Optimizing Multi-Channel User Pathways

After 220+ closed deals, here’s one thing I’ve learned: One channel isn’t enough anymore. In 2025, prospects live everywhere - and if you’re only emailing or only calling, you’re invisible. Here’s exactly how to build a multichannel approach that actually works: 𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 → Don’t start by sending 100 messages. → Start by finding why to reach out. → Use intent tools, job changes, or hiring spikes to time your outreach. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Make a “trigger list” - 3 reasons someone might care today, not someday. 𝟮. 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘂𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 → Comment on their posts. → React to company updates. → Send a relevant note or insight before you ever call. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Block 10 minutes daily for “pre-touch” activity on LinkedIn. 𝟯. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 → Day 1: Personalized email → Day 2: Call → Day 4: LinkedIn message → Day 6: Follow-up with new angle → Day 10: Pattern interrupt (voice note, short video, or DM) 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Create a 10-day cadence that mixes all three — and stick to it. 𝟰. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗱𝗼 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯 → Email = insight → Call = connection → LinkedIn = credibility → Video = emotion 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Stop copying the same message across channels. Align tone to medium. 𝟱. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗺 → Tools like ️Salesforge 🔥 make this easier in 2025 enroll contacts, sequence across channels, and scale what’s working. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Spend one hour a week reviewing data. If a channel underperforms, tweak your message, not just your volume. The result: - 3x reply rates - More live conversations - Stronger pipeline consistency My take: Multichannel isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right thing in more places. Your prospects don’t live in one inbox - so your outreach shouldn’t either. PS. Curious - are you a phone, email or LinkedIn person?

𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮 #𝟭𝟰: 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 A simple funnel (enter site, view product, add to cart, checkout) is no longer sufficient to drive actionable insight. The proliferation of devices, browsers, marketing sources, entry pages and customer journeys requires both a more detailed funnel and more forensic approach to analysis.  What’s needed now is a more systematic way to connect customer journeys to business action. I propose a three-step approach: 𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹.  Break the journey down into core steps, micro steps and causal factors [see example] • 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀: Referring source/link/code → Landing page → Product page → Add to cart → Checkout • 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼-𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀: Interactions within steps (e.g., form fields, size selection, product choices, payment stages) • 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: Measurable elements that influence conversion—such as price, availability, content and UX.    𝟮. 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.  Identify the key dimensions for analysis which should include all attributes that are potentially actionable • 𝗛𝗼𝘄: Technology used (device, browser) • 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: Timing factors (signup date, day of week, time of day) • 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: Source of traffic (geo, channel, referrer, keyword, landing page) • 𝗪𝗵𝗼: Customer characteristics: new vs. existing visitor, new vs. existing customer, cohort of first browse / purchase, demographics     𝟯. 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀.  Take a systematic approach to highlight what’s driving the funnel and where to optimise: • 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲:  Overall funnel, step-to-step transition rates, funnel x dimensions • 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀:  Mix effect analysis (decomposes changes into mix shifts vs absolute changes), causal factors • 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁:  Outliers (high/low performers across dimensions), causal failures (stock-outs, pricing errors, promo issues). Taking a systematic approach is fundamental to driving long term value and solving root causes rather than symptoms.  Some example insights: • 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲.  A service business who found that their website didn’t work on older browsers which represented 5% of customers, but 20% of their profit.   • 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.  A general merchandise retailer discovered that the conversion rate issues were driven by price competitiveness issues on their highest viewed products  • 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.  A retailer who discovered their bounce rate was being driven by traffic from paid social landing onto sold out products • 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀.  A hotel chain who discovered a visitor segment with a very high conversion rate characterised by frequent bookings, browsing during office hours on a desktop computer using Internet Explorer.  They turned out to be secretaries.  Funnels must evolve from being seen as a purely digital concern and understood as a lens into overall business performance.

I've been thinking about what DTC brands get wrong about omnichannel expansion recently. The temptation is to try to be everywhere at once. But the real winners are strategically aligning each channel to build a holistic growth engine. Here’s how to do it right → First, you must have channel-specific thinking. Every channel needs its own playbook. A helpful framework to structure your efforts... DTC Website: • Focus on basket building • Higher AOV targets • Full-price strategy • Data collection hub • Customer relationship building TikTok Shop: • Single-product purchase reality • Organic content engine • Lower AOV expectations • Limited data access • Treat as a retail channel Amazon: • Multi-pack strategy • Bundle economics • Marketplace presence • Competitive monitoring • Specialized management Next up, the Integration Challenge → The biggest mistake brands make is trying to force the same strategy across all channels. Example: One brand we spoke with increased shipping costs on TikTok Shop to push customers to their website. Instead of fighting the platform's natural behavior, they should have optimized for it. You must also consider your unit economics because each channel has its own cost profile. - TikTok Shop might be a loss leader but drive retail success. - Website sales might have better margins but higher customer acquisition costs. - Amazon might have lower margins but better operational efficiency. Here is the new omnichannel playbook: 1. Channel Optimization - Build channel-specific content - Adjust pricing strategies per platform - Create platform-specific bundles - Set realistic KPIs for each channel 2. Data Strategy - Accept data limitations on newer platforms - Focus on first-party data where possible - Build cross-channel customer profiles - Use creative solutions for retention 3. Team Structure - Specialized expertise per channel - Clear ownership of metrics - Flexibility to shift resources - Mix of in-house and agency support The brands that will win aren't the ones just running around trying to be everywhere - they're the ones being intentional about how they show up in each place. Success also isn't about ideal profit extraction across all channels. It's about understanding each channel's role in your broader ecosystem and optimizing accordingly. Key Takeaway: Don't try to make every channel work the same way. Start building channel-specific strategies that work together to drive overall growth. 

One of the most fascinating projects I have worked on eventually became US Patent… a system for multi-modal journey optimization. At first glance, it sounds straightforward: get a traveler from point A to point B as quickly as possible. But in reality, this is not a “shortest path” problem. It is a problem of navigating combinatorial explosion under uncertainty while still producing results that humans will actually use. The lesson was simple, but profound: a single “optimal” route is often the wrong answer. In practice, commuters do not blindly follow whatever the algorithm declares “fastest.” They balance hidden costs (number of transfers, reliability, waiting time) against raw travel time. A route that is one minute slower but has one fewer transfer will often be preferred. We approached this by abandoning the idea of returning just one solution. Instead, we designed an iterative search that keeps a fixed-length priority queue of candidate paths, pruning aggressively to keep the search tractable, but always preserving multiple high-quality alternatives. The output is a set of Pareto-efficient options: fast, but also different enough that a user can choose the one that fits their risk tolerance, comfort level, or schedule flexibility. This project shifted how I think about optimization. The real challenge isn’t mathematical purity, it is making decisions robust to the messiness of the real world. If the solution space is reduced to a single “optimal” point, you risk oversimplifying reality and delivering something no one wants to use. When we expose the trade-offs explicitly, we help people make better decisions.

Multi-channel campaigns generate 347% higher ROI than single-channel approaches. After managing campaigns for 100+ enterprise clients, I'm sharing our latest findings on creating sustainable demand generation strategies. Our Battle-Tested Framework: 1. Strategic Channel Integration - Cross-platform data synchronization - Real-time audience segmentation - Machine learning attribution modeling - Behavioral trigger mapping (45+ touchpoints) - Channel performance optimization - Custom audience journey creation 2. Advanced Content Orchestration - AI-powered content adaptation - Channel-specific messaging - Dynamic content sequencing - Engagement velocity optimization - Personalization at scale (99.3% accuracy) - Real-time performance tracking 3. Sustainable Engagement Tactics - Progressive profiling algorithms - Predictive scoring models - Advanced nurture pathways - Automated re-engagement - Loyalty program integration - Customer lifetime value optimization Independently Verified Results (Q4 2024): - Lead quality improved 312% - Average engagement duration: 4.7x longer - Cross-channel conversion: Up 287% - Customer retention: Increased 156% - Cost per acquisition: Reduced 73% - Marketing qualified leads: Up 234% Success isn't about being everywhere - it's about being in the right places with the right message at the right time. Begin with two core channels and perfect their integration before expanding. This approach yielded 89% better results than rapid multi-channel rollouts. What's your biggest multi-channel marketing challenge?

It's no longer enough to ask "Are we ranking?" Instead, the real question is: “Are we meeting the user at every point in their decision journey?” Most brands still approach SEO as a one-channel game, optimizing content solely for Google and hoping that visibility leads to conversions. But today's buyer journey is no longer confined to one platform, one format, or even one moment in time. People now move fluidly across multiple platforms: TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, Google, Amazon, ChatGPT… depending on their intent, curiosity, and trust in the medium. They’re not just searching; they’re comparing, validating, watching, reading, and revisiting before making a decision. Mapping the complete journey helps you answer that. For every stage: 1. Discover, 2. Compare, 3. Act, You need to identify three things: 1. what the user is searching for, 2. where they go to find the answer,  3. and what format they expect it in. In the discovery phase, they might start with a short-form TikTok video or an Instagram reel that introduces the product concept. They might click into a blog post that educates them on why something matters or how it works. As they move into comparison mode, they’ll likely Google branded terms, look for Reddit threads discussing real experiences, or watch YouTube reviews to hear honest opinions. Finally, when they’re ready to act, they’ll compare listings on Amazon or check product pages on the official website before completing their purchase. This isn’t a straight path, it’s a web of behavior. A user might revisit the same product on multiple platforms, cross-check reviews across Reddit and Amazon, or go from a YouTube review back to a TikTok ad just to confirm their gut feeling. The time span can range from minutes to weeks. That’s why understanding the journey is essential. Because if you're only optimizing one part of it, you’re invisible in the rest. Search Everywhere Optimization doesn’t just acknowledge this complexity, it embraces it. By meeting users where they already search and adapting to the behaviors they already exhibit, your brand becomes discoverable in the moments that matter most. That’s how trust is built. That’s how action is earned. And that’s how visibility stops being a ranking and starts being a presence.

Advertisers often work in channel silos: paid search, social, DSP, CTV, etc. The real untapped potential in advertising is breaking down the space between them. Even when your teams, strategies, and data are under the same roof, alignment is often missing. 💡 So how can you improve strategic alignment? You must put clean, consistent data at the core of your multi-channel strategy. For example, say you’re running ads on Spotify. If the ads are meant to drive consumers to your website or a specific product page, your downstream channels must be ready to pick up right where the ad left off. Without data alignment, one step of your conversion funnel can’t easily support the next step. This creates friction—and very rarely do consumers push through. Putting data at the core of your multi-channel advertising efforts gives you a greater understanding of the full consumer journey. In turn, you can ensure that each transition (from one channel to the next) is smooth, logical, and intentional. If Spotify was step one, what’s step two? Follow on social? Get a free trial? Data can help you think critically about your entire ad strategy so that you can perfect the handoffs between channels and stages. When you can do that, driving conversions will be so much easier. Bringing data together creates a seamless experience for consumers and your Ad Ops teams: 🤝 Each channel can be tailored to engage consumers based on their previous actions. 📊 Your team can track performance and execute strategies holistically. In short, putting data at the center of your advertising operations ensures that your strategies are seamless and connected, even when the buyer journey is complex and non-linear. 

Modern consumer apps engage users across multiple channels—email, in-app, push notifications 📲. Deciding what to say to whom, when, where and how is both a high-stakes and high-dimensional problem. Traditionally, this orchestration has involved a lot of manual design and experimentation. What if we treat message orchestration as a sequential decision-making problem instead? 💡 We can break down decisions about timing, frequency, tone-of-voice, value propositions, content, and others into a modularised action space. Causal inference techniques allow us to estimate per-user treatment effects, and contextual bandit methods adaptively allocate future experiences whilst handling uncertainty intelligently (via Thompson sampling). This scales tremendously well and works in practice—serving multiple customers and hundreds of millions of users across wildly diverse use-cases. The result: meaningful lifts in engagement, conversions, and downstream metrics—whilst reducing manual overhead. Marketing teams can focus on strategy and creativity, and tedious optimisation work gets delegated to agents. We wrote up this framework from a general and high-level perspective on arXiv. This is the culmination of many folks' work at Aampe, and I'm proud to share it. Would love to hear your thoughts, questions, or feedback!

Omnichannel Strategy: Fixing the Broken Customer Journey I recently called a bank support line. The automated system asked for my ID. I typed it in. Then the agent answered and asked for the same ID. This small friction kills trust. True Omnichannel is not about being everywhere. It is about being connected. Many leaders mistake multi-channel for omnichannel. They launch an app, a website, and a physical store. Yet, these touchpoints operate in isolation. The data does not flow. The customer repeats their story. The challenge is rarely the software. It is Organizational Culture. Departments hoard information. Sales teams do not see what support teams see. You must break these silos. Success requires a focus on four pillars: 1️⃣ People: Train teams to view the experience through the customer’s eyes. The goal is Psychological safety where employees feel empowered to solve problems across channels. 2️⃣ Data: Distinct systems must exchange Real-time information. Accurate Analytics allow you to predict what the customer needs next. 3️⃣ Process: Redesign workflows for continuity. Stop optimizing for internal efficiency and start optimizing for the customer journey. 4️⃣ Technology: Use AI and Headless commerce architectures to unite these fragments. Don’t just buy a platform. Fix the foundation. Your customers expect recognition, not repetition. Is your customer journey fragmented? Send me a message or contact Digital Transformation Strategist, and we will map out a connected strategy.

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝗺𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 “𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀” 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀? Omnichannel marketing zeroes in on the right HCPs, channels, and timing, instead of spreading content everywhere. This precision pays off. IQVIA reports ~𝟭𝟲% 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁 in new-to-brand (NBRx) scripts from an orchestrated Omnichannel strategy. Similarly, a top-ten pharma case saw ~𝟭𝟬% 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗢𝗜 using an integrated Omnichannel approach. These gains come with significant efficiency. McKinsey notes 𝟭𝟬–𝟮𝟬% 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. IQVIA even cites 𝟰𝟬–𝟳𝟬% 𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 for mature Omnichannel programs. In practice, AI-driven next-best actions and dynamic targeting boost field productivity ~20–30%, while cutting “wasted” calls (non-target outreach) by ~20%. 𝗔 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝗺𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. A unified CRM creates a 360° HCP view, feeding AI models that rank high-opportunity doctors and tailor content. The integrated Omnichannel approach delivers AI-powered Next Best Experiences (NBEs) with personalized, real-time recommendations rather than static call plans. Teams then test-and-learn. Rapid A/B testing and weekly campaign reviews tune messages and channels in real time. Closed-loop measurement ties it together; engagement analytics feed into planning for continual optimization. Altogether, this agile, integrated method turns Omnichannel theory into measurable lifts and lower costs. And, 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 by aligning people, processes, and platforms to outperform blunt multi-channel tactics. Reach out to define or optimize your Omnichannel transformation journey for creating new best practices together. OD Pharma Consulting: https://lnkd.in/d2NK9jPc #Omnichannel #Optichannel #PharmaMarketing #CommercialEffectiveness #HCPEngagement #AI #CRM #MultichannelMarketing References: Step-by-Step Omnichannel Deployment Strategy in Life Sciences (IQVIA) Up To 10% Higher Return On Investment (ROI) From An Omnichannel-Led Digital Engagement For A Top Ten Pharma (Axtria) The Future of Omnichannel Pharma Sales: Moving Beyond NBA to Drive HCP Engagement (Axtria) Demystifying the Omnichannel commercial model for pharma companies in Asia (McKinsey) Field Force Effectiveness in the Pharmaceutical Industry (Intuitionlabs) How is Optichannel redefining customer engagement in Pharma? (Wavestone)