Online, offline, inline … from a marketing perspective, it’s all supremely important these days. That’s because brands capture the best results when advertisers implement a mixed bag of marketing approaches. TV, print, website, social media, radio. It’s all part of the contemporary success blend. United, your marketing stands. Divided, it staggers and stalls.
The blending of marketing platforms into a seamless, unstoppable whole is aptly known as integrated marketing communications, or IMC. The approach reminds everyone in the marketing universe of one important fact – single channel marketing just won’t cut it nowadays. Things better be linked and synced—or your brand could easily be left in the cold.
Why is integrated marketing communications such a force to be reckoned with in the year 2014?
Here are three key reasons:
The More, the Merrier. Employing a single channel such as TV is how the marketing machine worked in the Dark Ages. Today, there are so many more ways to grab hold of consumers. Not only that, consumers now have ways to grab back. This mutual “grabbyness” is, of course, known as interactivity. Sticking to single-channel communications deprives you of the myriad of other touch points that can potentially spark the interest of customers. Use them all, cover more bases, and discover why ‘more is merrier’.
The Total Experience. A single-channel approach pretty much ends there. The experience is narrow and limited at best. But the contemporary consumer demands a more far-reaching product experience. That means before, during, and after. With an integrated approach, marketers can create a broader and more diverse experience for customers.
Risk Spreading. Let’s say you dump your entire budget into a TV campaign — and it misses the mark? You’ve just thrown major money at a loser — while your competitors gallop past to the finish line. Integrated marketing communications gives you full coverage and therefore a better chance of hitting pay dirt. If one or more channels fail, the others still can get the job done.
If you have any questions or comments about the advantages of integrated marketing communications, or about any brand-related topic, feel free to send them our way. You can connect with the Young Company team at 949-376-8404 #4033 or bart@youngcompany.com. And be sure to follow us for the latest brand marketing news and tips