerging channels. There, they can find new ways to make a mark, win more customers, and hit profit goals.
Make no mistake: Profitability is a critical reason to dive into digital marketing on emerging digital channels like TikTok and Hulu. Mastering omnichannel marketing by applying best practices backed by accurate digital marketing KPIs enables marketing teams to make the most of their sometimes limited funds.
How to Incorporate Emerging Digital Channels Into Your Media Playbook
Are you interested in revitalizing your media playbook? Below are some of the most reliable integrated marketing best practices to help you succeed in delighting customers through an elevated experience across all touchpoints and channels — both traditional and new.
1. Get to know the emerging channels that are performing well for forward-leaning marketers.
It’s impossible to become confident in omnichannel marketing if you’re not sure which channels deserve a second look. Four of the strongest options now are advanced TV (including TV streaming like OTT and CTV), digital audio (including podcasts), DOOH, and gaming.
Advanced TV
Advanced TV is an umbrella term used to define television streamed through the internet via various devices such as smart TVs and gaming consoles, as well as mobile through connected apps like Peacock or devices like Amazon’s Fire TV stick.
CTV advertising growth has exploded, increasing 39% from 2021 to 2022, meaning investing in CTV can help you home in on audiences that now tune in to their favorite programming via streaming.
DOOH
DOOH advertising can be found on digital screens outside the home, like a retail kiosk in the mall, a billboard in Times Square, a screen in an office building elevator, or the back of a taxi.
In 2021, the DOOH advertising market size was valued at $18.98 billion. However, this number is expected to increase drastically to $57.93 billion by 2030. DOOH can help you provide brand awareness and amplification of messaging, branding, and campaigns.
Advanced audio
Digital audio platforms like Pandora, SiriusXM, or Spotify get you (literally) in the ear of consumers wherever they are. And the number of people who tune in to these platforms can’t be ignored: Two-thirds of folks in the U.S. listen to digital audio at least one time each week.
Various targeting tactics, from behavioral and geographic to genre-related and contextual, allow you to take the guesswork out of where to spend your advertising dollars.
Advanced gaming
Advanced gaming advertising is an overarching term that includes ads placed within a mobile, PC, or console gaming environment and ads placed within e-sport environments. With the investments being made in video games, gaming apps, and the metaverse, the formats for in-game advertisements are seemingly limitless, but some of the easiest formats to get started with include video, native, rich media, or static banner creatives.
As for gaming, there are more than 3.09 billion active gamers around the world, and the global in-game advertising market expects to generate $17.59 million by 2030.
2. Determine how to sell your omnichannel marketing approaches to higher-ups.
It would be great if you knew you had 100% backing for omnichannel marketing efforts from the executives at your organization. That doesn’t always happen, though. You might have to “sell” your new media playbook ideas up the ladder. In that situation, you might be required to prove your target audiences are engaged with these emerging channels.
Fortunately, research from Google has found that an omnichannel approach to marketing provides an 80% higher rate of store visits. Furthermore, omnichannel shoppers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop on only one channel.
Being on multiple channels is important for long-term business success, but you might not always have the budget to test them all. As such, it’s important to find a digital advertising partner to uncover your audience and find the best possible investments for your specific brand.
3. Look for gaps in your current cross-channel and omnichannel marketing processes.
Maybe you’ve already dabbled in emerging channels. That puts you ahead of the pack but doesn’t mean you’ve delved deep enough into the channels that are transforming the modern landscape. Remember that customers are embarking on multitouchpoint journeys — adding more touchpoints all the time. So take time to map out those journeys to find any potential gaps.
What are possible engagement gaps where new media marketing could come in handy? Perhaps most of your target consumers spend their time on social media, digital audio, and streaming TV. If you’re not advertising in all three places, you’re widening the gaps in your brand experience.
You’ll need to put resources behind the investigation of consumer behaviors, preferences, and decision-making patterns to locate all the holes in your customer journey. Getting a higher ROI on your overall marketing and ad spend is worth the effort.
The New Media Playbook for Advertisers: Getting Started
New content channels and platforms are going to come along at a steady rate. Fortunately, a more agile media planning, buying, and execution mindset will help you make better choices and enjoy heightened performance.
At Digilant, we’re always looking for new and emerging channels that our clients should incorporate into their media plans. You, too, can enjoy these benefits by downloading “The New Media Playbook for Advertisers” and setting your marketing strategy on the path to success.
Need a partner to help you better understand omnichannel technology, data, and inventory? At Digilant, we’re positioned to help you future-proof your digital advertising planning process. Contact our team today to see what we can do for you.