There’s more than one way to reach a consumer, and in an over-saturated media landscape, that’s a good thing. If your company has spent money on single-channel campaigns but results are poor, it may be time to explore an integrated marketing strategy. Many business owners are stuck in an old habit; find a single newspaper, social media site or TV station, run an ad, and wait for new consumers to come in.

But now there’s a better way: there are many effective channels available for reaching consumers, and you don’t have to use just one per campaign. You can convey your message across several channels at once, which amplifies your voice and increases your visibility to consumers. Instead of fighting for ad visibility in an over-saturated landscape, leverage its advantages.

An Integrated Marketing Campaign Envelops Consumers With Your Message

The more often people encounter a message, the more memorable and impactful it will be. That’s why an integrated marketing campaign is a highly effective way of getting a consumer to notice your message because it’s embedded within the media landscape around them, wherever they look.

It may take several methods of exposure before a message resonates with a consumer and remains top of mind, causing them to follow the call to action. But when consumers see that same message repeated across channels it becomes part of their world; a common theme throughout their media experience. The perception that your brand is highly present gives the impression that your brand has status.

An integrated marketing campaign allows consumers to engage with your message through the channel of their choice. And because you don’t know for sure which channel a consumer may choose to use, it’s very important to make sure your message is always the same, on every channel—this creates a seamless media experience. Whether a consumer encounters your ad on social media, on their phone’s browser, or on the side of a bus stop, consistent messaging ensures all of these channels work together to deepen brand recognition.

As your brand’s voice resonates throughout media channels it will begin to resonate with consumers, encouraging them to follow you on social media. This is a great step forward for your brand because followers turn into engagers, and engagers are loyal. Once a brand has a loyal following, then perhaps the most powerful channel has been built: evangelist-consumers who echo your message.

A Few Tips on Building Your Integrated Marketing Campaign

Before building your integrated marketing plan, here are a few tips to consider:

• Define your goals. The first step in building an integrated marketing campaign is defining your goals. Do you want to attract new leads, qualify or nurture existing ones, raise brand awareness, or do you have some other goal in mind? Proceed as you would with any other campaign. Understand your target audience. Research which channels they use, and which sites or missives within those channels they frequent.
• Choose your channels. Select the channels your target audience uses most, as these will be the most effective. It’s not necessary to cast too wide of a net by investing in marketing space on channels your audience doesn’t frequent.
• Develop your content. Create messaging that can be easily communicated using all of the channels you’ve selected. And whatever content you create—whether it’s a top-ten video or a case study—be sure to use it across as many channels as possible. Make sure that all of your content shares the same visual identity, as logos, graphics, and image styles are one of the first ways an audience member will be able to recognize your brand, especially if they’ve seen it on another channel.
• Check for consistency. Before publishing your content, be sure it’s consistent across all channels. This will ensure your messaging is fully-integrated. Check that all of your internal marketing staff and any agencies you use are also producing fully-integrated work.

Finally, you can track your campaigns to see which channels were most effective. Offering coupons or promotions are a time-tested way for measuring campaign effectiveness.

Make Integrated Marketing Campaigns More Impactful With Shopkick

Mobile apps are a major channel you should include within your integrated marketing campaign. You can present your message on a popular app—like Shopkick—which can help raise brand awareness, consumer retention, and engagement.

Mobile apps are a major channel you should include within your integrated marketing campaign.

Shopkick rewards users for interacting with branded contact, engaging with products, and making purchases, in exchange for rewards points (aka “kicks”) which they can redeem for free online gift cards. Shopkick markets to the user when they enter a store, driving visits to shelves and increasing sales. Some of the creative strategies that Shopkick uses to grab a user’s attention is to engage them with store-wide scavenger hunts, award shoppers with surprise kicks, or offer valuable discounts. Not only can you market your products to consumers on Shopkick, but the app also provides actionable insights enabling you to track consumer habits as they shop and make more informed marketing decisions. The app provides brands with useful data, while simultaneously delivering your message to a highly engaged audience.

Make your integrated marketing campaign even more effective than ever before. Partner with Shopkick and make sure your target audience hears your message, loud and clear.

Shopkick is an excellent channel that’s helped many of our partners successfully market new products and brands to the right audience. If you’re ready to connect with consumers in a meaningful way along the path to purchase, contact us.

Image courtesy of Alissa Kumarova