Traditional campaigns have already proven their marketing excellence during the past decades and even in the present. However, the age of modern technology has paved to way for digital marketing campaigns, such as email marketing, web-based advertising, social media advertising, or a sound integrated marketing campaign. Marketing these days shouldn’t just be about originality or creativity. It should also be diversified, particularly in the way businesses market their products and services.
We can’t discount the fact that traditional advertising is still effective in areas barely reached by the internet. However, in the grand scheme of things, digital marketing is now widely used by most brands. And if you’re interested in the whatnots of integrated marketing campaigns (IMC), brace yourself as we tour through its details and even touch on a number of campaign creation tips.
An integrated marketing campaign is definitely one for the books. It’s something that every brand should maximize if they want to convert their followers and viewers into consumers.
What is an Integrated Marketing Campaign?
Imagine seeing a new restaurant in a Facebook ad, then driving around town to see its poster. And when you scan through your IG and Twitter feed, you also see various videos advertising that new restaurant. This is a typical IMC. It uses multiple channels to market a certain brand, product, or service.
Each brand and target audience is different; hence an IMC should include different strategies. For most, this kind of marketing campaign has proved to be more successful than a single advertising campaign. As we all know, most advertising campaigns focus on a limited audience.
What are the Five Components of IMC?
Like any marketing strategy, IMC focuses on different aspects. Learn the different components to get the most out of an integrated marketing campaign.
Customer Focus
As mentioned countless times, successful marketing campaigns place their focus primarily on the audience. However, some businesses overlook the importance of their existing customers. This is because they think that marketing distinction isn’t won by keeping the customers. A company must understand that awards, acquisitions, and viral marketing campaigns get attention, but won’t always boost profitability.
Yes, acquisitions provide the opportunity for growth, viral campaigns spur drama, and awards produce recognition. However, the volume of funds that contribute to the longevity of a company comes from its loyal customers. Marketing to established and loyal customers costs less, but it produces more revenue.
Your customers already know what the business is all about and they trust it. Hence, hard selling isn’t a must. If you want to succeed, design your marketing strategy around your customers by discovering how and where they want to connect with your company.
Database Communication
Digging through data to locate actionable information could deliver remarkable results. It might not be fun for most, but it works. Every company has various databases full of important information, and trying to form a one-stop corner for every data needs isn’t possible. Every channel and department has various needs, and the resources needed to deliver huge chunks of databases are extensive.
Thus, instead of wasting time, money, and effort on an impossible solution, you may create communication paths. They will serve as a gateway to sharing information across multiple platforms. Whether manual or automated, it will still provide the data crucial to growing a profitable business.
Check this Lumanu review to start your online campaign with the use of data and an extensive influencer network.
Leverage
Every channel has a unique strength and weakness. To improve effectiveness while reducing cost, you can leverage the strength of one channel to compensate for the weakness of another. The process of leveraging originates with an in-depth understanding of every channel, how the customers interact with the channels, and its associated costs.
Through the database, you must determine the best way of providing services that your customers expect with the channels. Take note also that your efforts should roll around your Return on Investment (ROI). Leveraging entails persistence and thorough monitoring since social media channels are rapidly evolving.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Generating a decent ROI involves planning and focus. Every aspect—channel, function, and department—needs to produce results that contribute greatly to the company’s financial well-being. Anything that doesn’t increase profits, reduce costs, or improve customer relationships is a waste of effort and resources.
Aside from customers, ROI must also be a priority of every brand. After all, why did you go into business? Making each team member understand this goal causes them to think differently. Every time they’re faced with a new prospect, they would do their work bearing the company’s benefit in mind.
Interdepartmental Cooperation
It might sound unusual, but fostering good communication among team members isn’t enough to keep the integrated marketing campaign efforts flowing. Departments should work together. Communication does play an important role, but commitment in the work is a game-changer.
Maintaining a sincere relationship among teams creates a healthier working environment and customer experience. The process of creating integration among multiple teams may be difficult, but it’s worth trying. It’s the key to improving your company, from its morale to profitability.
How Do You Create an Integrated Marketing Campaign?
Now that you’ve gone over the gist of what IMC is and what its key components are, you’re ready to learn the various ways to create a successful integrated marketing campaign.
Understand who your target audience is
As mentioned, your market plays a significant role in your business’ success. Hence, it’s crucial to identify your target audience based on demographics and interests. You must also distinguish which communication channels work best in reaching them, and develop key messages that would resonate the best results.
Choose the right channel
Contrary to popular belief, not all social media channels work best for all businesses. Of course, all social platforms are helpful, but you must carefully choose which channels your target audience is most active.
Additionally, assess each platform’s strengths and weaknesses and pick those that would help you reach your objectives. Don’t be afraid of selecting and rejecting channels. It pays more to concentrate on the social media networks that are effective, than trying to be always everywhere.
Maintain consistency in your look
Like all other businesses, you want your brand to be remembered. And one way of achieving a brand legacy is through maintaining a consistent visual identity. More than just a logo, visual identity requires a common overall design, atmosphere, and colors. It also involves font styles, photography, and graphic styles. Everything should be aligned with each other and should look like they all come from a single company.
Give clarity and consistency in your content
To gain brand recognition and publish a specific marketing message, you must practice the 3 Cs of a marketing message. The Cs say that communication should be consistent, clear, and compelling. Applying the 3 Cs can help make your content fit in various channels. It reminds you to create content that can be modified or repurposed in as many social channels as possible.
Guarantee an integrated message
Ensure that every element of your IMC is set up to drive traffic, whether you intend to market via websites or social media platforms. Integrating your website or social links help influencers connect with your brand more easily and spread the word to the public. Furthermore, use the same phrases and keywords throughout your IMCs and observe uniformity in your URLs and usernames.
Read this MuseFind review to access real and verified social media influencers.
Check to see that your teams are working together
If you have multiple teams working on different aspects of the same campaign, conduct meetings to make sure that everyone is still on the same page. By doing so, you can maintain the campaign message’s consistency and manage your brand’s standards.
Remember to track your campaigns
Out of all marketing campaign facets, conducting proper analytics and attribution methods is the most important. It helps you track and understand your campaign’s success, or the lack thereof. Forgetting to track your campaigns might prevent your business from moving forward. It’s hard to not know which aspects need improvement and which ones are generating the results that you need.
What is an Example of Integrated Marketing?
One only needs to scour the internet to find an integrated marketing campaign template that you can use. Additionally, going over an integrated marketing campaign case study can also be helpful to gain accurate insights. There are a few notable campaigns, but here’s a list showcasing successful integrated marketing campaigns in 2020.
Audience by Victoria Monet
Victoria Monet, Khalid, and SG Lewis collaborated with Spotify for a release campaign of their single “Experience.” They set up a billboard in Toronto, and Monet shared a photo on Instagram and Facebook. From the billboard to the international IG and FB fans, their single’s release was globally anticipated. Monet’s IMC was effective as the single became her most popular song on Spotify within a month.
HAHA Awards by Hulu
Another phenomenal IMC is the launch of Hulu’s HAHA Awards. HAHA is a clever acronym that stands for Hilariously Animated Hulu Awards. The channels used in the campaign are YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the company’s official website. In the campaign, the fans had involvement by being allowed to vote on Twitter and Hulu’s website.
She’s In Parties by Melt Cosmetics
The purple eyeshadow palette by Melt Cosmetics started a hashtag trend on Instagram. On the collection’s landing page, the brand dedicated a section to IG posts with the hashtag #ShesInParties. The purple-themed campaign took over the brand’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Alongside the social media content, some notable influencers received the palette and they uploaded their reviews on their YouTube accounts. The cosmetics brand used various strategies, such as user-generated hashtags, revolving landing pages, and YouTube recommendations.
The Best Men Can Be by Gillette
Like Melt Cosmetics, Gillette’s campaign included a hashtag trend. It also involved a landing page that celebrated male advocates, community leaders, and an inspiring video. The hashtag #thebestmencanbe was successful in encouraging viewer participation across multiple social channels. The campaign showed real-life cases of men making positive changes in their community and just being themselves.
Although the campaign received backlash, it was still a success because it sparked meaningful discussion. The goal of getting the customers involved was achieved by the brand. Although Gillette only marketed its campaign through its website and on YouTube, it was boosted by real accounts—making it successful and valuable.
What is the Difference Between an IMC Campaign and an Advertising Campaign?
An IMC might be a marketing campaign, but it’s different from an advertising campaign. An advertising campaign comprises a series of advertisement messages that revolves around a central idea and theme. On the other hand, IMC is an approach utilized by most marketers in developing an online strategy. It focuses on how and where you’re going to broadcast your campaigns across multiple channels. Simply put, IMC communicates the advertising campaign’s message across channels to increase brand awareness and draw traffic.
Are you ready to take the plunge?
Creating an integrated marketing campaign isn’t a one-man job. It involves an entire team focused on achieving a brand’s goals and objectives. IMC requires creativity and some serious discipline. It isn’t a walk in the park, but it’s worth every effort.
Always remember the primary components of an integrated marketing campaign and the steps involved in creating one for your brand. You may also refer to the integrated marketing campaign examples listed above. Once you get started, there’s no stopping. Go drive some traffic!
If you’re still a newbie in digital marketing, you may ask for help from experts. Read our “20 Best Digital Marketing Agencies and Firms in 2021” to get started on your marketing stints.
BuzzGuru
inBeat
Capssion
Modash
Qoruz