What Integrated Marketing Really Means

I use variations of "integrated marketing" quite a bit. I realize, though, that not everyone understands what that means, especially if you're not a marketing professional. It can mean many things depending on your organization. But to me, it's pretty simple.

Integrated marketing provides consistency across all marketing channels. That includes both digital and print. Most companies have shifted to digital marketing because of cost and increased reach. But there are still some out there that use both. Kudos to those companies because there is still value in using both if there is a budget that allows it.

The Problem

Courtesy of lumaxart from Flickr 

The problem many organizations have is communication. Everyone says their departments communicate, but the reality is that they don't. I've seen it happen because everyone wants to take credit  for something, especially if it's successful. You have one marketing segment doing something and pushing out a message and another doing something totally different. You're communicating different messages, which is so confusing both internally and externally. So let's make one thing very clear. In order to have an integrated marketing approach, all parties need to communicate effectively and approach strategies as a team.  Teams get more accomplished, utilizing everyone's strength for the better good of an organization.

Digital and Print
Let's take a look at what integrated marketing means for those of you who use both digital and print. Ideally, digital and print departments regularly meet to discuss strategy.

Everyone should have the same high level goal, i.e., increase sales, increase ROI, customer engagement, etc. 

Once all involved understand said goals, both teams develop strategies and come together for a discussion so that messaging is consistent. Timelines should be complimentary as well. The digital team should be aware of what the print team is doing and vice versa.

Digital
So let's discuss integrated marketing implications for digital marketing departments. This department consists of SEO, social Media, paid advertising, design, affiliate marketing, etc. The notion that each is an individual entity is what makes digital marketing so flawed. And to be quite frank, it drives me nuts. Again, there is this notion of teamwork involved.

I used to work for an agency and all departments (account managers, SEO, PPC) would meet fairly regularly to discuss issues and concerns and ensure everyone was on the same page. That worked well because everyone understood messaging, which allowed us to service our clients on a higher level than our competitors.

That being said, leaders (or everyone on the team) should meet regularly to discuss goals and messaging.

• Content calendars should be shared
• The SEO team shares links with the social media team for content distribution
• Social media team uses SEO keywords as appropriate in posts
• Promotional material is shared with all teams so the paid advertising and affiliate teams have the correct information. The SEO and social media team creates content to further expand the reach of promotions.

All of this will allow for better conversion tracking and will show the value each team brings to the company.

Customer Service
I'm going to throw in one more department in this mix, both digital and print. Your customer service team should be aware of all marketing messaging. If they're not, you're going to have angry customers and customer retention will plummet because the rep doesn't know about the promotion they're calling about. I've seen this happen way too many times both as a consumer and a professional. A simple internal newsletter of upcoming marketing communications will suffice.

Team Theme
There is a theme to integrated marketing and that is teamwork. It sounds very cheesy and the thought of working in a team scares so many people.

You accomplish more working as a team. Everyone has strengths that makes them unique. Use them! If  one person is an analytics genius, put them in charge of tracking conversions. If someone else has an eye for graphic design, work with them to come up with a great piece that captures the essence of your messaging. I could most definitely go on and on about this, but you get the idea.

My approach to marketing is integrated. I want to know what you're doing now and how so I can create a strategy that maximizes those efforts and saves money.

2013 Online Marketing Mix

As 2012 comes to an end, it's time to get realistic about 2013. I tell clients all the time that marketing of today is more fluid than it was in the past. You can thank technology for that. So let's take a look at what you should be doing next year. Now remember these are merely suggestions. I can't advise you precisely on what your strategy should be because we haven't talked about it in detail. Take this post as a suggestion, and if you do want a more detailed strategy, we can have a conversation later. 

Mobile

49% of SMBs are planning on incorporating a mobile strategy in their current marketing mix. Just from reading current industry news, I can tell you that I see more on mobile than anything. Whether you're B2B or B2C, the reality is that the majority of people have smart phones. It's much easier to look up a company or service on the go while you're thinking about it then wait until you get to your desktop at home or work.  From an eCommerce perspective, mobile definitely doesn't hurt. 6% of of holiday sales are expected to come from mobile this year alone. Google is also expecting to see a surge in mobile search during the next month for holiday shopping. 

If you don't have a mobile friendly website, it's time you get one. If you already have and existing site, there are services out there that are reasonable that can develop a mobile site if you don't have access to a developer. 

I would also recommend looking into building an app if it's appropriate. Think of what you're customers do the most and create an app specifically for that task. There are mobile app companies out there that can help. Shoot me an email and I can make some recommendations, depending on what you're looking for. 

Video

I have been asked about videos several times this year. Companies want to find more ways to connect with their base and video marketing is definitely one way to do that. There is a misconception though, that you need super expensive equipment and editing software to make a video. With smartphones and YouTube, that's no longer true.  If you have a smartphone, you can create a video. If you have a laptop with a camera, you can create a video. There is even editing software out there that is fairly user friendly and inexpensive. 

If you're going to use video, make sure you keep the following in mind:

• Focus one topic/product/service. 
• Keep it short, about 5 min max. People have a short attention span.
• Be authentic. You don't want to come off too rehearsed or that will turn off your base.
• Upload to YouTube. I created a document for a client on how to do this. If you want a tutorial, let me know and I'll be happy to share. 
• Use keywords when adding your title, description, and tags. 

Social, SEO, PPC

Of course, don't neglect your website. Continue with SEO and PPC. After all, you still need to drive traffic to your site and search is still the top way to do that. Use social media to connect on a deeper level with your base. Don't just post your own content, engage with your audience. 

If you have any questions, it goes without saying that you can feel free to comment or contact me via email. Again, these are merely suggestions. I do think mobile is really important and something I know I'll focus on come 2013. 

Ready to Launch!

My focus lately has been helping clients with launching products. I recently wrote a few blog posts for Deck Internet Solutions on an integrated online marketing approach to launching a product. Here are some very basic tips.

Product Launch Check List

It’s time to grow! You’re adding a new product to your existing line, but are you prepared to launch. Here are few tips to ensure you’re doing everything you can to be successful.

Launch Schedule

Here is a sample launch schedule you can use.

2 days before launch: Webpage goes live

1 day before launch: Finish and schedule press release. Setup PPC Ads and go live

Launch Day:  Link the press release to your website, schedule social media updates

1 day after launch: Offsite article

2 days after launch:  Blog post

3 days after launch: Email blast

SEO

You want people to find your new product. SEO helps makes your new product easy to find by incorporating keywords and content to get your customers to convert.

PPC

SEO takes time, but PPC is pretty instant. While you wait on search engines to crawl your website and fetch your new product page, you can drive traffic to your website with a few PPC ads.

Press Release

You need to announce your new product. Do it with a press release. Write a press release using keywords from your SEO campaign. Make sure to address “Who, What, When , Where, and Why.” The press release should convince your consumers with information and special features.  Publish your press release online at OnlinePRNews or PRWeb.

Offsite Article

Offsite articles will help not only with your SEO efforts, but also with convincing your consumers that this product or service is worth their investment.  Include even more details than you did in the press release. Articles can be how-to’s, narratives, gift guides, etc.  Make sure to link to the corresponding page on your website.

Blog Post

Since you’re going into detail about the product in the press release and article, use the blog post to discuss how this particular product or service fits with your other offerings.

Email Blast

I say to do the email blast last because you can/should link your press release, article, and blog.

For more details, I invite you to read  Easy Integrated Marketing and Spreading the Word: Integrated Marketing for New Products. 

Marketing is Changing: Print and Online Marketing

In my previous post, I defined marketing. Now let's take a more in depth look at print vs. online marketing. Most marketers see the value in online marketing and have shifted their budgets, spending more online than with print marketing. Online ad spend alone is expected to reach $39.5 billion in this year, whereas total print spending is expected to cap at $33.8 billion. That doesn't seem like that much of a gap, but in terms of achieving the best ROI, online marketing has higher returns, justifying the investment. But first, let's look at the pros and cons of print and online marketing before you pass judgement.

Print Pros
There are still some target markets that interact better with print media (specifically trade publications) These are your 55+, warehouse managers, or anyone who isn't comfortable with using a computer or the internet.

Print Cons
Print advertising is expensive.  Let's say an ad in a trade publication costs $5,000. Only people with subscriptions to that publication will see the ad. Now, if you take that same $5,000 can get you a new website or about five months or so worth of basic SEO (depending on which agency you use).

Print limits your reach. I just mentioned that a trade publication is only visible to those who subscribe. The reality is, even subscribers won't notice your ad unless they're really reading the publication. There is a higher chance that your ad will get over looked.

Lower ROI.  The potential for lower return on investment is greater with print than it is with online marketing. Tracking ROI is difficult as it is unless you attach a special code or phone number. Direct mail ROI ranges from 0%-16%.

The other factor to consider is that more and more people are turning to the internet for information and research versus newspapers and magazines. Think about it realistically. When was the last time you picked up the newspaper? Other than waiting at the doctor's office, when did you pick up magazine?

Online Marketing
Now let's turn our focus to online marketing. I want to invite you to follow me on Twitter because I tweet all things online marketing. That's the best place to get the latest information on trends and data.

Online Marketing Pros
Bigger bang for your buck. I went over this a little bit earlier. You get more for your money with online marketing. A website can cost as little $500. SEO can range from $500 a month to $1,000.  PPC (pay per click with Google) averages about $500 depending on how aggressive you are. Social Media services varies too. If you decide to outsource your online marketing, there is something available out there to meet your budgetary needs.  I will tell you that having someone manage your social media campaigns is expensive, but worth it if you don't have the man power or expertise to do it in house. We can discuss this in detail if you want. SEO and PPC are definitely worth outsourcing because agencies have the expertise to do it correctly with higher ROIs.

Better ROI. I love this part. ROI for online marketing is huge. On accounts I work with, I see ROI ranging 500% to over 1000% for SEO and PPC. Social ROI is growing quickly as well. It's easy for me to justify my work with clients when I can show them record breaking sales. Granted, there are lots of factors that play a role, but a good online marketing will eventually ( in 3 to 6 months) will see increased ROIs over print. By the way, it's easier to track ROI with online marketing. All you need to do is use tracking code. Sometimes that's as easy as adding code to the end of a url or adding code to the footer a webpage.

Reach. You reach more of your target audience. We all know the internet is a powerful place. All someone has to do is go to Google, search, and learn so much about a topic, product, or service. Online marketers have this amazing influence over consumers. An article, press release, website content-- you can reach so many people with  a page or two of information online versus an ad in a magazine, newspaper or a postcard in the mail. Online marketing transcends time zones and locations. If you optimize your website correctly, you can reach millions--no joke.


Online Marketing Cons
Slowly growing. I'll be honest and tell you that in some instances, it seems that certain industries are slower to move to online marketing than others. This is usually tied to age and gender preferences. But I will tell you that in almost every industry, the younger generation is moving online. It just takes some industries longer than others.

Not all online marketing works for everyone. Online marketing has it's niche. Don't be so quick to jump on the latest trends unless it makes sense for your business. Pinterest seems to be a hot topic. Many companies are exploring it in addition to their current online marketing efforts. However, unless you're in eCommerce, I would advise against it. Women are primary users, so unless that's your target market, it might not be worth your time. B2B businesses may also find that Twitter and LinkedIn are worth more of their efforts instead of Facebook and vice versa. If you're targeting teens, you don't want to have a LinkedIn profile, but stick to Facebook.   I will say this though. EVERYONE needs SEO and PPC. So you should jump those bandwagons.

New and changing. I've said before that marketing is fluid. Well, online marketing is definitely fluid. It's  fairly new and it changes quite a bit. We can thank Google for that with frequent algorithm updates. This makes it harder to keep up with. I will tell you that I spend quite a bit of time everyday staying current. I read lots of articles. I have Google's tweets sent directly to my iPhone. I'm connected 247. Staying current can be a challenge and very time consuming.

This is a very basic overview. I advise anyone to really take a look at their overall business goals, budget, and have a clear understanding of their target market. You should definitely incorporate online marketing in your marketing plan. And if you're used to using yellow pages, consider doing it online. Actually, newspapers and magazine are shifting to online advertising anyway. So instead of going for print, continue to advertise, but do so online.The world is changing, and you should change with it.

Social Media is Marketing: Defining Marketing Now

I obsessively check my iPhone, even in the early mornings and on weekends. This is isn't unusual for marketers. We're a special group with a need to stay current on what's going on the industry. So this morning I checked my feeds and saw a post that disturbed me. It negated Social Media out of the marketing spectrum. It inspired this post.


Social Media is marketing. I would hope that the majority of marketers would agree with that statement. This brings up another point. Marketing is fluid. It changes--even on a daily basis. Marketing 10 years ago would not have considered Social Media as part marketing. But it is now because marketing is fluid. A good marketer takes time out of each day to read online trade journals and stay current with what's going on industry. Marketing is no longer just ads in print publications or direct mail. It's more sophisticated and technology based. This shouldn't be news to anyone in the industry. But for newbies out there, let's clarify the scope of marketing and what falls under this ever growing spectrum.

Print
Yes, marketing does include print media. Although this is dwindling, it does make sense to use newspapers and magazines to advertise. Do I think this industry will eventually disappear? Perhaps. But for now, there are target audiences who prefer to hold a piece of paper versus read something on a screen. I will say that most newspapers and magazines are (if they already haven't) moving towards an online version. Entrepreneur Magazine, for instance, has a print magazine as well as an online version. I subscribe to their print edition and love it. I like thumbing through articles on the weekend. But when I find something worth sharing, I go to the website and share it with my social networks. Although, I did notice that their print edition is not synced to their website. The March edition is not live online yet.

I would advise against blindly advertising with print. It is rather expensive. I would run a cost benefit analysis. If your target market uses print, what is your actual ROI? Would you have a better ROI if you advertised online with the same publication?

Online Marketing
This is where marketing is fluid. Online Marketing today is different from Online Marketing 10 years ago. And it will continue to change and grow as technology progresses.  Online Marketing now includes:

• Website development
• Email marketing
• Paid advertising (PPC)
• SEO
• Mobile 
• Tablet
• Video
• Social Media

All of these components of marketing are intertwined. They should work together. Do you know what all of the above should have in common? Keywords. Some, including myself, would say that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) touches all of the components of Online Marketing because consumers use keywords to not only search, but scan content to find what they're looking for.

And yes, marketing includes Social Media. It's another way to reach your target market on a more grass roots level. You have to compete with a lot of online noise. Consumers, whether B2B or B2C, are looking for a special connection-- a way to interact with a company or brand to feel like the dollars they spend are worth it. Social Media is very effective when it comes to connecting with your consumer. You can send messages fairly quickly in response to a post your consumer makes. In return, the consumer gets instant satisfaction knowing that you took the time to acknowledge their concerns.

Customer Service, Sales, and Marketing
One last take away before I go back to enjoying my Sunday morning. Customer Service, Sales, and marketing should all work together cohesively. The sales and marketing relationship should be symbiotic. Sales needs to close deals. They should rely on their marketing department for materials to do that. Sales and marketing messaging should be the same. Once the sale is closed, that same messaging needs to go Customer Service. You'd think that would be understood. But I've witnessed many companies where the communication didn't exist or it was lost between these three departments. Customer Service needs to be able to fully answer questions and solve issues with the same information customers received during the sale process. Customer Service should also be aware of current marketing efforts so they're not caught off guard.

I could go into more detail on any of this. If you do have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Send me an email and I'll respond as soon as I can.

New Data for Marketers Mid Year Reaching Adults 55+

An important article came out today via eMarketer. Older Faceook Users Catching On to 'Liking' Brands states that as of April 2011, 43% of adults (ages 55 +) used the 'Like' button on Facebook. That's an increase from September 2010 when only 24% used the the Facebook 'Like' button to connect with brands--almost double. That's a pretty significant jump for only a 7 month span.

Why is this so important? For starters, it gives marketers the data needed to start creating messages on Facebook to reach streamline content to include this demographic. 66% of adults 18-34 an 62% of 35-54 already use Facebook to connect with brands, so this increase of adults 55+ allows companies to market and generate more revenue online.

Advertising online tends to be more cost effective than print. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can costs starts at $250 per month, increasing web visibility. Pay Per Click (PPC)  can start as low as $59.99 per month for search ads. Social media costs vary. If you have someone in house managing your social media efforts, you only pay vendor costs and salary, but in general costs is pretty low. Hootsuite for instance is $5.99 per month.  Print ads, on the other hand, can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $125,000 per ad. Marketing online is definitely more affordable, which also translates into higher profit margins.

This increase in adults using the Facebook 'Like' button is the signal to companies, both B2B and B2C that they can broaden and spread their marketing budgets a little farther by reaching an audience that was a little slow to use the Internet to connect with brands.

So now the question is whether or not marketers should segment messages to cater to each adult age group. I would advise that it depends on your industry. If your industry is more technical, I would say you should keep things at a highly professional level. If you're retail, you can relax a little more with the content you post. Of course, you should always incorporate SEO in all your messages. But that's a blog post for another time.