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“Marketers need to build digital relationships and reputation before closing a sale.” -Chris Brogran, New York Times bestselling author and CEO of Owner Media Group

Today’s modern shopping experience often begins before a consumer sets foot in a store. It starts with using digital channels like websites, Social Media and review sites to research products and companies. 73% of American customers use multiple channels throughout their shopping experience and spend 10% more than single-channel customers, according to a Harvard Business study released in early 2017.

Which digital channels will enable you to inform and enhance your customers’ shopping experiences? While there is not a “one size fits all” answer to this, monitoring marketing trends is a good place to start.

Our pick for the top three digital channels to use right now were culled from the top channels marketers will be or are using in the next 12 months, according to the 2017 State of Marketing study Salesforce released in June. And as you will see, it is more than peer pressure from fellow marketers that inspired us to select our top three channels.

Social Media

Social Media is a digital juggernaut. Almost half of the 3.5 billion active Internet users around the world have at least one account on the 60-plus Social Media channels, according to SocialPilot.

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have the most users. The majority of US Internet users who follow a brand on Social Media are more likely to purchase a product from that brand, according to a Sprout Social study released in February. Social Media brand followers who make a purchase by age group:

• 67% of Gen X (35-54 year-olds)
• 60% of Millennials (18-34 year-olds)

• 51% of Baby Boomers (55+)

Social Media was ranked as a priority in two recent State of Marketing reports. Marketers said using Social Media for customer engagement was an “essential” priority for 2017, according to the Incite Group’s The State of Marketing 2017. Marketers ranked Social Media as the second-most used digital channel (topped by websites) in the recent Salesforce State of Marketing report.

It is our No. 1 pick because:

• it is easy and cost-efficient
• new features and trends keep Social Media interesting
• using the right Social Media platform enables you to target specific demographics, making it ideal to tailor company content to the right audience

• it is a unique medium to get to know your customers and to give your customers a chance to get to know your company

Email

Email is undergoing a resurgence. Its use grew the most in the last two years, according to a recent Salesforce State of Marketing report. When combined with other channels, marketers said email improves customer acquisition, awareness and engagement.

Email marketing is growing, according to Q1 2017 data from Yes Lifecycle Marketing. New subscribers account for 6% of total subscribers, which is a 30% increase in new subscribers compared to three years ago. Encouragingly, the number of subscribers opening those emails increased for the second consecutive quarter after six quarters of slight decline. In Q1 2017, 16.1% subscribers opened emails, which is a 1.3% increase from Q1 2016.

Marketers ranked Email as the third most-used digital channel in the recent Salesforce State of Marketing report. We made it our No. 2 pick because:

• it is one of the easiest channels to measure ROI
• the prevalence of smartphones makes emails more accessible than ever

• 58% of adults check their email first thing in the morning, according to Customer Intelligence

Apps

Smartphones aren’t going away. In fact, a record 77% of Americans now have a smartphone, according to 2017 data from Pew Research Center. The average smartphone user accesses 30 apps per month, according to a 2017 App Annie study.

Those apps are ingrained in American consumers’ daily routines. In 2017, the average American consumer will spend 2 hours and 25 minutes using mobile apps every day, which is a 10.3% increase from 2016, according to eMarketer.

Gartner predicts that 268 billion app downloads will generate $77 billion in revenue in 2017, according to Business 2 Community. 26% of consumers use a branded app to begin their mobile research for a shopping experience, according to Smart Insights.

More marketers planned to use mobile apps than any other digital channel in 2017, according to the recent Salesforce State of Marketing report. We made it our No. 3 pick because:

• There are more mobile users than desktop users (according to comScore, mobile users surpassed desktop in 2014)
• Apps make your business visible to customers every time they use their device

• There are so many ways apps can enhance your customers’ experiences—digital coupons, loyalty programs, special event alerts, shopping lists, purchasing through the app, click-and-collect, to name a few features.

Wrapping Up

None of our top three picks are intended to be standalone channels. A coordinated effort that spans multiple channels is the key to enhancing digital relationships and reputation in 2017.