A multi-channel business strategy implies selling (and sometimes also delivering) your products or services through various “channels,” for instance, via a physical store, in-person, online, through newspapers or magazines, or over the phone, to name some of the most common ways to allow customers to buy from you.
Example 1: the Massage Therapist
eBook | Click for details
Let’s take a look at how a massage therapist could add not only more sales channels, but also more service delivery channels (the actual massage treatment).
Say that a certain massage therapist would normally receive clients at a fixed location i.e. establishment. The therapist could decide to also give massages at the client’s home, at the office workplace for company employees, on fairs or symposia, to name some alternatives. Mind that multi-channeling service delivery is sometimes also seen as a form of business diversification.
To actually promote i.e. sell these new services, publicity and sales could be done over more than one channel, for instance, via email or email newsletters, via social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Pinterest, and so on), by phone, through one’s own website, via Internet search engines or YouTube, or through flyers and folders in physical shops.
Perhaps needless to say, but adding more treatment options (at different locations) and following a multi-channel sales strategy can ensure more business resiliency, besides growing one’s client base and income.
Example 2: the Yoga Teacher
A Yoga teacher offers self-care bodywork. Typically, classes will be given in a studio, in a more or less close-contact setting.
To bypass social distancing requirements a Yoga teacher could decide to start giving classes over the Internet, online. This could be live online (via Zoom or Skype, and so on) or via pre-recorded video material or subscription services.
Another alternative class-option could be to give training outdoors, by which it would be easier to keep social distancing requirements in check, while, at the same time, offering excellent ventilation.
With this approach a Yoga teacher has created two extra class-delivery channels, increasing the chances to succeed in business continuity.
Example 3: the Detox Center
A Detox Center that was used to receive clients for the day or for longer retreats could start by implementing online subscription services for do-it-yourself detox treatments at home.
The center could, for instance, weekly publish recipes of fruit and vegetable detox cocktails, accompanied with a variety of tips for living healthier.
This same center could also start offering live online trainings, such as self-stretching or cooking a healthy meal together, just to give an example.
