What is Integrated Marketing & How To Use It

Integrated marketing is the process of creating a holistic experience for current and potential customers by seamlessly merging together different elements of the marketing mix. Does that sound like it could be a little bit confusing? Probably. Does it have to be? Not at all!

At its core, integrated marketing is about tying pieces together so that, no matter where people are learning about your brand, they’re having a consistently positive and engaging experience. While the exact mix of elements might differ based on your company and campaign, the key is in the way you make them all fit with one another.

Here’s how you can use integrated marketing to your advantage, and some examples of companies that have tied together their storytelling in a cohesive and compelling way!

Elements of Integrated Marketing

Integrated marketing campaigns consist of a mix of different mediums for storytelling, and while there isn’t a tried and true “recipe” that works for everyone, most campaigns include a few or all of the following print and digital methods:

• Email communications to customers and subscribers to promote

• Press releases that speak about your business and its featured initiative

• Influencer relations (like paid sponsorships or gifting opportunities)

• Social media posts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other channels)

• Blog posts relating to the particular event, product or service you’re highlighting

• Out-of-home media (like billboards or subway ads)

• Direct mail (like mailers sent to the home or coupons in mailings)

• Events (sponsorships of community events or hosting your own)

• Digital advertising (like Facebook ads or Google search ads)

• Traditional media advertising (like TV, radio or print ads)

You might use an integrated marketing campaign to launch your business, introduce a new product or service, or just generally create an opportunity to further engage your audience.

Why It’s Effective

While each of the elements of your marketing mix are important on their own, they’re extremely impactful when they all work together in support of a common goal. Think of it kind of like an ice cream sundae: each element (the ice cream, the candy, the hot fudge and the maraschino cherries) makes for a tasty treat, but all together, it just tastes so much better.

An integrated marketing plan is the delicious combination of flavors that makes your messaging infinitely more effective:

• You’re able to get in front of a larger audience by “casting a wider net” through multiple channels. If you don’t catch someone with your Facebook ad, they still might see your Subway ad!

• You can build a deeper relationship with your customers, and help increase brand awareness, by showing up consistently for them through a variety of platforms.

• Since integrated campaigns are visually cohesive, you can often repurpose your marketing materials for each channel - and save money in the process.

Whenever you’re working on a campaign, it’s helpful to think about how you can tell your story in a compelling way across multiple channels for maximum effectiveness.

What to Think About

When you’re planning an integrated marketing campaign and are trying to figure out how to tie together all of your messaging, start with your target audience. This is probably central to all of your business efforts, but it’s especially relevant when you’re investing in different methods and channels to tell your story.

If your core audience is made up of older people living in rural towns, neither TikTok posts nor bus stop billboards in the city are probably going to resonate with them. In addition to understanding their demographic information, really try to get into the mind of your customers, thinking about where they go and what their days typically look like.

• What types of transportation do they use?

• Where do they shop for groceries or clothing?

• What TV shows or channels do they watch?

• What types of articles or magazines do they read?

• What social media platforms do they use?

• How do they spend their leisure time?

• What types of jobs do they work?

The more you understand about your customer, the more precisely you can target your marketing efforts to reach them in all the places they are. After all, marketing is most effective when you meet your customers and prospects on their turf rather than forcing them to come to you.

Great Examples of Integrated Marketing Communications

When it comes to integrated marketing campaigns, you really know a good one when you see it. The emotional impact is truly powerful.

• The Always #LikeaGirl Campaign: This campaign launched in 2014 and sought to engage women ages 13-34 with an inspirational message that turned the “like a girl” phrase into something empowering rather than shameful. It combined a hashtag for UGC, a commercial television spot, web content, major digital media placements, social outreach, and celebrity endorsements from superstars like Vanessa Hudgens and Kristen Bell. The campaign even leveraged the Super Bowl! It was effective because of its clear message, the compelling way it was told, and the thoughtfulness with which the platforms were chosen for it.

• The Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” Campaign: This campaign started with a funny ad spot that went completely viral online. The Old Spice team adapted quickly to this explosion of success, creating additional videos for YouTube and sharing them through their other social channels. The ability for the team to be nimble and create content in a reactive way after an unexpected level of success helped them to extend the life of the campaign - that’s why it’s one of our favorite ad campaigns of the decade.

• The Heineken “Go Places” Campaign: This heritage beer brand was looking to rejuvenate its messaging and highlight employee stories. In addition to featuring their staff in advertising, the company also launched a website, employed thoughtful social media conversations, and even worked with local career fairs to highlight opportunities. This campaign had a clear goal and utilized a variety of channels to ensure proper placement that would best help them to achieve them.

Just because these examples involved participation from big brands and in some cases, glitzy agencies don’t mean that you can’t apply the same concepts to your own efforts. All it takes is a great idea and a little bit of creativity!

Building Your Integrated Marketing Campaign

Integrated marketing campaigns are vehicles for very powerful and impactful storytelling efforts. While you don’t have to be a marketing maven to find ways to draw your customers in through a mix of channels, it can be a challenge to identify the formula that will be most effective for your own unique business.

Whether you know what it is you want to promote for your business but aren’t sure how to best tell the story about it in a cohesive way, or are struggling with identifying what you want to focus your efforts on, you don’t have to take this on by yourself. The team at Doukas Media has experience creating strategies for and executing on comprehensive integrated marketing campaigns, and we’re always here to help if you need it.

How do you make integrated marketing work for your business? What are some of your favorite integrated marketing campaigns? Did you agree with ours? Let us know in the comments!