Our approach to marketing and PR is all about integrated communications. Your website, blog, social media, and other communication channels need consistency and integration.
At Luminous, we love integrated communications. Holistic and linked-up communications are at the heart of our approach, and yet they’re so often overlooked.
Consumers don’t simply want personalised recommendations, tailored to their exact tastes and preferences, they expect it. With this high level of expectation, brands need smarter, data-driven strategies that personalise the experience and connect with customers at every touchpoint. That’s where integrated marketing comes in.
But what does integrated really mean when it comes to marketing and communications? Keep reading to find out more.
What you’ll learn in the article:
- What is integrated marketing?
- What are examples of integrated marketing campaign channels?
- Why is personalisation important for integrated marketing?
- Why integrated marketing can deliver huge results
What is integrated marketing?
Let’s start with a little definition – just what is integrated marketing? This definition from the Data & Marketing Association can help:
“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 centered on the customer.”
There is also Smart Insights’ useful definition:
“Integrated Marketing is a strategic approach to integrating communications and interactive experiences targeting defined audiences and individuals which coordinates all aspects of marketing of a brand, including:
- Paid media (offline advertising, direct marketing and online display and programmatic);
- Earned media (Organic search fuelled by content marketing, PR and online influencer outreach)
- Owned media (including social media, on-site UX, customer service and direct messaging through email and mobile)
in order achieve consistent messaging customised where possible by channel which presents a unified and seamless experience to consumers across the customer lifecycle or path to purchase“
From mass and direct marketing to one-to-one marketing, integrated marketing is about unifying all these different types of media to create a seamless brand experience for the consumer.
However, although presenting each message in a similar branding style is important, this is more than just using the same colour palate across all media.
Creating a robust integrated marketing campaign should consider:
- Which specific audiences are to be targeted;
- Consistency and frequency of communication across multiple media;
- Data and accountability behind each marketing campaign;
- Alignment with sales targets and overall business objectives;
- Mapping the customer journey (i.e., what are the key touchpoints?).
As with all strategies, the most important part of creating an integrated marketing strategy is taking the time to understand your customers and current market position. Knowing what your customers think and feel, the positioning of your competitors, and advancements in the media outlets will set your marketing on the right track.
What are examples of integrated marketing campaign channels?
Pretty much any channel you can think of that helps with sales, marketing or communications can be part of an integrated marketing campaign, but some common examples include:
- Search (e.g., Google or Bing)
- Landing pages (e.g., lead capture pages or product launch pages)
- Content marketing (e.g., blog posts or videos)
- Social media (e.g., LinkedIn or TikTok)
- PPC advertising (e.g., Google Ads or social media ads)
- Display (e.g., banner ads or pop-ups)
- PR (e.g., press releases or media outreach)
- Email marketing (e.g., newsletters or promotional emails)
- Direct marketing (e.g., direct mail or telemarketing)
- Event marketing (e.g., trade shows or webinars)
Why is personalisation important for integrated marketing?
The big focus of integrated marketing is on personalisation. You can be as consistent as you like, but if your message aren’t relevant to the consumer who sees them then you’re not going to achieve your goals.
Personalisation presents one of the biggest opportunities with integrated marketing, giving you the ability to use data collected on customers to tailor messages or offerings.
One classic example is Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign, which put the 100 most common names on bottles of their famous drink. Reversing declining sales, its sales actually increased 4.93% to £765 million, and its Facebook community grew by 3.5% in the UK, and 6.8% globally.
How AI is turbocharging integrated marketing online
AI-driven customer data platforms like Adobe Experience Platform and Salesforce Customer 360 offer solutions to help companies put together integrated marketing campaigns that can use advanced algorithms to analyse data, and then leverage that information for creating targeting, personalised advertising experiences that theoretically offer a better user experience for customers, and therefore generate more leads, sales and revenue.
You can see this sort of AI-enabled personalisation with common everyday providers like Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon, who all offer incredibly personalised marketing experiences across their websites, email, advertising campaigns, and also on devices like TVs and smart speakers. As consumers, we’ve come to rely on this personalisation being accurate – after all, if we were recommended a TV show, song, or product that we’re not likely to enjoy, it could significantly damage our opinion of the brand.
Using AI is not only more efficient, it’s more powerful.
Why integrated marketing can deliver huge results
Using consistent branding and messaging and frequently communicating with customers across multiple media led to spectacular results.
Recent statistics from Wisernotify show that integrated marketing can increase sales by as much as 287%. It’s not surprising then that, according to Think With Google, successful leaders are 1.5X more likely to have an integrated marketing and advertising tech stack.
One of the main reasons for why integrated marketing can deliver huge results is because it improves customer retention, which is far, far more cost-effective than acquiring new customers. If you think of how much you spend with Amazon, Deliveroo, Netflix, or even your favourite local coffee shop, you’ll see how your repeat business contributes to a valuable revenue stream. Keeping you as a customer (and many more like you) is crucial for their long-term success. According to Business.com, repeat customers spend 67% more than returning customers, which is why nailing your marketing integration is so important for your overall ROI.
Can your business afford to ignore the possibilities?
Would you like Luminous to help you with marketing? Get in touch, or connect with the team on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
By Amanda Bunn
Amanda is a strategic communications leader with over two decades’ of experience delivering award-winning PR campaigns for global consumer brands to helping ambitious startups build brand awareness, authority and momentum.
Meet Amanda
