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There has been much talk about integrated marketing campaigns and it is vital in today’s world that companies ensure that they have a multi channel approach to marketing that is integrated and consistent across all media. But is this enough?
In the B2C arena integrated campaigns concentrate on getting the right message to the target audience and then maximising the amount of leads by ensuring there is good quality, well planned, direct activity as part of the mix either on or off line or both. This approach has served well but the rules are changing and now a lot of effort is being directed at influencing consumer behaviour and not just reacting to it.
In the B2B arena campaigns are targeted at and attempt to influence the perceived decision maker. This is a classic marketing approach and with a communication strategy founded around a good idea can often reap solid rewards in the number of leads generated. In reality however, others within an organisation may influence the decision maker you are trying to reach or as is often the case more than one person is the decision maker.
Ask yourself these questions:
How often has the number of leads, new contacts generated by a campaign been effective but the amount of conversions been negligible?
Is this because your proposition is weak or flawed or is it because you have not influenced enough of those who input into the final decision?
In the 1980’s it was true that you were never sacked for buying from IBM and the reason for this is that all decision makers and influencers bought into the premise that IBM was the industry leader and a known name and therefore if they could not get it right no one else would so therefore the decision maker was able to agree a deal safe in the knowledge that they would be unlikely to be held accountable if something went wrong. This could lead us into a talk on branding and the power of a strong brand but that is not the point of this article, I want to talk about the effect that can be achieved by the use of joined up marketing even if your brand has limited awareness within the target market as all brands start small and develop their positioning.
Joined up marketing requires you to initially consider the perception of you and your products or services within the target audience, and then consider not just the target audience but their behaviour as purchasers and what leavers and triggers are required to create a positive decision in your favour. These will be different for all types of business and even within one product or service offer there will be different triggers for different audiences as SME’s approach purchase decisions completely differently from Government Department and large PLC’s and within each of these there will be different factors affecting the purchasing decision.
Joined up marketing when executed properly will increase the chances of success and will help in reducing the likelihood of a pitch or Dutch auction occurring. Joined up marketing works throughout the sales pipe and drives the campaign beyond the generation of leads as the strategy developed will recognise the different dynamics each influencer and decision maker will be sensitive to.
The objective of these campaigns is to ensure that all potential contact points receive communications which help ease the decision making process, get them talking among themselves about you and your offer. The plan is not to just create a series of direct communications to one person or a line of communication to a group but a mix of communication that answers the concerns of the individuals whether these are related to financial, technical or service levels and are well or ill conceived.
The key is to deliver messages tailored to build a progressive understanding of your offer which you will need to create not as a line of communication but treat more as a web of communication where various strands interlink and drive thoughts to the core of the proposal and help generate a subliminal agreement to the decision process even without the individuals knowing they are being influenced.
The other advantage of joined up marketing is that it ensures checks and balances are put in place, it questions and challenges you as you look to build and develop the program and as a result it will also help inform and improve the communication plans you create and the effect they have on decision makers and not only in how you target prospects but also how you communicate to existing customers and staff.
Purple Frog help clients achieve joined up marketing whether it is through building strategies, delivering ideas, inspirational creative, online or offline and measurable success is something all businesses need to achieve. Let us help you create change in the way people think about you but also in the way you think about them.
Also take a look at an earlier blog “Just because communication has always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it always will” by Marcus.
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