Questions About Integrated Marketing Answered
October 23, 2016
In today’s digital world, digital marketing has become a key part of the marketing strategy of most companies. However, it would be a mistake to think that more traditional forms of marketing are dead. Your company should have both digital and physical marketing strategies in place. Using the holistic approach of integrated marketing by merging the two strategies will strengthen your brand. To help you do so, our South Florida advertising agency is answering some of the most common questions about integrated marketing.
WHAT IS INTEGRATED MARKETING?
Integrated marketing is about delivering a consistent marketing message on multiple channels. The practice focuses on viewing the two segments of marketing (online and offline) not separately, but inherently connected. Companies should be using both digital and traditional channels to communicate a clear, consistent and memorable brand identity. By covering itself on both fronts, a business can attract both of these groups of potential customers. Some examples of integrating a company’s marketing message are:
- Brochure to Website. If your company hands out physical brochures advertising your product or service, interested people will see them and look up your company online. A well-designed website that gives more in-depth insight into your brand should be the first thing they see and click on. In this case, the brochures and website complement each other and help ensure a potential customer will recognize your brand message.
- Social Media to Physical Lecture. Through social media, you communicate information about the product or service your company offers. Interested parties could want to learn more, so you can set up physical events such as lectures to accommodate their needs and build relationships with these customers. In this case, online and offline mediums were used in unison to bring exposure to the brand and solidify its marketing message.
HOW DO I CREATE AN INTEGRATED MARKETING CAMPAIGN?
1. Understand Your Target Market and Pick Appropriate Channels.
Your company should have a good understanding of the customers it is targeting. It is imperative to know your target audience’s preferred method of communication with brands, what online and offline media they use most often, and what kind of relationship they want with the brands they use. Based on this information, design your integrated marketing campaign to best reach your target market. Don’t believe that the best method is to be everywhere all the time; instead, concentrate on spreading your brand’s message through the channels that will be most effective in your case.
2. Maintain Consistent Visual Identity and Content.
Consistency is a key element in creating a strong brand. Your online and offline marketing materials should maintain a consistent visual identity. Color schemes, logos, text styles, and other components of your brand’s design should be the same on websites, business cards, brochures, social media, and so on. The content your company creates (whether videos, pictures, blog posts, newsletters, or ads) should also be consistent and easily adaptable to multiple digital and physical mediums. This consistency makes your brand recognizable and reinforces its identity.
3. Drive Toward Your Ultimate Target.
All the elements of your integrated marketing campaign should work in sync to accomplish a unified goal. This goal is to drive traffic to your company’s ultimate target. This target could be for customers to visit your company’s physical location, visit your company’s website, or call your company’s number. An integrated marketing campaign effectively uses multiple channels and mediums to achieve its goal.
When done right, integrated marketing can strengthen your brand and help your company attract and connect with more customers. By utilizing the tools of both digital marketing and traditional marketing in a unified effort, your brand’s message will not only reach a wider audience, but it will make more of an impact and drive memorability. Our South Florida advertising agency recognizes the effectiveness of integrated marketing. Our full-service advertising agency specializes in digital marketing as well as traditional marketing strategies. Give us a call today to see how we can elevate your brand.