Ever notice how you’ll hop onto instagram and see an ad for a product or service, then a bit later you see a video version of that ad on YouTube, next you see sponsored content from the same brand popping up on your Facebook feed? This isn’t a coincidence – it’s an integrated marketing strategy.
Leading brands are already well across this digital marketing technique, and for good reason. Integrated campaigns that utilised 4 or more digital channels were shown to have a 300% increase in campaign performance compared to dual-channel campaigns. In this blog we break down exactly what an integrated marketing strategy is, what its benefits are, what it looks like in practice, and why working with a digital marketing agency in Sydney might just be the best way to go about it.
Simply put, integrated marketing involves delivering your messages across multiple platforms. You can think of it as a cross-channel approach to marketing. This type of strategy depends on consistency – using the same product photos, slogans, hashtags and so on to reinforce each other and create a unified brand message across different channels.
Why? These days, customers aren’t bound to any one channel of communication. Between search engines, social media, video sharing platforms, email and other online services, people are constantly jumping between a wide array of digital channels. An integrated marketing strategy takes advantage of this by showcasing your brand across all of the relevant and appropriate platforms that consumers use. Allowing you to reach more people and leave a lasting impression on consumers.
Producing graphics, images and other digital assets is an investment. The beauty of an integrated marketing strategy is that you can maximise the return on your investment when you use your digital assets in a variety of ways. This also means you can focus on quality creative.
Because an integrated approach relies on the same digital material and single overarching brand message, you may be delighted to find that the whole campaign process will be a lot more streamlined. However, you can only stick with one integrated campaign strategy for so long. Eventually, you’ll have to develop new campaigns with new core messages, graphics and copy. This is why working with an integrated marketing agency can be even more beneficial – your campaigns will be even more streamlined and efficient.
By delivering a consistent brand message across various channels, an integrated strategy allows your business to cultivate a sense of trust with your target audience. Repeatedly exposing consumers to the same or similar content across platforms fosters brand recognition and awareness, which in turn generates trust when the messages strike harmony with one another. (A disjointed message, on the other hand, can lead to a confusing consumer experience and undermine confidence.)
Perhaps the most obvious upside of adopting an integrated approach is that your campaign will be shown to numerous audiences across numerous channels, meaning your brand will enjoy a much wider reach than if you were just relying on one or a couple of platforms.
As you’re now probably well aware, integrated marketing depends on taking advantage of multiple channels. But which channels? Some of the digital avenues you can expect to make use of in an integrated campaign include:
Pay-per-click advertising (PPC), also known as Search engine marketing (SEM)
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
Social media marketing and advertising
Content marketing
Email marketing
There are also traditional channels such as T.V., billboard and radio. (But these don’t always go over too well with all demographics.)
Once you’re across the different platforms you can utilise you can get to thinking about the particulars of your brand’s campaign strategy. This often involves:
Making sure logos, colour schemes, typefaces and images work and remain consistent across channels.
Having a clear marketing communications strategy outlining what your message is, where you want to say it, who you want your message to reach and what you want those people to think, feel and do.
Ensuring that there is clear communication between your business divisions, from sales to PR, so that everyone is on the same page.
Utilising metrics to evaluate the success of your integrated campaign and make improvements in the future.
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the end, the success of an integrated marketing campaign, like most things, boils down to experience and knowledge. Knowing how to conduct market research, customer identification and carry out competitor analysis is absolutely crucial. (And that’s not even half of it.)
Hiring a professional digital marketing agency in Sydney can go a long way in giving your brand a competitive edge, especially when you consider that while 89% of marketers think their strategies are well integrated, only 58% of consumers tend to agree.
With an expert understanding of the customer journey, plus access to data analytics and other invaluable marketing resources and know-how, our Sydney digital marketing company may just be your best chance at achieving your brand marketing goals.
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