In a presentation about creating a 360-degree marketing program, Kim Gnatt, VP of Internet marketing and operations for FootSmart.com said that by promoting synergy across channels, companies can better create brand relevance.
“The in-store experience should match the online experience, which should match the printed catalog,” she said. Gnatt gave a presentation on channel synergy during the eTail 2008 conference Tuesday in Washington. “The more frequently you are in front of a customer with a certain message, the higher the brand recall will be. All the different marketing managers should be on the same page.”
Gnatt said that she worked at FootSmart to unify the customer experience for those receiving the printed catalog and those viewing the Web site.
“The front and back cover of your print catalog should align with what a customer sees on the home page of the Web site,” she advised. “The message you see in print is the message you see online.”
She said marketers should “understand the strengths and weaknesses of different channels” and use that information to complement marketing efforts.
Gnatt noted the importance of utilizing customer content to drive marketing efforts. She said that FootSmart added a user review capability to its site, and now has a destination page on its site for top-rated products, uses a portion of its weekly newsletter to feature five-star rated products, and features user-generated content in its catalog, increasing Web traffic.
