What is integrated marketing? Wikipedia defines it as the customer centric, data driven method of communicating with the customers. Integrated marketing is the coordination and integration of all marketing communication tools, avenues, functions and sources within a company into a seamless program that maximizes the impact on consumers and other end users at a minimal cost.
While that definition says what it is, it doesn’t say why we do it.
From Neolane: Todays marketer has the challenge (or opportunity) of reaching their customers through what can seem like an infinite number of marketing channels. Marketers need to put the customer in the driver’s seat, allowing them to choose how and when they wish to receive relevant information and/or make purchases. It is the marketer’s responsibility to leverage all this available data about customers and prospects to communicate with them through these preferred channels in a manner that’s both consistent and highly personalized.
The reason we do it? Results. The fact is that working within a silo impacts the cost of that single strategy and doesn’t fully reap the benefits. By integrating strategies across search, social, email, mobile, video, and other mediums, the investment has an opportunity for compounded results. Consumers and businesses don’t buy in a single silo… they utilize all the tools necessary to research their next purchase decision. If your business isn’t proactively integrating your strategies, the opportunity to engage with a prospect is significantly reduced.
