Integrated marketing communications
“Integrating marketing communications is a way of looking at the whole marketing process from the view point of the customer.” - Philip Kotler
Integrated marketing means planning your activity so that the message, content and next steps work together across the places your customers encounter you. Someone might first notice a LinkedIn post, read an article on your website and return later through an email. Each interaction should help them understand what you offer and why it’s relevant to them.
That takes a bit of planning. If your posts talk about one problem, your emails promote something unrelated and your website leaves people guessing, you’re asking the customer to make the connections themselves.
What does integrated marketing look like in practice?
Imagine a training provider wants to promote a workshop for new managers. The audience is dealing with a specific challenge: having difficult conversations with team members. Here’s how the activity could connect:
A LinkedIn post picks up a situation the audience recognises, such as putting off a conversation because they’re worried about making it worse. It links to an article with practical advice.
The article helps the reader prepare for that conversation. Where it’s relevant, it explains how the workshop gives managers time to practise and links to the workshop details.
An email to relevant subscribers shares a useful point from the article and explains who the workshop is for. The message and workshop information match what someone has already seen.
The workshop page makes the next step clear. It explains the content, intended audience and practical details, with a way to book or ask a question.
People won’t all follow that sequence. Some will arrive at the workshop page first; others will read the article and come back weeks later. The information needs to make sense at each point.
Give each activity a clear role
You can explore the same subject in different ways. A social post might start a conversation, while an article gives someone more detail. An email can bring that article to a subscriber’s attention. Each has a purpose, and together they support the same objective.
When planning your content, decide what the reader needs at each stage. Adapt the amount of detail and format to the channel while keeping the main message consistent.
Check the connections before you publish
Work through these questions before the activity goes live:
What are we trying to achieve, and who do we need to reach?
What does that person need to understand or feel confident about before taking the next step?
What job will each channel and piece of content do?
Are the message, offer details and links consistent?
Is the destination ready before the activity promoting it goes live, and who is checking it?
What will we review, such as relevant visits, questions, enquiries or bookings?
A simple plan can be enough. Follow the links as if you were the customer and check whether each page delivers what the previous message promised. If you need help thinking through those connections, marketing consultancy can give you time to work through the decisions.
Get in touch if you need help devising a roadmap of campaign activity with integrated marcomms, in line with your marketing strategy.