What do you call a marketeer with lots of different marketing strategies all on the go at once?

I don’t know Danny, What do you call a marketeer with lots of different marketing strategies all on the go at once??

Stressed the fuck out.

It’s time to take those separate marketing plans, and integrate them! Wanna find out more, stick around for this week’s Giant Wednesday.

There was a time as a marketeer where running an advert meant an upbeat jingle on the radio, a half-page spread in the local rag or a CTA packed 30 seconds on TV but my how times have changed, and with the domination of digital channels taking over our lives, ensuring your digital strategy, ties up with your….. ‘Non’ digital strategy, is key.

The act of digital marketing is to ‘‘Achieving marketing objectives through applying digital technologies and media.’ obvious enough right, and can consist of Company websites, Mobile apps, Social media company pages, Search Engines, Advertising, Email and automation Or even digital Partnerships with other digital companies

However, to be truly successful, digital strategies must be integrated with traditional forms of marketing to create a  ‘multichannel marketing strategy’ ouuuuuu..

A report from last year found that nearly half of companies don’t have a clearly defined digital marketing strategy let alone integrating it into the overall marketing strategy. 

About 12% are still using a separate digital document, which is still very much only the first step in the fully integrated journey.

From my experience, one of the barriers to starting a digital strategy is just where to start. You don’t have to re-create war and peace. A simple 2-3 page document, highlighting the channels at your disposal whilst following the following:

1. See – How can people see and come across my brand
2. Think – Helping them answer questions and think about your product
3. Do – The act of converting or convincing them to purchase
4. Care- the aftercare to provide brand ambassadors and promote word of mouth.

I’ll assume you have an awesome digital marketing strategy in place… The next step. Is making it one holistic strategy.

But I hear you saying.. Danny, what’s the point!?

Thanks for asking, and that’s exactly the point of this video, lets go through 5 reasons why a holistic marketing strategy might be a better way to go and what could happen if you don’t.

1. Consistency of message

If your integrated marketing strategy achieves nothing more than delivering one clear consistent message then it will still have been successful.

Why? Because as soon as your business’s message becomes blurred, unfocused, or inconsistent, you begin to lose your audience.

The importance of delivering one message consistently cannot be overstated! 

And sometimes, when we have a digital strategy and an offline strategy, this message can become blurred. 

Not only will your message always be the same, but the elements of your brand will also line up more seamlessly.

When your style guides, logos, headers, content, and voice are all working in tandem, you’re able to maximise your impact and carve out your own lane within your niche or industry.

2. You become disintegrated 

It’s all too common for digital marketing activities to be completed in silos whether that’s a specialist digital marketer, sitting in IT, or a separate digital agency.

It’s easier that way to package ‘digital’ into a convenient chunk. But of course, it’s less effective.

Everyone agrees that digital media work best when integrated with traditional media and response channels.

If I see a TV advert… I might Google it in a few days.

If a flyer comes through my door, maybe I can’t remember the business name 2 weeks later, but if I remember the offer, maybe Google can help me?

3. You’re wasting money and time through duplication

Even if you are the biggest business in the world, you may be wasting your resources by managing your digital and standard marketing strategies separately.

Doubling up on efforts, tools and software that can otherwise be reinvested elsewhere.

Think of it this way, it’s the difference between designing two visual campaigns instead of one integrated campaign.

A well-oiled strategy will save your business money in a number of areas.

Naturally, having a single message helps you conserve resources and reduce waste. 

You shouldn’t be creating or modifying your message each time you communicate with your customers. Instead, reduce time spent creating, and instead, maximise how you can optimise the message across all your channels.

4. To Create a Consumer Experience

In a digital world, people aren’t just looking for their next new favourite product or service.

Customers want an immersive experience that is delivered on their own terms. In other words, your customers might not want direct mail or TV ad campaigns.

With an integrated marketing strategy, customers help determine how your business’s message is delivered – producing better results for your company.

For example: Being served an advert on social media for a new clothing range needs reinforcing in the real world. instore, on billboards, through famous influencers. Imagine getting to the store to find out it was an online offer only! arghhhh!

5. To Focus on Results

Not only does integrated marketing reinforce the same message in the minds of your consumers, but it also keeps the message and goal crystal clear within your own business or organisation.

When all parties are working in sync, that is when you’re able to create truly impactful campaigns; and the better you’re able to communicate the same message both externally and internally, the greater your return on investment will be.

So perhaps it’s time to make digital marketing, just marketing again, and to tie up all those loose ends in one holistic marketing strategy that drives clarity for your business and its customers.