Imagine being a marketer in the 1940s. Television advertising has arrived and you are shifting your marketing efforts to position your branding and messaging to adapt to the new form of mass communication. Fast forward to the 1990s the Internet was here and it paved the way for an epic shift to digital marketing.
And, now we are in the midst of another monumental transformation. This time it’s not a TV screen or computer screen. It’s a series of screens that has led to the era of constant connectivity. Clearly, now is an exciting time to be a marketer.
The lines between different devices such as mobiles, tablets and desktops have blurred. 90% of consumers today switch between devices, screens and channels to complete a task, using an average of three combinations every day.
Therefore, it’s high time marketers move from channel-specific marketing to integrated cross-channel digital marketing strategy or omnichannel communications.
At a time when screens are woven into our lives bringing more touchpoints and moments to life, the core job of marketers is to actively engage with customers in those touchpoints and win those moments.
Why Integrated Marketing Approach is Important?
Imagine discovering a new brand on Facebook on your mobile and visiting the company’s website on your desktop to purchase one of their products. If you were to find that their website has inconsistent messaging and branding to what you saw on its social media pages, how can you trust the brand? Wouldn’t it be too perplexing to continue the journey or complete the purchase?
This is exactly what happens when you have different teams managing different marketing channels. There is no consistency in communication, messaging and branding whatsoever. As a result, customers feel confused, disengaged and drop off.
With the proliferation of screens and digital channels, it becomes difficult to align your marketing channels and present a united marketing front.
This is where adopting an integrated marketing approach comes into play and helps to consolidate your marketing efforts and manage digital marketing channels.
As customers jump from screen to screen and channel to channel, integrated marketing is essential to offer a cohesive and seamless customer experience.
Is your marketing disintegrated and falling apart? Here’s a free strategy deck for the implementation of omnichannel marketing that can turn things around for you.
Eliminate Siloes and Move to Integrated Marketing
Teams working in siloes are not new. Large organizations have several marketing teams that may not communicate and coordinate with each other. Besides, some may even have teamed up with partner agencies to manage certain aspects of marketing like designing creatives, running campaigns, etc.
Under such scenarios, siloes may be predominant, in turn, hampering the overall customer experience. As each team may have its own agenda, integration of digital marketing channels may be impossible.
Here are some reasons why you need to move from channel-specific to integrated marketing and maximize impact and effectiveness:
Integrated Marketing Communication is the Future
In today’s omni-channel world, it pays to invest in integrated marketing and make the shift from mass messaging to targeted and context-driven messaging.
As there will be more screens, more channels and more interoperability between them in the future, brands need to transform their marketing to be omnipresent and relevant. Or else, you may miss the wave and be left back!
Thus, it’s vital that marketers embrace integrated marketing and move away from silos. Consider partnering with a one-stop digital marketing services agency that can manage all key activities to unify all your marketing efforts. A single vendor engagement will minimize siloes and maximize operational excellence to scale up your marketing velocity and efficiency to new heights.
Have you implemented cross-channel marketing yet? If so, what benefits have you reaped from it so far? If not, what’s stopping you from implementing an integrated marketing strategy? Let us know by writing to us at [email protected] or drop your comments below.
