Digital Marketing Must Be Integrated. Companies have no choice if they want to stay competitive.
If we are prepared to acknowledge that virtually all marketing is now digital marketing, we must also understand that, to function properly, digital marketing must be integrated. Marketing silos must be torn down; communications processes must be re-worked; long-held paradigms must be shattered; marketing orthodoxy must evolve. To respond to the greater sophistication and expectations of the hyper-connected consumer, to meet the formidable challenges of the digital marketplace, organizations need Integrated Digital Marketing.
Integrated Digital Marketing is a comprehensive marketing strategy that merges multiple digital channels, platforms, and media to help organizations achieve their goals by providing value for and building sustainable relationships with their target audience.
Characteristics of IDM
• Integrates principles (core values) into all marketing decisions.
• Integrates the customer experience (CX) across all stages of Digital Involvement Cycle.
• Integrates a consistent brand message across all channels.
• Integrates silos; end goals are unified and not conflicted. By integrating all marketing and communications efforts into one overarching strategy (incorporating content, social media, mobile, search (paid and organic), email, sales, advertising, etc.), not only does every department have a better understanding of what other departments are doing, but end goals are unified and not conflicted.
• Integrates various digital channels, platforms, and media to optimize and augment each other.
In its essence, the idea behind Integrated Digital Marketing is simple: by establishing a seamless online presence over web, social, and mobile, your organization can more efficiently convey and promote its brand message, attracting and converting new prospects and staying connected with existing customers, all the while measuring results to refine your efforts.
Today’s digitally enabled consumers expect highly personalized and relevant online experiences. They’re looking for content that informs, entertains, or otherwise adds value to their daily lives. To stay competitive, your organization must form meaningful connections with the people who matter most: those who find value in your brand.
You can do this by producing original content that is exceptional, personalized, and relevant, optimizing for any platform or device on which it could potentially be viewed or consumed. You must then engage with your audience in real time over multiple channels. Finally, relying on user feedback and data analytics, you need to constantly tweak your brand’s message to fit the ever-changing demands of each segment of your target audience.
Is digital marketing integrated in your organization? Let me know!