The Evolution of Integrated Marketing and IMW

September 25, 2013

IMW has been delivering integrated marketing results to the bottom line for our clients for over 20 years. And as integrated marketing communications (IMC) has evolved, so have we. Adding new staff (see the latest addition below) and new approaches, as well.

Integration has become an essential concept in marketing because technological advances have changed the landscape in which customers interact with brands and products. Marketing theory that was established during a time when newspapers reigned supreme and television consisted of three channels has been overtaken by the complexities of a real-time, multi-platform, multi-directional media landscape.

Recognizing this, over the last few years we have continually expanded our scope to include the following and suggest that you assess your efforts to see if you have done the same:

• Big Data: Using integrated marketing information that provides us with better customer profiling, matching services and client needs to be more efficient and more effective with the marketing spend.
• Website as an engine of conversion: Building and maintaining websites that leverage consumer behavior and convert that behavior into visits and prospects for business is important for both B2B and B2C businesses.  We understand how to provide the right content and functionality that customers expect across the devices they use most with bottom line results in focus. Understanding search engine marketing, website usability, social media and digital media planning allows us to help your business be more effective in your digital marketing results.
• Integrated media buying: Using the latest media buying platforms to get you in front of the right customer at the right time and retargeting them to increase results.
• Relationship management: Using CRM and Social Media to build relations with your customers extends the brand’s value brand and delivers increased loyalty and incremental results to the bottom line.
• Integrated promotions: Promotions deliver better results when they leverage integrated thinking.  Traditional Print and Free Standing Inserts (FSI) can engage across a wide audience directing consumers to focused microsites which can be leveraged to convert interest into engagement.
• Visual story telling: We create content that drives engagement. Our in-house video production and photography teams are available to capture and produce engaging content.  Content that we create, can be used for external campaigns or internal communications.

Today, we all know that consumers have more media choices than ever.  With IMC, marketing programs leverage each channel’s intrinsic strengths to achieve a greater impact together than each channel could achieve on its own. The inherent benefits include a singular/synchronized brand voice and experience, cost efficiencies generated through synergies in creative and production, as well as opportunities for added value that result in increased sales and ROI.

As many of you will go into planning for next year’s programs soon, consider the overarching big idea and then develop the content that can be leveraged in each form of engagement with the customer to build your business. Welcome to Integrated MarketingWorks where we make it work for you.