What do little black dresses and integrated marketing campaigns have in common? Neither of them are just fashion fads. They are both a necessity, and in the case of the integrated campaign, one which every marketer needs.

A long time ago I asked you what an integrated campaign is, and outlined how to execute and evaluate it (for a refresher, click here). Today we are carrying on from where we left off. As a quick reminder, an integrated campaign is a well-coordinated use of different marketing channels and promotional methods, designed to compliment and reinforce each other. It is a campaign that delivers the same set of messages, to a targeted audience through multiple points of contact, across multiple different channels or mediums. Think along the lines of events (both online and offline), emails, sales calls, targeted content and active social media engagement all tied together around a single message.

Where to start?

In the book Integrated Marketing Communication, Pickton and Broderick explain the four key elements that need to be addressed when creating integrated marketing campaigns. The 4Cs are:

1. Coherence– different communications are logically connected
2. Consistency– multiple messages support and reinforce, and are not contradictory
3. Continuity– communications are connected and consistent through time
4. Complementary– synergistic, or the sum of the parts is greater than the whole

Whenever you and your team are working on integrated campaigns, keep the 4 Cs in mind. Use them as a checklist when discussing the campaign.

Next up, determine your objectives and define the key brand challenge. Having a pro and con list is the oldest trick in the book, but it will help you to create an overview of your business goals. Usually, your goals will be one or more of the following:

• Need to generate new ideas
• Qualified leads
• Nurturing existing leads
• Direct selling
• Branding
• Cross-selling and/or up-selling to existing customers
• Generating referrals

The Integrated Marketing Idea

You need to ensure your ideas and messaging are integrated: every element of the campaign needs to be aligned with the ultimate target(s). Use your website and social networks to deliver consistent messages. Make sure you use the same keywords and phrases throughout the campaign.

With more elements in your campaign you need to ensure that you’re organized. Stay on top of your marketing team or agency. You need to make sure everyone is in sync. Most probably you will have different people working on separate elements within the same campaign. Organize team meetings with all the members to verify the consistency of the campaign, and don’t forget that the campaign needs a common look and feel across all channels too.

Consumer Insight And Strategy

One of the most important aspects of your campaign is the analytics. You need to really understand whether you are achieving conversions and where they are coming from, so go back to your goals and ensure that you have established good measures to track them (eg. promotional codes used, or leads that are ready for a sales call).

Marketing Tactics

Integrated, multiple-media campaigns are superior to single-media campaigns because they present more opportunities for prospects to take action. To grab attention, deliver a strong message: repetition gives you more chances of conversion and builds stronger awareness.

Using email, direct mail, print advertising and search marketing together to pull prospects toward a single offer. And if possible use progressive profiling so that you can build up on a story and present ever more detail as prospect engage with your different media.

Some tactics include:

• Use existing database and invite prospects to sign-up via email.
• Use pay-per-click on Google to advertise to new prospects.
• Emphasize how the product fits into the live of the target buyer persona
• Use LinkedIn retargeting to deliver an extension to the message on other sites
• Be funny! Humor is important even when it comes to B2B marketing.
• Help consumers solve real problems: this is your selling point.
• Give consumers information or an experience that is worthy of sharing.
• Engage your prospects’ creativity and imagination by involving them in the campaign.