Times have changed, and the way of marketing has also changed.
The democratization of internet access helped build a new economy, now based on digital. The emergence (and success) of companies like Uber, Netflix, Airbnb and many others prove how technology has transformed the economy.
And, in this new “market”, the consumer gained voice (and a lot!). Increasingly, companies are focused on communicating with the public effectively and strategically. Understanding the importance of this relationship in their customer’s buying journey, they increasingly invest in strategies aimed at the “customer experience”. And that’s where integrated marketing comes in.
In this post, we’ll help you better understand the concept of integrated marketing and what you can do to plant this seed in your workplace. Understand the benefits of this strategy and why it is so vital today.
What Is Integrated Marketing?
Integrated marketing can be understood from two basic concepts:
- The synchronization of the various marketing functions.
- The alignment of all the company’s departments with marketing is a way to improve the consumer’s experience, establishing a lasting relationship with him.
To help you better understand how integrated marketing can happen, think about the following situation: you bought a product in a virtual store, and it arrived with a defect. The store policy is that you have up to 7 days to exchange. Great, you get in touch with the store by the number provided, and, as usual, they ask you for a lot of information (name, CPF, order number, purchase date, email, etc.). After you have passed all the data to the attendant, she instructs you to send an email to address X requesting the return. Then you take a deep breath and send the email. And the answer, which should be the postal code for the return, is: “Dear customer, please inform us of your registration data (name, CPF, order number, etc.). Boring, huh? Bad experience!
If this e-commerce had an excellent integrated marketing strategy, with all departments working to provide an incredible customer experience, you would certainly have your problem solved in the first contact with the store (because the attendant would have autonomy and access to everything she needs to resolve the matter – system, data, exchange policy, etc.) or, in the worst case, you would not need to enter your data again, as they would already be saved in the company’s customer management system.
What Are The Particularities Of Integrated Marketing As A Strategy, And What Is It Used For?
The difference is that this strategy is not restricted to the marketing department; it combines different industry tools with those from other areas. Thinking about the previous example, it would be integrating the customer service team with logistics. The intention is to work on unified strategies that lead the company to achieve the desired results.
Through multichannel engagement, the company can have an integrated view of consumers and serve them better. This integration improves the points of contact with customers and helps detect business opportunities that serve future strategies.
Also Read: A Complete Guide On Advertising Marketing And Its Scope
What Are The Advantages Of Integrated Marketing For Companies?
More Brand Value
A well-positioned brand in the market has the entire organization focused and working toward the same goal. Products and services are aligned with customer needs, service departments integrated with sales, logistics and marketing, market intelligence with marketing, etc. In addition to attracting more customers, this directly impacts their perception of the brand’s value.
Better Acceptance
How often does an organization lose opportunities due to its mistakes when delivering the product or service? At this moment, failures need to be known to be eliminated.
Ideally, all customer rejection factors are studied, and the team works to resolve these issues quickly, which is only possible when there is integration.
Customer Loyalty
Aligned teams can work more quickly and offer better services, which can attract and retain customers. Therefore, loyalty is a direct benefit and one of the most prominent of integrated marketing.
Power Of Attraction
Loyal customers, who have good experiences with a brand, are true spokespersons for it on the network. A legion of fans gives the brand greater power of attraction and conversion. And a good recommendation is worth more than a lot of advertising!
How To Put Integrated Marketing Into Practice?
Having integrated marketing running within a company is a complex task. But for all of the above (and more!), it’s worth the effort. This is no longer an option. Companies that want to survive today will inevitably need to invest in this. To kickstart this process, a company will need to:
1. Build A Culture Of Integration
To put integrated marketing into practice, it is necessary, in the first place, to create an internal culture focused on cooperation between sectors. This means that the company needs to work on solid communication between employees and provide channels for everyone to access. Logistics, production, business management and customer management systems must be integrated.
2. Improve The Consumer Experience At All Points Of Contact With The Brand
Afterwards, working on the relationship with the customer at all points of contact with the brand is essential. Here, we are talking about SAC and, of course, social networks. They are today the main point of contact between the customer and the company. And that’s why having a strategy for these channels is so important.
3. Use Technology To Your Advantage
It is necessary to use marketing databases to access consumer information and, based on analysis, build strategies to communicate with them. In addition, it is necessary to train the team to work together and improve the services offered based on the insights from the data.
Also Read: Are Your Marketing Strategies Not Working? Here’s What To Do
