Businesses can tell a consistent story about their brand and have more effect with their campaigns thanks to integrated marketing. With more channels than ever accessible to sway consumer decisions, it’s essential to maximise the power these outlets have.
The difficulty of multichannel marketing is also present. The more you use, the more challenging it is to maintain consistency in your messaging. A well integrated marketing strategy can be useful in this situation.
Integrative marketing: What is it?
A strategy for communicating a consistent message through all the marketing platforms your brand uses is called integrated marketing. It offers uniformity no matter where clients choose to deal with a business.
Without an integrated marketing plan, you run the danger of conveying conflicting information or speaking incoherently. Customers may perceive your brand as fractured and disjointed as a result.
For instance, the experience and messaging should be same whether a customer is accessing marketing information on a desktop or a mobile device. Similar to how a consumer who calls a real sales professional or uses an artificial chatbot on your website should be treated, so should the other way around.
Why choose a comprehensive marketing approach?
A strong integrated marketing strategy comes with a number of benefits that can boost the productivity of your marketing efforts.
Make your story coherent.
Every day, we are exposed to more than 350 advertisements, but only around one-third of them manage to hold our interest for more than a few seconds. Few of such advertisements will be kept in memory even a day afterwards.
Integrating your marketing materials into a coherent story that can be used across a variety of distribution channels is one approach to make sure that your advertisements and other materials leave a lasting impression.
increase the efficiency of marketing campaigns.
Better overall campaign performance is a result of more consistency within your brand’s narrative, which is linked to integrated marketing.
Companies that outperform their competitors in marketing outcomes are 1.5 times more likely to employ an integrated technology solution that enables them to share the same story across all of their channels.
Increase value while decreasing expenditures.
Because you can reuse the same content across channels, integrating your marketing channels can help lower the cost of producing marketing content. For instance, you can utilise pictures and videos of your company mascot in offline as well as online marketing materials if you have one.
To coordinate your messaging, you can also give sales personnel the identical talking points to use at events or in multiple places. These methods not only help you save your overhead costs, but they also make your storytelling more effective.
Improve the client experience.
Integrated marketing strategy include advantages for people other than marketers. The consistency and predictability that come with a cohesive brand narrative will likewise be valued by customers.
They are more likely to comprehend what you do and how you can assist them as a result of their increased familiarity. In this approach, omnichannel marketing and integrated marketing work together to give customers the best experiences possible.
How to develop a comprehensive marketing plan.
For the greatest outcomes, adhere to these rules while creating an integrated marketing approach.
combine the channels you use for marketing.
Your marketing channels can be integrated in a variety of ways. Typical strategies can consist of:
- using the same graphic components in several situations.
- ensuring wording while discussing your brand is consistent.
- using many channels for a marketing strategy, such as integrating TV commercials with social media.
Likewise, you should select marketing material and methods that are effective for each channel, whether it is interactive or merely outbound. Which buying cycle stages are being reinforced should also be reflected in how you combine marketing media.
Sending a consistent message about brand value and the kinds of solutions you offer will be crucial if your campaigns concentrate on top-of-funnel lead generation.
Middle-of-the-funnel resources, on the other hand, might concentrate on overcoming typical sales obstacles across several channels. This enables you to communicate this subject consistently to consumers who are aware of your brand and in need of being persuaded to convert.
gather and examine customer information.
Data about your clients’ behaviour should be the foundation of your integrated marketing strategy, which should be modified often in reaction to fresh information. You can determine which of your marketing channels is most successful by gathering and analysing data from all of them.
In general, pay attention to the following significant data:
- Exposure. How many potential customers are exposed to each marketing channel’s resources?
- Engagement. How many prospects use the resources in each channel in an active manner?
- Engaging repeatedly. How often does a particular prospect return to a resource after viewing it the first time?
- peak times for engagement. Which hours of the day, days of the week, or seasons have the highest levels of engagement across various channels?
- Journey status of the buyer. How do different buyer types’ degrees of engagement differ? Do you notice that customers who are further down the sales funnel are interacting with the website less frequently than fresh leads?
Before launching a campaign, it can be challenging to determine which marketing tactics would be most successful for integrated marketing, so test your content first.
A/B testing features are offered by marketing technology companies, allowing you to send different versions of your material and see which ones perform best. You can test things like photos, colours, and product offers to discover which affects your audience the most.
rely on cross-departmental knowledge.
It’s crucial to incorporate other divisions throughout your company in integrated marketing because it encompasses a variety of resources, platforms, and channels across numerous channels. The obvious choice here is your marketing and sales teams, as they are crucial in choosing how to carry out your integrated plan; aligning them is essential.
Additionally, think broadly. Why not use your software development team as an example as well? They might be able to give you advice on the different kinds of digital marketing materials that can be developed in the future.
Working with other stakeholders will provide you a wider perspective on how to better meet the demands of more of your clients.
Utilise a platform for marketing automation.
The numerous variables and data sources involved in integrated marketing would be extremely challenging and time-consuming to manage manually.
Use a platform for marketing automation instead, which can:
- Monitor KPIs across all channels.
- Engage clients
- Identify ROI
- Determine which leads are most promising.
Create a compelling story.
A compelling and interesting brand narrative is the cornerstone of integrated marketing. Each channel’s marketing messages should complement the others and serve to inform your audience as they engage with your company on a regular basis.
The plot may centre on:
- The background of your company
- Success stories from clients
- a made-up story centred on a brand mascot
The objective should be to convey a narrative that customers want to continue following, regardless of strategy. As individuals interact with it through various channels and re-engage with it, they ought to learn more about it.
An instruction manual for drafting an integrated marketing strategy.
You must first develop a strong plan in order to receive approval for your integrated marketing campaign. Here are some pointers on how to proceed.
To start, set SMART objectives.
What do you intend to accomplish should be the first step in integrated marketing planning.
This might comprise:
- introducing a fresh product
- Rebranding
- enlisting fresh audiences
Make each objective SMART to make sure it is distinct, rational, and feasible. SMART is short for:
- Specifi c
- Easy to manage
- An achievable
- Elevant R
- the timeline
You may find it easier to justify your aims if you lay them out in this framework. Additionally, you may compare your objectives to important KPIs like website traffic, conversions, or sales.
Describe your marketing channels in step two.
After that, consider your campaign’s strategy. What are the most effective channels for achieving your objectives, and how will you reach out to your audience on these platforms?
You might use inbound marketing, outbound marketing, or a combination of the two in your campaign.
Typically, inbound marketing consists of:
- publications, blogs, or thought leadership
- the internet
- Website material
- SEO
Outbound marketing includes conventional, frequently non-digital methods like:
- Radio
- TV
- Billboards
- Postal service
Include a wide variety of outlets in your campaign, regardless of the strategy you decide to use, to reach as many people as you can.
Once you have these routes established, consider the most effective ways to connect with your audience. Instagram and LinkedIn, for instance, might have different user demographics and serve different purposes.
A radio or television advertisement may appeal to a particular audience more than the SEO material on your website. You must adjust your messaging to fit each channel and particular audience segment while still keeping the campaign as a whole in mind.
Assign responsibilities is step three.
You might also want to designate managers to oversee each channel, depending on the scale of your company and available resources. This not only aids in task management but also gives each channel a knowledgeable leader.
This step must be done correctly. An integrated marketing plan can be significantly more cohesive if the correct individuals are assigned to the duties that they are equipped to oversee and carry out.
Create a content plan in step four.
The next step is to organise and produce your material. It’s crucial to have messaging and creative assets that are connected and targeted to all of the key marketing channels.
a brief instance. Plan shorter social media videos, messaging, and other elements to tie your campaign together if you’re airing a TV ad.
Planning your schedule comes next after creating your assets. Plan out in great detail where and when you will distribute each individual message. A smart location to keep track of important measurements and results is in your plan.
The major KPIs of your campaign are frequently engagement, sign-ups, and conversions, but don’t forget to consider the following measures. Ensure you have the necessary infrastructure in place to handle incoming leads and turn them into paying customers. This is frequently where collaborating with other departments, like sales, is important.
Step 5: Get ready for takeoff.
You’re almost ready to launch now that your objectives, platforms, audiences, and content are all laid out. It’s time to organise how the data will be collected every day, week, month, or year.
Having everything in place guarantees that you are prepared to evaluate your campaign and make changes in real time. Platforms for marketing automation, like the ones we covered previously, are excellent for this.
Three examples of integrated marketing initiatives that work.
You may create a successful integrated marketing strategy by using the techniques mentioned above, regardless of the size of your marketing team and budget, the industry you work in, or the target market you’re attempting to reach.
But how would that appear in actuality? Here are three instances of companies that have successfully utilised integrated marketing strategies.
1. CenturyLink creates a solitary source of reality for marketing.
It was crucial for CenturyLink, a major provider of telecommunications services, to find a cross-channel marketing strategy.
Millions of regular customers as well as prominent business clients are served by the corporation. CenturyLink must use targeted marketing messaging to connect with these various demographics if it wants to stay on top in a crowded industry.
But with eight different companies operating under the CenturyLink brand and a dispersed marketing team, developing successful campaigns was difficult.
CenturyLink used marketing automation tools to create a “single source of truth for marketing” to fulfil these audience and business demands. Its teams may utilise this to coordinate tasks across all channels, including automated emails, audience segmentation, and in-depth reporting.
CenturyLink was able to carry out extensive, multi-touch campaigns while maintaining a consistent message by consolidating data from several sources into a single centre.
The outcomes are self-evident.
In a year, CenturyLink’s new integrated, automated marketing strategy will:
- Affected a $2.6 million revenue effect for the year.
- $1.2 million in savings were made for its consumer and business segments.
- 70% of sales included Marketo Engage touch points.
2. PFL disintegrates marketing silos.
A segregated marketing infrastructure presented a substantial obstacle for PFL, a provider of print sales-enablement services, as it tried to optimise its marketing strategy. Previously, the business used a distinct marketing approach for every channel, which made it challenging to create a unified story.
PFL was able to eliminate those silos and replace them with an integrated marketing operation with the aid of a marketing automation tool. The business now achieves marketing uniformity across:
- the internet
- Web
- using direct mail
- additional marketing avenues
Their email marketing have produced amazing outcomes, including:
- Increased email opens by 27%
- 204% more emails were responded to.
- Reduced unsubscribers by 16%
3. Panasonic: Integrated marketing increases client base.
Panasonic is renowned for its cutting-edge products, which range from common household cameras to media creation tools and electronic automobile batteries. Look around, whether you’re at home or at work; chances are you’ll see a Panasonic product.
Prior to recently, many of Panasonic’s B2B products operated independently, with their own client databases, sales and marketing teams, and development teams. Panasonic recognised an opportunity to expand its consumer base and offer a more customised experience.
Panasonic Business Europe integrated all of its outreach into Marketo Engage. In order to reach a growing customer base and prospect list, it currently executes 1,500 Marketo Engage campaigns annually with emails, event invites, and newsletters that are getting more and more personalised. In the meantime, they have successfully branched out into new industries using a fresh LinkedIn and webinar strategy.
Panasonic doubled marketing-attributed sales in a matter of years by automating, increasing engagement, and producing social media leads on a single platform.