3 simple steps toward marketing integration
by Kate Walz, emfluence Marketing Coordinator
Integrated is a fun word. Dictionary.com defines integrated as:
- Combining or coordinating separate elements so as to provide a harmonious, interrelated whole
- Organized or structural so that constituent units function cooperatively
That is some great language! Words like harmonious, organized, and cooperatively. And, I really like the idea of coordinating separate elements.
Now, let’s look at your marketing plan. Are all the elements playing nicely together? Would you use the words harmonious or cooperative when describing all your efforts to reach your customer base?
Successfully integrating a marketing plan takes some work and is based in good planning. To your consumer, an integrated marketing plan will look seamless. The tone and information will be consistent, the consumer will know exactly where to find you and what to expect when they get there. What can you do to inject harmony and coordination to your brand experience?
Have a brand keeper
Your brand voice is a big part of your consumers’ expectations. Is your brand irreverent, but well-intentioned? Mellow in an urban-cool kind of way? Hyper-focused on customer satisfaction because “they’re always right”? Find the person in your organization that best embodies that in their writing or speaking style. This is your new brand keeper.
The brand keeper should be responsible for writing social media posts, editing emails for style, and overseeing print materials. A good brand keeper ensures that all the content about your organization is seamless and represents the brand you want to be.
Get everyone on the same page
No matter what size your company is, this applies to you. Whether you have a team of SEO keyword writers or it’s you and your part-time assistant, be on the same page. If they deal in copy, they need to deal with each other.
For example, let’s say you’re rolling out a big holiday promotion: Customers receive a free turkey with every $400 purchase. Your TV and radio spots are tagged with the quirky line “gobble this!” Your YouTube video of the commercial goes viral. (Yeah!)
When you’re working on the same page, your PPC gal has already added “gobble this” to your search words as people are trying to find your video. Your SEO guy added some new content to your website so it shows up in “gobble this” searches in pairing with your brand name. Your social media maven has a contest on Facebook for “gobble this” pictures, and your emails feature the promotion prominently.
That is a well-oiled machine. That is integration. And each member of the marketing team knows the next steps because they are all communicating with each other.
Sync your calendars
What would make the above example even better? If everyone knows to start on the Christmas “That’s Our Santa!” promo the day after Thanksgiving.
Your marketing calendar should list your upcoming social media, blog posts, email schedule, SEO, and PPC keyword updates, print campaigns, radio spots: everything.
The benefits of this are two-fold. For one thing, you have an overview of everything going out and where it’s going. You can look for floods of information, as well as gaping holes. You can see the big picture of your promotion.
The other benefit? No excuses! Everyone who fails to look at the calendar gets fired. Or maybe something less harsh if you think that’s too much (there’s a reason I’m not the boss).
In conclusion…
Integration can be tricky and yes, it will take time. The results are worth it. Your team members can work with each other, instead of beside each other. Your customers can experience your brand, rather than just shop it.
With ever-growing tools for seamless integration, especially in a digital world, there islittle excuse for not making your presence more cohesive and integrated.
