Newsstand

August 2, 2011
Integrated Marketing and the 4 Types of Marketers [DMA11]

It’s called integrated marketing communication (IMC for short) and if you think those are just a few meaningless words thrown together to create a phrase that sounds packed with significance but actually isn’t, then you really need to read this article. IMC is the unifying factor behind the recent practice by many companies in developing integrated marketing campaigns, which essentially takes traditional methods of marketing and throws them in a blender with social media marketing, email marketing, and mobile marketing. And the result is a lot tastier than you could possibly imagine.

First, a quick look at the world of marketers – of which there are four uniquely different types:

1. Those that put all of their eggs into the social media basket. Many of these are newer companies that haven’t been around long enough to have developed traditional marketing strategies outside of the online universe.

2. Those that are hesitant to try social media, preferring to stay within the comfortable realm of traditional marketing. It’s not just megalithic corporations that have been around 100-plus years that are doing this sort of thing, but you do find that most companies who haven’t yet dipped their feet into the social media pool aren’t exactly known for being mavericks.

3. Those who dabble in both. A lot of companies take this approach, almost as if they’re taking a really extended “taste test” to see if either option is worth pursuing at 100 percent commitment. But not every company is commitment-shy. Many operate both social media campaigns and traditional marketing campaigns at full tilt, but keep both efforts completely separate. As if the two didn’t go together like peanut butter and chocolate.

4. Those who mix it all together and take a chug from the universal decanter. Call them brave souls or trailblazers, but there are many marketers out there that understand the potential of integrated marketing campaigns and aren’t wasting any time.

Which one of these aforementioned four types stands to gain the most ground in today’s ever-morphing marketing environment? It’s not any of the first three. Which makes perfect sense, when you think about it. On the one hand, it would be downright foolish for a company to abandon all traditional methods of marketing in favor of going full-on social – just as foolish as it would be to ignore social media altogether and waste time wishing for its expeditious demise. Dabbling may get you places, but the only way to return actual results is to put your full force and power behind a combination marketing punch.

The bottom line is, you can’t bring down a giant by firing individual pea-shooter shots and hoping to hit a bull’s-eye that results in, say, viral marketing success. It can happen, sure. But those instances are the exception, not the rule. If you really want to take down that giant, you’ve got to combine all of your artillery and take carefully calculated shots. This is the theory behind integrated marketing campaigns. It’s also the methodology behind some of the greatest digital marketing success stories.

If you want to learn more about integrated marketing communication and how to create an integrated marketing campaign, pay a visit to the DMA2011 Conference & Exhibition this October in Boston. You’ll have the opportunity to listen to speeches from experts in the field of digital marketing, take part in workshops and one-to-one labs, and network with thousands of your peers who all have the same goal in mind: creating a killer digital marketing campaign. Visit www.dma11.org for more information.

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