Marketing is all about communication but this communication has to be aligned; this is the purpose of integrated marketing communication. Making use of existing marketing strategies, they optimize all marketing communications.
You might ask “Why is this important?” Well this is because it creates consistent messaging for all stakeholders in an organization. This helps the organization survive in the long run by creating awareness and giving it an edge over its competition.
You cannot have a product that is not in line with an organization’s culture. This will send mixed signals to the audience. Therefore, an integrated marketing communication needs to reflect the work culture of the organization.
However, to fully understand integrated marketing communication you need to first look at brand communication. Simply put, it is an initiative by brands to popularize their products or services. Part of this process is identifying a target market and tailoring a communication mix that resonates with the audience for example:
- Advertising
- Public relations
- Personal selling
- Direct marketing
- Social media
With integrated marketing communication, all these communication tools are implemented in such a way that they:
- Work together
- Bring cost effectiveness
- Increase sales
Therefore, integrated marketing communication needs to be taken seriously. Experts in the field believe that this can be done by breaking it down in parts. These parts allow marketing professionals to build an effective IMC for their organizations.
What should integrated marketing communication have?
Foundation
At the basis of all integrated marketing communication should be research. Not just ordinary research but detailed research that analyzes all aspects of the organization, the product, the target market and competitors. Those behind the IMC need to have a deep understanding of the market otherwise their plans will be ineffective.
Corporate culture
You cannot have a product that is not in line with an organization’s culture. This will send mixed signals to the audience. Therefore, an integrated marketing communication needs to reflect the work culture of the organization.
Customer experience
At the end of the day the effectiveness of integrated marketing communication will be measured by the customer experience it delivers. Basically, this is what a customer feels about a product. At the back of every marketers mind should be the customer’s experience.
As far as integrated marketing communication goes as a topic, it is quite vast. This blog post gives a brief understanding of the subject and lightly touches on some of the aspects involved. However, for a deeper understanding there is a CIM course available one can enroll for. This is the Certificate in Professional Marketing.
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