There are several skills and capabilities that any marketer needs to create successful multi-channel marketing programs.   The three most important are: 

•  Touch-point customer attribution –in off line channels, it’s easy since you most always have PII (personally identifying information) available from DM, 800, etc.  On line is another story.  For example, how does off line advertising drive search, banner and CSE’s.  The best definition of Attribution I have seen, a process of using business rules and models to allocate credit to any marketing communication, across all channels and touch-points, which leads to a desired action such as a sale or lead or engagement.

• Customer intelligence workbench –This is a resource that integrates all relevant data from all sources and channels that enables analysis that drives marketing decisions for multi-channel and cross-channel engagement.  The workbench is a complex resource that combines off and on-line data, off and on line performance and generates analysis that drives execution such as loyalty, acquisition, retention, engagement, etc.

• Customer Engagement Execution – is the process of executing marketing strategies that engage customers across all channels that you and the customer choose to engage.  There is a slippery slope here.  Most execution systems such as campaign management, e mail, social media, etc, do not interact and integrate.  The Holy Grail is to create one system which will do it all.

Over the next several weeks I am going to discuss each of the three areas in much greater detail.  I look forward to your comments and suggestions.