The world of communication is constantly evolving. New channels emerge daily and messages travel more quickly than ever. As communication has changed, so has marketing. Effective marketing today is integrated, meaning consistent messaging is delivered through social media, traditional media, email, website content, video or any combination of the many channels available today. Not sure if it’s the right approach for you? Check out these 10 signs that prove you should invest in integrated marketing.
Your Marketing has Been Static for Too Long
When is the last time you switched your tactics? If you’ve been doing the same old same old for as long as you can remember, then it may be time to revamp your strategy. Consumers notice change, and capturing their attention using new methods can create new opportunities. Use integrated marketing to separate your business from competitors.
You Need to Reach a New Demographic
If you’re trying to expand the reach of your business, look to integrated marketing for help. You may find that reaching a specific demographic is most effective through a specific channel, but another key demographic may be a completely different story. Integrated marketing can help you zero in on the audiences you want to reach because it’s highly targeted, which will save you money in the long run because inefficient tactics will be eliminated.
The Habits of Your Target Audience Are Shifting
According to Fast Company, the 55-64-year-old demographic on Twitter has grown 79 percent since 2012. Five years ago, Twitter would have been a poor channel to reach this age group, but data continues to prove that consumer habits shift. That’s not to say that you can’t reach them at all through the channels you’ve traditionally used, but not utilizing new channels is a huge missed opportunity.
Volunteers or Community Support is Down
Many organizations, especially non-profits, need volunteer support to function. People today are busy and often pulled in many directions at once. An integrated marketing approach will increase awareness of your organization and its mission, which will transition into increased support from the community with messaging that resonates among target audience members.
You’re Rebranding
The need for rebranding can be complex. When rebranding, it’s important to ask yourself how the customer profile has changed and what you want to convey to the potential consumer. When you’ve answered these questions and completed the planning, execute the rebrand with an integrated marketing approach to maximize its impact.
You’re Launching a New Brand
Detroit is home to a growing list of start-ups. Thanks to technology and numerous organizations that offer budding entrepreneurs start-up counseling and mentoring, it’s easier to launch a business today than ever before. When establishing a business, marketing may not be the first thing on the entrepreneur’s mind, but it should be near the top of the list. Making a splash in the business world, as opposed to a ripple, is done by sharing your vision with the right people, whether consumers or investors. Integrated marketing creates opportunities for new businesses by allowing them to firmly establish their identity and create a consistent image.
You’re Looking for New Ways to Quantify Your Results
Thanks to the array of analytical services currently available, determining your marketing is simple and easy. Sprout Social, Google Analytics and CrazyEgg are a few of the many tools that help you learn more about your website visitors, social media followers and potential customers. Analytical services can determine which type of content gets shared most frequently, the most effective time of day to post a message to social media and even the links that are most often clicked on your website.
The Bottom Line Isn’t Where it Should Be
If you’re pouring dollar after dollar into your marketing strategy, but not achieving the desired ROI, it’s time to switch things up. Many business have traditionally approached the different facets of marketing individually, which can be costly and ineffective if messaging is inconsistent. In fact, inconsistency can frustrate or confuse consumers, costing you initial business, but also repeated business.
Need to Increase Brand Recognition
Increasing brand recognition and awareness takes time, but integrated marketing is instrumental in achieving these goals. By establishing multiple touch points across different media, you begin to leave a mark in the minds of consumers. According to an email marketing study from eMarketer, 19.4 percent of emails containing announcements with new information and 34.7 percent of emails containing a promotion with a discount were shared via social media. These shares, coupled with your business’ established social media presence, provide greater exposure for your brand, which increases brand recognition and awareness.
You Need to Build Customer Trust
Developing customer trust is critical to the success of any business. Integrated marketing allows consumers to truly understand your business, and the implications of that are even greater than the fact that they may become repeat customers. According to Media Bistro, 71 percent of consumers are more likely to make a purchase based upon social media referrals. Those referrals can’t exist without customer trust, and integrated marketing is the way to go if you want to build credibility, increase customer trust and grow your business.
Ready to dive in and start building an integrated marketing strategy that will create new opportunities for your business? MCCI can help! Contact us today to get started.
