Integrated Marketing System.
What is an Integrated Marketing Campaign?
From the perspective of a marketing executive, an integrated marketing campaign is the tool
set that delivers the right offer or message as well as response to individual requests at the
right time, while delivering the highest value to customers as well as the greatest profitability
to the organization. The goals include development of a deeper and more relevant customer
relationship based on growing knowledge about that customer. If effectively used, these
campaigns increase response rates, market awareness and revenue, and maximize profits.
Integrated marketing campaigns are focused on consistent and relevant communications with
customers across multiple touchpoints. A touchpoint is defined as all of the communication
customers experience during their relationship lifecycle with an organization. Whether it is an
ad, Web site, sales person, store or office, touch points are important because customers form
perceptions of organizations and brand based on their cumulative experiences. Some
marketers look at integrated marketing campaigns as the silver bullet to drive business.
If effectively used, these campaigns increase response
rates, market awareness and revenue, and maximize
profits.
There are essential elements that need to be in place to make an integrated marketing
campaign effective. First, your client needs to have a clear and coherent marketing strategy in
place that succinctly defines the target market. Second, an attractive and appealing offer is
critical for driving response rates. Third, there needs to be a good creative execution with a
sound marketing message. Finally, the strategy, offer, creative execution and marketing
message need to be backed with quality data sourced either internally or through external
lists. Without these four elements, no campaign will be successful, regardless of the
technology utilized for implementation.
The Technology and Terminology
The Internet introduced new channels for marketing and created new consumer behaviors. To be most effective, marketers need to reach customers via print, web, and e-mail. By tying
them all together in an integrated campaign, they have the ability to collect more customer
data for use in the next stage, track responses with personalized URLs, and learn which media
is most likely to get a response from each contact for more successful, and cost-effective,
follow-ups.
The integrated marketing campaign starts with mail. It could be a printed direct mail piece or
it could be an e-mail. The document needs to be designed to attract attention. If it is strictly
being sent electronically, designers need to ensure that it can be opened by the individual's
browser. Unique sizes for printed pieces and appealing color is important, but the most critical
aspect of any direct mail campaign is the actual offer to drive the recipient to the next step.
This is typically a link to a personalized URL. The campaign's Mail File (list of direct mail
recipients) is used to generate Personalized URLs for each recipient. These PURLs are then
woven within the direct mail piece, along with other variable data.
Integrated Marketing System: Web & Direct Mail
When the recipients type their PURLs into a browser, they arrive on personalized web pages
(landing pages or VIP pages) populated with copy, images, and offers also based on customer
data. These are frequently termed microsites. PURL web pages can be as simple or advanced
as the needs of a marketing program dictate. And from there, the measurement and reporting
of results begins.
Once the individual has linked into the personalized URL, creative marketers want to gather
additional data about the prospect. The offer strategy should be designed to entice the
respondent to complete a brief survey or provide data relative to interests and needs. The
objective is to ensure a high level of interaction with the prospect.
By tying print, web, and e-mail together in an
integrated campaign, marketers can collect more customer data for more successful, and cost-effective,
follow-ups.
Systems available in the market today include built-in tracking to enable continuous
monitoring of the campaign's progress as customers enter their personalized pages and
provide additional relevant information. Campaign response rates, visitor response patterns,
and detailed lead information can be available 24x7 as the campaign unfolds. Because
systems are template driven, adjustments to messaging and offers can be done in a matter of
hours versus days. This allows marketers to make changes in the campaign in near-real-time
based on results they are seeing. Tools sets also have the ability to generate powerful reports
so the marketing executive can share the impact of critical marketing programs with the
entire management team.
This kind of response tracking service can turn a print provider into a marketing partner who
can accurately pinpoint the effectiveness of a campaign and understand how to best target
campaign resources and improve returns on the marketing investment.
Based on the responses to survey questions, systems are designed to proactively forward
leads to sales staff. Systems can route leads to the appropriate representatives via multiple
communications platforms, including CRM (such as SalesForce.com), email, cell phone and
pager.
The Value Proposition
By targeting customers with a highly relevant and personalized message, and integrating that
message across media channels, companies are finding they can capture the attention of
customers and generate impressive results. Communication in a cross media environment is
becoming a force multiplier in driving the customer relationship.
Communication in a cross media environment is
becoming a force multiplier in driving the customer
relationship.
The primary value proposition for marketers is that customers respond to relevant messages
and their level of response increases as messages are integrated across media channels.
However, tools today have additional value for the marketing executive including the ability to
- Create Brand Consistency. While demands on marketing teams increase, centralized
marketing resources within companies are decreasing. Integrated campaign
management tools help ensure brand consistency by allowing marketing teams to
manage and control marketing assets centrally, yet offering others throughout the
company the ability to access those assets in order to execute easily.
- More Easily Establish an Integrated Approach. Integration of data as well as
integration in marketing strategy is important in keeping a 360-degree view of the
customer as well as building synergies across marketing tactics. Marketers want to
communicate a cohesive message across multiple channels.
- Deliver Personalized Communication. Collecting customer data is fairly easy. Using
customer data in order to deliver highly relevant and personalized communication is
more challenging. Integrated marketing campaign tools can help marketers execute
highly personalized communications based on customer needs and attributes at an
individual level.
- Leverage Interactive Technology. Interactive mediums provide marketers the ability
to create efficiencies as well as two-way communication channels not possible with
traditional media. Integrated marketing campaign tools help maximize those efficiencies by managing e-mail marketing, websites, electronic surveys, and landing pages.
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