integrated marketing communications

Examples of integrated marketing communications in the following topics:

• The Communication Process

  • Likewise, integrated marketing communications uses this communications process to persuade target audiences to listen and act on marketing messages.
  • Our ability to receive, communicate, and process information from other communicators and outside stimuli enables us to perceive the advertising and promotional messages central to integrated marketing communications.
  • Communication theory points to the fact that each communicator is composed of a series of subsystems.
  • Thus, organizations must keep in mind the different subsystems of their target audiences when devising integrated marketing communications strategies.
  • Companies must also consider other consumer stimuli such as past experiences, education, health, and genetics when developing communications for certain target markets.

• Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communications

  • Prior to the emergence of integrated marketing communications during the 1990s, mass communications—the practice of relaying information to large segments of the population through television, radio, and other media—dominated marketing.
  • The IMC process generally begins with an integrated marketing communications plan that describes the different types of marketing, advertising, and sales tools that will be used during campaigns.
  • One of the major benefits of integrated marketing communications is that marketers can clearly and effectively communicate their brand's story and messaging across several communication channels to create brand awareness.
  • The other benefit of integrated marketing communications is that it creates a competitive advantage for companies looking to boost their sales and profits.
  • Discuss factors that have prompted the shift from mass communications to integrated marketing communications

• Setting Goals

  • The ultimate goal of IMC is to unite all aspects of marketing communications so they work together seamlessly and harmoniously.
  • Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is an approach to brand communications where the different modes work together to create a seamless experience for the customer.
  • The ultimate goal is to make all aspects of marketing communication--advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, personal selling, online communications and social media--work together as a unified force, rather than in isolation.
  • The cost effectiveness of mass media due to fragmentation has forced integrated marketing communications to the forefront of modern marketing.
  • Integrated marketing communications can be used to develop brand awareness, increase consumer demand and change beliefs towards a product.

• Identifying Prospects

  • Personal selling functions as an essential component within a company's larger integrated marketing communications strategy.
  • For sales prospecting to be an effective component of integrated marketing communications, organizations implement sales methodologies to qualify and track the conversion rate of sales leads.
  • These systems are also used to map the different marketing communication touchpoints that help funnel leads into the organization's sales process.
  • Likewise, communications including websites, events, public relations, advertising, and social media are all promotional tools helping to drive prospects towards the organization.
  • Salespersons conduct significant research on their target market to better market products and services to prospects.

• Defining Business Marketing

  • Business marketing includes all activities involved in communicating the value of a business's products and services to another business.
  • Companies that act as suppliers or manufacturers may also integrate other business products into their own product offering to improve performance and functionality.
  • Similar to consumer marketers, business marketers must create an integrated marketing communications strategy to ensure products and promotional methods complement and support each other.
  • B2B marketing spans all types of businesses and industries.
  • Therefore, CRM systems help business marketers integrate metrics from different activities to accurately assess how marketing directly contributed to the transaction.

• Influence on the Entire Supply Chain

  • Marketing can play a key role in integrating supply chain processes and promoting collaboration between different stakeholders.
  • One of the primary responsibilities of marketing is to encourage communication between different parts of an organization to facilitate knowledge sharing.
  • Marketing teams can play an integral role in integrating supply chain business processes, and promoting collaboration between buyers and suppliers, product developers, and common systems.
  • Because operating an integrated supply chain requires a continuous information flow, marketers serve as major internal communication channels between customers, sales, purchasing personnel, and suppliers.
  • Marketing flows are often integrated into the larger supply chain of an organization to promote efficiency.

• Holistic Marketing

  • Therefore, a broad and integrated perspective is necessary in developing, designing, and implementing marketing programs and activities.
  • The four components that characterize holistic marketing are relationship marketing, internal marketing, integrated marketing, and socially responsive marketing.
  • Its goal is to make all aspects of marketing communication (advertising, sales promotion, public relations direct marketing, online communications, and social media) work together as a unified force rather than permitting each to work in isolation, which maximizes their cost effectiveness.
  • A vital part of integrated marketing in today's business world is the use of mobile phone advertising.
  • Synthesize relationship, internal, integrated and socially responsive marketing concepts into a broad and integrated holistic marketing perspective

• Methods for Evaluating Marketing Performance

  • KPIs, ROMI, and Accountable Marketing are all metrics that are used to track marketing performance.
  • Marketing Performance Measurement, Marketing Performance Management, Marketing Return on Investment (ROI), Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI), and Accountable Marketing are all metrics that companies use to connect marketing performance to the financial performance of the organization.
  • In order for marketing KPIs to be integrated within the business and management of the enterprise, and ensure consistency and reliability across the marketing mix, they must meet these minimum requirements:
  • Since marketing campaigns are typically integrated across all channels (e.g., print, email, and social media), these channels are measured together to understand the overall effect on target markets.
  • Using different measurements to evaluate different communications activities, competitors, and markets does not allow direct comparison and results in lost synergies.

• Societal Role and Nonprofits

  • However, companies that adopt fair trade or environmental sustainability business practices also develop organizational philosophies that consider its obligations to the communities they impact.
  • Non-profit marketing is mission-driven marketing using the organization's core mission as the foundation and marketing communications as the focus.
  • Corporations also use mission-driven marketing to promote the goals of the organization as outlined in its mission statement and to communicate the benefits of achieving those goals to its stakeholders.
  • CSR looks at how different business functions affect people and the environment, and integrates practices that positively impact society, employees and nature.
  • More and more brands are integrating CSR into their businesses to improve their brand image, increase profits and position themselves favorably in competitive markets.

• Determining a Budget

  • It also helps coordinate the activities of the organization by compelling managers to examine relationships between their own operation and those of other departments, which is a key component of integrated marketing.
  • When determining a budget for an integrated marketing plan, it is important for managers to understand the components of IMC in order to allocate funds properly .
  • Communications tools - This includes all modes of advertising, direct marketing, and online communications including social media.
  • This includes customer relationship management (CRM) software, web analytics, marketing automation, and inbound marketing software.
  • When budgeting a marketing plan, it is important to allocate funds appropriately to the different facets of integrated marketing.