Challenges of Channel Planning

As consumers go online using different channels and various devices, like mobiles, tablets, desktops, as well as household devices, like smart TVs and personal voice assistants, digital marketers are presented with a number of opportunities and challenges. So, let’s look at some challenges. One of the main challenges is actually capturing that consumer attention. The three main drivers of this challenge, of attention, is very diverse but we’ll look at all of them. The first is the increasing number of competing channels which splits the audience into smaller fragments. The other ones you really have to consider are things like the amount of content which consumers consume and how much they engage with it online.

The challenge for us as digital marketers is to continually produce the most appropriate and effective content types to engage them again and again. It’s a lot of volume and we have to consider that. Now, the third is the concept of multi-screen users where consumers use multiple devices, like a mobile phone, to consume different content. Again, it splits the audience. All of these are considerations for channel planning. So, us as digital marketers, need to find an ideal mix of channels and devices to really engage our consumers effectively. Now, in this fragmented, multi-channel world, it’s really important to remember that a cohesive, digital marketing strategy will use all kinds of channels.

So, our challenge is not to be put off by this fragmentation but to use it to our benefit, and when deciding on a channel mix, we should choose channels that are aligned to our same goal and work together to drive optimum results from a multi-screen, always-on consumer. Now, with this in mind, only channels with a clear purpose in the path to achieving our objective should be included in our plan. So, it’s not just choose what’s popular. It must serve a purpose.