Using only a limited number of channels for outreach can often leave you and your prospects feeling abandoned. You might think you’ve hit it off via SMS or email. If they decide to switch to another channel and you’re unresponsive on it, consider that conversation dead.
An omnichannel strategy solves that problem by keeping your business present across every touchpoint – SMS, WhatsApp, Viber, RCS, and others – so no lead ever slips through the cracks.
But presence alone isn’t enough. You also need to be able to rapidly identify which channel, message format, timing, or other factors drive real engagement for each audience segment. By being adequately equipped from day one, you’ll attract the right prospects into your funnel and turn more conversations into qualified leads and, subsequently, conversions.
Let’s break down what omnichannel lead generation and conversion looks like and how you can make it work to your many, many advantages by doing it right.
What is omnichannel messaging, and how can it boost conversions?
Omnichannel messaging in the marketing industry refers to conducting customer outreach across multiple channels, such as SMS, WhatsApp, Viber, and RCS, all through a single platform that unifies your campaigns, data, conversation history, and other important common data.
Unlike multichannel approaches, which simply blast messages separately and leave you stitching together siloed reports, true omnichannel ensures every interaction is tracked and takes into consideration the complete and relevant context.
In omnichannel lead generation, you may have to capture users' interest on one channel, nurture leads on another, then re-engage where prospects are most receptive, all while continuously tracking and optimizing each phase of the customer journey. For example, you might spark awareness and pique interest with mass SMS marketing, deepen consideration with rich-media WhatsApp messaging, and then send a timely and accurately targeted CTA-heavy reminder via RCS to seal the deal.
The ultimate goal here isn’t just to build a massive telephone directory; it is to drive your prospects to take action. By delivering the right message, in the ideal format, on the right channel, at the best time, you can transform scattered touchpoints into a seamless omnichannel journey that converts.
The core channels and their conversion power in an effective omnichannel strategy
Let’s explore in detail the top four channels that are a staple for omnichannel lead generation and conversation-boosting strategies.
SMS lead generation and conversion
SMS is the trusted go-to for businesses that want instant, universal reach. Every mobile device, from feature phones to smartphones and tablets, can receive your message. They should just be text-enabled, which is how most of our mobile devices come by default.
On top of the massive reach, SMS messages are highly likely to be read by most recipients. 90% of SMS messages are read within the first 3 minutes of their receipt.
To further strengthen your SMS outreach, consider sending from a simple shortcode to build memorability. Alternatively, using a branded Sender ID will boost click-through rates since users will immediately recognize and trust your brand.
Plus, with Messente’s automation and personalization features, you can trigger OTPs, cart reminders, or dynamic offers tailored to each prospect.
That said, SMS does have some limitations. For instance, it can’t carry rich media, and you’re limited by strict character limits per text, so your message copy and CTAs must be razor-sharp. You need explicit opt-in consent to message new contacts. You can also fall victim to carrier spam filters if your SMS volumes spike unnaturally. Another concern is that you must comply with local or global SMS marketing regulations in the EU, the US, and other regions.
WhatsApp lead generation and conversion
WhatsApp has created a massive global footprint over the years. According to Backlinko, WhatsApp has over 2 billion users, making it a powerful tool for lead generation and conversion.
WhatsApp’s rich messaging lets you send images, buttons, quick-reply menus, CTA buttons, link previews, and even picture-in-picture video, giving a boost to engagement. You get features like read receipts and typing indicators in real time. Because every conversation is saved indefinitely, prospects can revisit past messages whenever they need a refresher.
However, it’s got some downsides, too. For example, all your WhatsApp templates (both new ones and old ones that need modifications) must pass Meta’s approval. You incur per-message fees plus a monthly API charge. Freeform chats only last 24 hours after the last customer message. And automated bulk broadcasts are strictly prohibited – non-compliance can get your business profile banned. Thus, using this channel for customer outreach requires some tact.
Viber lead generation and conversion
Viber shines in regions like Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where its local-market penetration overtakes other channels like WhatsApp and SMS. Thanks to its cost-efficient pricing, which we’ve seen undercut SMS rates, in some cases, it’s a smart choice for high-volume campaigns on a budget.
With Viber, you can build branded stickers and send rich-media content to boost customer engagement and drive interest. This can help make Viber feel both personal and on-brand for your leads. Additionally, with tools like Messente’s no-code dashboard, launching Viber broadcasts can be as simple as point-and-click, helping your marketing team set up and go live within minutes.
That said, Viber’s global footprint is smaller than WhatsApp or SMS, which drives home the point that it cannot be used as a sole lead generation channel, especially for international brands.
RCS lead generation and conversion
RCS was built to expand the capabilities and opportunities offered by plain text SMS messaging. With RCS, you can send out interactive carousel messages that showcase products, promotions, and more, all within a conversation window in the recipient’s native SMS app.
You’ll also see read receipts and typing indicators, giving your team real-time visibility into engagement. Suggested replies can further streamline the conversion path, letting prospects simply tap automatically generated options to reply with instead of typing out their responses. Plus, full branding support means your logos, colours, and fonts stay front-and-center for a consistent, on-brand experience.
Keep in mind, though, not every device or carrier supports RCS, partly because adoption is rolling out in phases. RCS also comes with higher per-message costs. Both these factors make fallback logic essential. If you want to maintain a certain level of reach and control your spending, you’ll need to default to SMS when RCS isn’t available.
Matching channel strengths to your buyer’s journey
When mapping your buyer’s journey, each funnel stage deserves its ideal channel. You need to make your choice depending on your goals, your target audience, and other factors.
For instance, at the top of the sales funnel, you can leverage SMS blasts for maximum reach or Viber chats in cost-sensitive markets to spark initial interest. As prospects move to the middle, RCS or WhatsApp’s rich messaging features will let you beautifully showcase product features and benefits. When the prospects are ready to buy, a one-tap WhatsApp checkout or a personalized SMS link can seal the deal.
It is also necessary to use real-time analytics to identify contacts who have gone quiet. You can then re-engage them on channels where they’ve already responded before or approach them via channels you haven’t tried with them before. For instance, if a lead isn’t responsive on SMS, you can follow up via a different channel after a while so that you don’t regret not putting in your best efforts on any leads slipping away.
Setting up cross-channel fallback mechanisms in case of delivery failure is also key for a successful omnichannel strategy. For instance, if an RCS message fails, your system could automatically retry via SMS with content that is either the same or has been appropriately modified to better suit the new format.
Architecting your Messente-powered lead generation strategy
When you’re ready to move from theory to execution, it’s time to build your omnichannel lead-generation engine. With Messente, you can design a seamless workflow that ties every channel into your existing systems. Let’s explore the different products and features you can leverage.
One API for all channels
With Messente’s one-stop API, you can greatly simplify your tech stack. No juggling separate SDKs or authentication flows for SMS, WhatsApp, and Viber channels.
The singular point of integration reduces development time from weeks to just days (or even hours, depending on what you’re trying to achieve), letting your team launch much faster. Messente’s API will also unify your billing and reporting, with one invoice for all channels at the best possible rates, helped by volume discounts.
Behind the scenes, our consolidated API offers automatic channel fallback. Also, each message is routed along the best-performing path to maximize deliverability and further minimize costs.
Messente covers over 190 countries, with a streamlined sender ID registration process for those who need it, making it ideal for both local and global businesses.
Furthermore, you can easily scale seamlessly from 50,000 to one million messages per month without necessarily restructuring your setup, truly cementing its reputation as a plug-and-play omnichannel platform.
Dashboard vs direct API
Messente offers both a no-code dashboard for non-technical teams and an API for tech-savvy users.
With the dashboard, you can easily set up campaigns in minutes. You can choose your channels from SMS, Viber, or WhatsApp, get templates, set schedules, segment audiences, and run quick A/B tests. To keep everything secure, there is role-based access for senders and admins, and you can set up as many users as needed.
Developers can go into the more technical setup and configuration, with RESTful APIs, SDKs for JavaScript, Python, or .NET, and webhooks for real-time delivery receipts and inbound messages. We also provide a sandbox environment for risk-free testing.
With Messente, you get the freedom to choose whichever route you want to take. Going for a combination of the API and dashboard that matches your business needs will give you the ultimate flexibility in your omnichannel strategy.
Integrations
Messente can work seamlessly with your existing stack. You can simply plug our API directly into Salesforce, HubSpot, or any bespoke CRM (Customer Relationship Management) or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system. You can also use custom webhooks and Zapier integrations if you’re looking for a less intensive solution.
Once connected, your leads and delivery data can easily flow back and forth. Your sales and marketing teams will be able to see real-time status updates without having to manually import data. You can then automate workflows that trigger the right channel at each lifecycle stage. So, let’s say, an SMS welcome series can be sent automatically after signup, or a WhatsApp reminder before renewal. All this while, your team can continue creating and managing new leads instantly as responses roll in.
Advanced product features
Messente’s advanced toolkit gives you more than just basic sending and receiving. It helps you optimize every customer touchpoint.
For instance, you have access to the Phone Validator API to validate numbers before sending them any messages. This will help reduce failed sends and save costs and resources.
The customizable dashboard provides real-time insights and analytics to track open rates, URL clicks, and conversions by channel and campaign. Helpful visualizations can show you what’s working at a glance.
On the compliance front, Messente holds GDPR, HIPAA, and EU‐specific certifications (including Germany), not only conveniently opening up your access to global markets but also keeping your outreach aligned with key regulations.
We take cybersecurity very seriously and have strict measures in place to protect both you and your customers from any danger. To guard against AIT and other threats, we’ve put automatic rate‐limit alerts and IP‐based checks in place.
Messente also offers some advanced tools that favor customers in terms of cost. For instance, you can leverage our Verigator tool to dynamically switch routes and channels for optimal pricing and performance.
Along with that, the Auto-replace tool can help replace special characters with plaintext ones to shorten your message length and help you stay within character limits so that you don’t unnecessarily get charged for multi-part messages.
Tackling the top pain points that sink conversions
Every misstep in your messaging pipeline burns through leads and budgets. From unopened messages and blocked routes to unresponsive prospects, they all chip away at your conversion goals. Let’s discuss a few of the problems you could potentially run into with an omnichannel conversion strategy and how you can solve them.
Deliverability disasters
When messages get stuck in spam folders or blocked carrier routes, your reach plummets. You’re forced to watch your money – and future revenue – go down the drain.
You can fill these gaps with Messente’s:
Phone Validator API to verify numbers before you send out your official campaigns
An advanced routing engine that picks the best carrier paths
Automatic fallback
Pricing traps
Hidden platform fees, strange conditions for tier minimums, or other surprise surcharges can badly derail your budget. Changing providers mid-way due to budgetary issues can not only cause operational disruptions but also be incredibly stressful.
Here at Messente, we believe in transparency. We’ll clearly set out per-message rates and a flat platform fee, with no hidden fees or confusing tier-based pricing. In fact, you get volume discounts once you hit higher monthly thresholds. By providing you with this clarity, we want to keep your ROI predictable as you scale.
Support blackholes
We’ve heard horror stories of enterprise clients waiting days or weeks for support from major providers. Every added minute of delay means lost revenue and frustrated teams scrambling to troubleshoot.
With a reliable communications partner like Messente, you will get guaranteed <1-hour SLAs on every support ticket. We will also assign a dedicated account manager to you once you hit one million messages per month. You can also use our robust self-serve portal, along with our comprehensive technical docs and live chat, for instant answers. By providing rapid support like this, we want to help our clients keep their campaigns running smoothly and your teams focused on growth.
Compliance headaches
Some omnichannel communication providers may lack the permissions or infrastructure to send to specific regions, leaving you stranded or facing penalties. In such cases, global companies can bid farewell to any plans for cross-border messaging.
With Messente’s ISO-compliant EU infrastructure, dedicated assistance, and built-in opt-in management, you’re covered everywhere you need to be. We’ve also got audit logs, content filters, and compliance checks to help you expand into new markets confidently without worrying about sudden blocking or regulatory headaches.
Best practices and next steps in your omnichannel marketing strategy
Here’s a quick set of best practices to take your omnichannel lead generation efforts and boost conversions to the next level.
Start out with transactional use cases: Start with low-risk messages like OTPs or other transactional messages to build that initial trust. Confirming deliverability before launching your full-scale lead gen campaigns can give you a higher chance of success.
Map your buyer’s journey: Define which channel you want to use at each funnel stage. With Messente’s routing rules, you can then automate those pathways for peak efficiency.
Iterate with analytics: Leverage analytics to iterate and optimize campaigns. Having a unified dashboard such as the one offered by Messente can help. You can use it to track key performance indicators such as delivery rates and open-to-conversion ratios, run A/B tests on copy and CTAs, and refine campaigns in real time across every channel.
Scale strategically: As volume grows and you scale up, you'll want to be able to rely on your provider’s account management and bespoke integrations to optimize your workflows. This will ensure every new volume tier drives more qualified leads and, thus, higher conversion rates.
Wrapping up
When you meet prospects on their favorite channels, whether that’s SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, or whatever else they prefer, you make more meaningful connections and can get your message across more effectively. This is why an omnichannel lead generation strategy is the need of the hour.
A provider like Messente can help unify every touchpoint through a single API and intuitive dashboard. Advanced features like phone number validation, smart routing, and in-depth analytics, paired with our rapid support and comprehensive technical documentation, can give you an additional bump.
Ready to capture more qualified leads and drive more conversions? See Messente’s omnichannel messaging solution in action by signing up for a free trial today!
