Integrated Marketing Creates Momentum!
By Vicki Donnowitz
Would you like to accelerate your lead generation? If the answer is an overwhelming “YES”, then you must employ an integrated marketing program. Do you know what integrated marketing communications means? According to
The American Marketing Association it is a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time. It is a holistic approach whereby all online and offline marketing channels are aligned.
Why is this important and what does it have to do with accelerating your leads? Everything!! Research has shown that the average consumer has to hear the same message for at least 7 times before they will eventually get stuff from you. 7 times is a lot of repetition and there is no way you can do that through a sales talk face to face as you probably will scare your customers and prospective customers away with your aggressive sales stance. Now, if you use various methods to communicate the same topic…text, email, phone call, send a card, video message, send them to your website, write a letter, then you finally get an appointment to meet in person…VOILA, you will likely have a sale! Why? You have etched an impression in the customer’s mind, so when they are ready to buy, they think of you and your company first.
Marketing is the lifeblood of your business, it is repetitious. This repetition creates momentum, builds rapport and establishes relationships with your prospects. Marketing must be performed continuously and consistently.
Marketing creates impact gradually, not immediately. Once is not enough, go narrow and deep within your budget. In other words, if you can afford to contact 200 people, rather then contacting each person once, it will be much more effective to contact the same 40 people 5 times across various media. If you plan to contact a target group only once, forget about it, you’re wasting your time and money. It’s better to just do nothing.
Marketing sells solutions, so every touch point and impression you can make which solves a problem will make a difference and after consistent repetition will eventually lead to sales. Go through and audit all your marketing media…is it sending a cohesive message reinforcing your brand? Every impression matters…your business cards, letterhead, envelopes, email signature, phone message, faxes, invoices, purchase orders, website, yellow pages, direct mail, outdoor, print advertising, on line advertising, trade shows, brochures, flyers, new release, ecommercials, TV, cable, newsletters, radio, email, text messages, coupons. Everywhere on everything!
Many companies do a great job with their brands/logos/taglines. Where I see the biggest disconnect in integration is between online and offline marketing. Have you ever gone to a website for a store to find the nearest location and while on
the website, a coupon pops up that is only good for internet purchases?!?! How stupid is that? You mean if I am going to get in my car, drive to your store, and take the time to walk in that you are not going to honor the 10% off coupon I saw on the internet?!?!? If you’re going to spend time and money to run a campaign, make sure it is created to be on every form of marketing you can think of! Put a tagline on your email signature, post it on your homepage, add it to all your mailings, print advertise it , make flyers, posters for the office, video message, make it part of your phone greeting, make a giveaway. Remember, 7 times before they respond, the more opportunities the customer has to see it, the faster they will respond!! You get the idea, create momentum!