Integrated marketing: More than a buzzword!

Yes, it's an overused and frequently abused buzzword. But if and when it becomes a reality for your business, you can count on the maximum return on your marketing investment. And it can't become a reality unless you have some type of marketing plan (tactical at least, if not strategic!) in place.

Integrated marketing does not mean that you have to exploit every media type or even have a huge marketing budget. It simply means that each marketing activity leverages all other marketing activities in a carefully planned way.

Many businesses--both large and small, both well-established and new--feel they've completed their marketing plans by apportioning marketing dollars into different categories (advertising, PR, print collateral, Web site, etc.). And then they proceed to develop independent execution plans for each category. The danger of that approach is both waste and limited effectiveness.

Using consistent logos and imagery in all marketing activities only scratches the surface of integrated marketing. Integration requires both forethought and constant readjustment based on results tracking. For example, a change in the advertising strategy is likely to ripple into other marketing elements.

A constrained budget cries out for an integrated marketing analysis. In such situations, it may be difficult but more cost-effective to scrap some current activities in order to wholly integrate more critical and successful activities.

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