You can come up with all types of creative ideas for marketing your company, but if all of your marketing efforts are not coordinated using integrated marketing it may not be successful. Taking advantage of all media outlets is essential in building brand awareness and rising above your competitors. So if you have a TV commercial for your new line of hair products, that’s great, but have you also placed it on your Facebook page? With integrated marketing everything must be consistent in order to reflect the same brand image. If your website looks different from your print ads, people may not realize these both come from the same company. Below is a list of many elements that you need to consider in your overall integrated marketing plan.
1. Website
2. Commercials (Radio & TV)
3. Print Ads (Magazines, flyers, mail inserts, brochures, billboards)
4. Online Ads
5. E-mail blasts
6. Social Media & company blog (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc.)
7. Trade Shows
All of the above should coordinate with each other and reflect the mission and feel of your company, logo, packaging and overall brand.
Using multiple outlets is a must and depending on your company, you may use a different combination of outlets. The point is, that no matter how you advertise, it is crucial that all marketing efforts flow together as one continuous message.
There are some good examples of companies that have successful IMC plans including Coca-Cola. For starters, they have one of the largest fan bases on Facebook and held a campaign at the FIFA world cup. One way they integrated their marketing is by merging TV ads with mobile apps. The ad would show bottle caps in the air and you would try to catch them with your cell phone through a mobile app in which you could win prizes. The integration of these different outlets is what makes your marketing flow to enhance your overall success. Coca-Cola’s goal is to double their revenue by 2020, which is a steep ambition, but could be possible if their marketing tactics work.
Integrated Marketing plans aren’t easy to create and follow through with success, but if you do not coordinate your business efforts it will not only confuse customers, but could paint you in a negative light.
information from: thecmosite.com brafton.com
