Define the big four to start your integrated marketing strategy

Objective. Customers. Channels. Message. Four small words for four massive topics. And they must go together—like tea and biscuits, fish and chips, peanut butter and jelly, Marmite and toast. Knowing why each element is important and how they work together is the starting point for an effective integrated marketing campaign.

Define a clear objective

It feels like an obvious thing, but you need a clear and measurable objective. Are you looking to generate 1,000 new qualified leads for a specific project within the next six months? Do you need to drive a 20% increase in customer engagement through existing influencers? Do you need to fill a certain number of seats for technical training seminars in the upcoming quarter?

Define specific, measurable, conceivable, relevant, and time-bounded objectives—SMART goals. And, make sure they tightly align with your overall business priorities.

Know who you need to reach

A “one size fits all” approach does not exist with integrated marketing. You need to clearly identify and gain a deep understanding of your audience or customers. A starting point is gathering data, such as analyzing followers on social media or people subscribing to your content. But those people already know you and are interested in your product or service. Once you understand the people who already like you, you need to find and go deep into potential audiences.

Dig into your data. What audience behaviors do you see across industry, role, or company size? Do you understand where your customers shop? Who do they follow for insight and advice? Are you rebranding an existing product, and how do customers feel about the change? You can see where I am going. You need to know your target audience.

As part of your research, you must capture the pain points, industry trends, goals, and aspirations for each customer segment. You need to show them you know what keeps them up at night.

Know where and how to reach your target audience

Paid or organic social media, email, speaking engagements, industry events, third-party publications, partners, and influencers. You can choose one channel or a combination to create your strategy. Each will have pros and cons. Your data research should help you decide the best plan of action. However, social media platforms and communication channels are constantly evolving. What you know about customers and channels may change over the course of your campaign. Be ready and able to adjust tactics.

Build concise messaging

Nietzsche wrote, “It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.” Apply this to your messaging efforts. Prioritize the most important aspects. Start with your audience’s needs and pain points (not yours). Explain why it’s the best solution for your audience’s problem. Emphasize unique features or advantages. Be straightforward and keep it simple. And, again, stay focused on your customer.

Make it relevant to your audience segment

If you are creating a blog about a product feature, tailor it to meet your customers' needs. Are they a buyer or a seller? It matters to them, so it needs to matter to you. Putting together a video series? Edit your footage for an enterprise technical decision-maker dealing with budget constraints and make a separate video for a different technical decision-maker in charge of sustainability. Your insight into audience needs provides guidance to create something relevant for both.

Put it together in a plan

At the end of your strategy development—which includes in-depth customer analysis, channel strategies, and concise messages—you should have a compelling and unified plan that defines and amplifies your product or service. The emphasis is on “should.”

Delightful builds data-driven integrated marketing strategies across social and media platforms that build awareness and demand. We also put plans into action because a strategy without execution is a waste of time and money.