Every organization has communication needs. Communication with your audience is an effective way to present the company, to be understood, to have a good reputation, to build your image, and to create the best conditions for your development and profit.

Different communication channels provide contact with your target group in different ways. Each of them has its merits and serves different purposes. Together, however, they amplify their impact. The integration of communications allows the realization of many business goals and the starting point is the customer.

If you want to embrace your current and future customers in a consistent, fully integrated communications network that methodically pushes them to purchase your products or services, turn your attention to integrated marketing communications.

What is IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications)?

Integrated marketing communications is an approach to brand promotion through multiple activities that work together and reinforce each other. For example, a company can promote a new logo, product, or overall campaign through multiple channels – print media, television, web, and social networks.

The idea of ​​this marketing concept is that the content that is submitted to each of them is different and consistent with the requirements of the specific channel, but all direct users to the same point, namely – the product or service.

Thus, there are countless ways to run this type of campaign very creatively by developing strong and intriguing advertising messages that engage the audience, effectively highlight the qualities of the product/service, and differentiate them from the competition.

Creating an effective marketing communication mix through a well-prepared strategy not only helps the business reach its customers but also helps it adapt to the ever-changing marketing environment. This is an area that changes every day – new tools and advertising channels appear, their specifications are updated and the expectations of the audience are constantly rising.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract the attention of consumers and it is extremely important for the business to be “up to date” with all the new marketing opportunities in order to adequately respond to the challenge of intriguing its customers in an increasingly competitive environment.

Today, consumers are literally flooded with information and it is increasingly difficult to get involved. According to the latest research, they do not keep their attention on something that did not intrigue them in the first 3 seconds!

They use many devices – while working on their computer, looking at their phone from time to time, chatting on social networks and all the time the TV in the room works. Marketing tools today allow us to be present with content in all these channels, without becoming annoying and repeating the same thing, but to tailor our approach to each of them so that they all ultimately lead to the same message.

In the field of digital marketing, it is possible to adapt our activities to the actions of consumers – you still see ads for those shoes that you liked a month ago, but have not yet bought, right?

Integrated marketing communications help businesses also build long-term customer relationships. Most often, many agencies, internal departments, and individual subcontractors or freelancers work for the marketing of a business, who are hired on specific projects, which sometimes leads users to different messages and the result is the inconsistency of advertising messages and confusion in the consumer’s mind.

Because different communication channels are managed by different departments, it is often the case that the marketing mix is ​​out of sync. Here comes to the aid of the concept of integrated marketing communications, which unites the various channels and provides a unified and convincing message to the target audience.

Different types of Marketing in IMC

Advertising

Advertising is the most widespread and arguably the most effective type of marketing. The major downside with advertising is the cost which is often too high for smaller businesses to handle. Advertising includes all forms of advertisement – social media, television and radio, and the older methods including billboards and brochures.

It comes at a price but is the fastest and most effective way to spread the word about your business and services and reach a higher number of potential customers.

Direct Marketing

Direct marketing, as the name suggests, includes advertising directly to your target group via different channels like email, phone, text, etc. It is both the oldest form of marketing and arguably the most effective method since your employee/salespersons communicate directly to the end-user.

Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is one of the cheapest and simplest forms of marketing since it includes communication via text messages only.

Personal Selling

There is no better way to convince a potential buyer/customer to purchase than face to face interaction which is what personal selling means. Not all businesses have the capacity to include this type of marketing into their IMC but all should consider it since it is truly effective.

Public Relations

Through public relations, companies and businesses establish a long-term relationship with their customers by receiving necessary feedback and communicating. It is used to build a better name for the brand on the market and make its name important.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media allows us to reach a larger group of people at the lowest possible price. Any business should take advantage of the possibilities that social media offers in order to target as many people that have shown interest in similar products or services and grow in a cost-effective way.

Sponsorship

There is hardly any better way to build brand loyalty than sponsorships. It is a great method to raise awareness of your brand by utilizing public relations and different methods of promotion.

Sales Promotion

Businesses utilize sales promotion in order to raise awareness of their services or products and give more reasons to potential customers to purchase. It includes all types of sale initiatives, free coupons, samples, and all other similar promotions. 

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