Marketing is more than just paying for an advertisement in the newspaper. In this technological day and age where different media channels are blasting ads at you every second, it takes a carefully thought-out strategy for your brand to stand out in peoples' minds.
This is also known as Integrated Marketing. The American Marketing Association defines IMC as:
“a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time.”
In short, it means that all your different marketing tools must be integrated and work together in harmony, to bring across one impactful message.
So how exactly do we go about this? Here are some basic steps!
(1) Know your audience
As with all marketing, it is important to know what your target audience wants, and what media channels they use! Knowing your customers will help you better develop key messages and to identify the best communication channels to reach them.
Yusuf Bhana, digital marketing manager at TranslateMedia, says that these questions are imperative: "Who are your target customers? What are their motivations? How do they like being communicated to? Which newspapers or magazines do they read and which sites do they visit regularly? Which channels are they using? [And] if they're using social media, what are they talking about?"
(2) Pick the right channels
If your target customers are mostly senior citizens, it wouldn't make much sense to create a primarily social media-focused campaign! You should use the channel that your customers use most frequently so that your marketing efforts are more effective.
(3) Consistency is key
A consistent brand image goes a long way in enhancing the coherence of your brand identity.
A company who has done a very good job of this is Apple- their products and ads all reflect a sleek, simple and modern design that has become their trademark. It has even become a selling point as people love the aesthetics of their products! As Leonardo da Vinci said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"- and this comes through very clearly in Apple's marketing strategy.
(4) Have content that is easily adaptable for other channels.
Your content should be clear and unambiguous. Andrew Stanten, president of Altitude Marketing, says that you should be able to take a case study and "use it in your newsletter; post an excerpt on LinkedIn; tweet a series of informational nuggets from the piece; [and use it to] pitch [an] idea -- or the case study itself -- to a publication."
For instance, Coke used the campaign hashtag, #shareacoke, across all social media channels and published videos that transformed the phrase, into an all inclusive experience which highlighted a sense of pride and sense of personal ownership.
In Conclusion
I hope that this article has given you insight into how Integrated Marketing can be done! Do you have any company in mind that you think does a good job of this? Do let me know in the comments!
(Disclaimer: This content is for the sole purpose of teaching and learning at Edith Cowan University and has not been endorsed or otherwise approved by the organisation it promotes.).
Student Name & ID: Ruth (10580654)
Comentários