Why is integrated marketing so important for business growth?

There are lots of ways you can market your business but if you are not conducting integrated marketing you are making it harder for yourself.

So what is integrated marketing?

“Integrated Marketing is an approach to creating a unified and seamless experience for consumers to interact with the brand/enterprise; it attempts to meld all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, and social media, through their respective mix of tactics, methods, channels, media, and activities, so that all work together as a unified force. It is a process designed to ensure that all messaging and communications strategies are consistent across all channels and are centred on the customer.” AAAA | Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2004). Advertising and promotion: An integrated Marketing communications perspective (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Why is it important?

We are in the age of the consumer, where buyers are in control, where information and access to it are boundless. There are so many different communication channels and with consumers using 3 or more channels to conduct their research before making a purchase, taking an integrated approach to marketing execution is a must and should be the foundation of your marketing strategy.

Your approach needs to be unified for both online and offline campaigns as well as inbound and outbound marketing. This will ensure that all of your marketing activities are working together and towards the same goal.

What are the benefits?

 It amplifies your voice in a crowded marketplace – they have got to be able to remember you to even think about buying from you.

1. Builds trust - people buy from those they know like and trust – we are in the age of the consumer.
2.  It increases the likelihood that a prospect will buy
3. It is cost effective – utilising marketing assets across multiple channels saves you both time and resource. Using siloed marketing tactics is expensive as does not progress the buyer journey.

Is Your Marketing Integrated?

Take a look at your current marketing efforts, and critically evaluate them using the following criteria:

1. Does it all look like it is coming from the same business?
2. Are you communicating your value, your positioning and your brand image consistently across different media?
3. Are your activities focused on achieving the same goals, and working together like a well-oiled machine?

If the answer to any of these is no, you’re probably dealing with a fragmented strategy or execution. It may be time to get integrated.