What marketing looks like at most companies

If you were to map out the channels in a typical business, they usually consist of several independent components.

Google Ads drives traffic to the website. The content team publishes articles or maintains a blog. SMM manages social media. Email is used for newsletters or promotions.

Each of these elements serves its own purpose. The problem is that there is almost no data exchange between them. A person might first see a brand in a search, come across an article a few days later, then subscribe to a newsletter, and only return to the website a week or two later to submit a request.

Modern analytics tools already use data-driven attribution. For example, this model is standard in Google Ads and GA4. However, in multichannel marketing, this is often insufficient. Platform-based systems see only part of the customer journey, so companies are increasingly using specialized attribution tools, such as Triple Whale or other CDP solutions. These allow for the consolidation of data from advertising, CRM, and e-commerce systems into a single model of customer interactions with the brand.

Without a complete picture of customer interactions, a company begins to draw the wrong conclusions about the effectiveness of its channels. This is precisely where the need for an omnichannel marketing system arises.

Why are companies adopting an omnichannel approach?

At some point, companies begin to notice that certain transactions cannot be explained by the logic of individual channels.

One customer might say they read the company’s articles a few months ago. Another recalls a webinar or podcast. A third first heard about the product through a recommendation on LinkedIn.

When stories like these start to repeat themselves, it becomes clear: demand isn’t driven by a single channel, but by an entire ecosystem of interactions.

This ecosystem is what’s known as omnichannel marketing.

The idea is that every interaction with the brand—whether it’s an ad, content, email, webinar, or case study—becomes part of a unified environment. Data from these interactions is aggregated, and marketing begins to work with the full customer journey.

When a company sees the full picture, it becomes much easier to make strategic decisions regarding marketing investments.

The Role of Content in Shaping Demand

In robust omnichannel systems, content takes center stage. The reason is simple: it works at stages where advertising has almost no impact.

When a person first begins to explore a problem, they look for explanations, other companies’ experiences, and examples of solutions. At this point, helpful content builds trust in the brand even before direct interest in the product arises.

That is why companies that actively work with content often observe an interesting pattern in their data. A significant portion of customers come via brand searches or direct visits, but their interaction history includes articles, case studies, or webinars.

A McKinsey study shows that customers typically engage with multiple channels before making a decision.