The most effective way to optimize modern day marketing budgets is to adopt an integrated marketing approach. With so many channels available to marketers, this type of approach can streamline a variety of initiatives in a synchronized, complimentary strategy.
Generally, integrated marketing approaches use a number of techniques to make the most of both online and offline marketing channels.
These techniques include:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)Relatively inexpensive, SEO campaigns are long-term investments that can have a big impact on website rank and online presence.
- Email marketingA simple way to send promotional and new product information to targeted audiences, right to their computers.
- Mobile marketingProvides access to global consumers, right in the palm of their hand.
- Pay per click marketingAn easy, short-term fix that can be extremely flexible and effective.
- Media buysPurchasing ad space in newspapers, magazines, radio, etc., can help target niche markets, boost traffic and brand awareness.
- Social mediaSocial platforms can help you contact audiences directly, aiding branding and reputation management.
- General affiliate marketing tactics
An integrated marketing approach, therefore, would combine these tactics in a unified strategy, creating a cohesive, multi-pronged marketing effort (with strengths used to offset weaknesses).
Apart from covering all your bases, this type of approach has many benefits. First, the integration of both online and offline strategies provides the opportunity to market products and services across all possible domains. It also ensures a certain kind of consistency when it comes to look and tone, making it easier to synchronize marketing efforts, for maximum impact.
However, an integrated marketing strategy like this requires an emphasis on analytics, providing ample ways to improve your ROI. More specifically, integrated approaches tend to posit the action of customers as a central metric (meaning what visitors are doing on your site). Access to this kind of data opens up a lot of doors, allowing you to compare seemingly incomparable marketing channels (e.g., a print ad vs. a PPC campaign) over time.
Once you have implemented a comprehensive analytics tool, you can clarify the effectiveness of each channel and tactic and understand exactly how far your dollars are getting you. This kind of focus can also help instill an analytics-based culture across all departments. This can only be a positive, as it means that the guesswork will be removed from all marketing decisions.
What other benefits do you see from an integrated marketing approach? Post your comments below.