Integrated Marketing: How to Integrate Marketing Content and Achieve Out-sized Results

Integrated Marketing

The Magic of Integrated Marketing

The magic behind integrated marketing is that it yields amazing results. When your content marketing works in harmony, you'll see the multiplier effect at work.

You’ll experience the power of integration that come from synergies you wouldn't have imagined possible. Your click-throughs, leads, and sales will increase manifold.

So how do you get the most out of your marketing content?

Four Easy Steps of Steps of Integrated Marketing

To optimize the value of your content, you can integrate your content in four easy steps. (See Figure 1.)

Step #1: You can integrate your marketing content many ways. Start with the content’s purpose. Is the purpose to kick-off a lead generation campaign, a trade show, or a new product or service?

Step #2: Break down content into digital and print. Consider content type. That’s the second consideration.  In deciding which content type to link it to the purpose. (See Table 1.)

For example, let’s say you want to increase lead generation. With that as your purpose, you the map out the optimal way to generate leads. Ask yourself, which types of content are most suitable? 

   Figure 1: 4 Easy Steps to Achieve Integrated Marketing

Four Easy Steps to Integrate Your Marketing Content

Step#3: Tie your selected content types together in a cohesive way. You want to achieve consistency in your messaging. Don’t say one thing with a white paper and another on your website. You want to supplement and reinforce your message.

Step#4: you want to review your content plan to ensure everything you've done reflects your brand. What did you say? How did you say it?

  Table 1: Types of Digital and Print Content Marketing 

Content Types

Before moving on, I want to make a few observations of the table above.

First, this list is not exhaustive but covers the main types of content most marketers use.

Second, digital content types outnumber print content types. That simply indicates the trend towards digital. However, it shouldn't minimize the importance of print content.

Third, slightly more than half of all digital content can be employed in print form. A few examples include articles, case studies, press release and white papers. This simplifies your job because messaging and branding should not change. Their content is merely duplicated.

Fourth, you should pay careful attention to those circled digital content types to ensure consistency. Messaging and branding should mirror what’s represented in your other content types.

Integrated Marketing Deep Dive for Lead Integration

Step #1:  To generate leads you’ll want to consider what works. 

• Digital: (1) Articles; (2) Blog posts; (3) Case studies; and (4) Presentations
• Print: (1) Articles; (2) Direct mail; (3) Case studies; and (4) Presentations

Step #2: Determine what’s already integrated and what’s not. You’ll find the following content already integrated: articles, case studies, and presentations.  That leaves blog posts, and direct mail.

Step #3: Before publishing your blog post and direct mail, you’ll want to ensure the theme for both content types are clear and consistent. That is, messaging is the same.

Step #4: The same goes for branding where you address what you say and how you say it. This is actually quite simple. It’s not rocket science.

This example is purely for illustration purposes. You can choose whichever content types you consider most effective. Your focus should be on the process. Identify the purpose. Decide which content types are appropriate. Then align messaging and branding among your content and across platforms.

Integrated Marketing’s Synergies

Above I mentioned the magic of integration. Now we’ll peel back the onion to see just how this “magic” works.

It starts with identifying the most effective content types – digital and print.  For the lead integration example, four types of content were selected. That comes to 8 different types of content.

But more important is that in selecting online and offline formats, you’re widening your reach. 

You’re reaching an audience that may prefer offline material. And they’re likely an older audience.

Meanwhile, your online audience is probably younger. By publishing content for both digital and print, you expand your demographic reach.

Integrating Offline Content. Next, let’s see what happens when you integrate within the print format. Again, we have articles, direct mail, case studies, and presentations. By integrating within print, you supplement and reinforce information. For example, you can publish a general or detailed article.

Next, you may send a direct mail letter to a list that does a deep dive on one facet of your business. You can later follow-up with leads who contacted you from the direct mailing with related case studies.

Finally, you can offer a prospect a presentation that focuses on closing the sale. 

You integrate with the print format by focusing on purpose, consistency, relevance and expected follow-on action.

But you’re not done yet.

Integrating Online Content. You also need to look for opportunities where you can integrate within online content. Our four forms used in the example are:  Articles; Direct mail; Case studies; and Presentations.

Recall, you need not do anything thing with articles, case studies, and presentations. These should be identical in terms of content. Maybe some formatting changes may be necessary, if any.

That leaves you with blog posts.

Here you can write one post or a series of blog posts that help generate leads. You’ll not only ensure theme and brand are consistent.

For this example, integration of content is relatively easy. However, you’ll also want to reference your other forms of content where it’s relevant to do so.

Integrating Between Offline and Online Content. This represents a third point of integration. It is where you’ll see the real benefits of integration. The combination of offline and online content yields results greater than the results from either digital or print, individually.

Here’s how you can integrate digital and print.

You can provide a link to an online article on the same topic. Additionally, you can link to a SlideShare presentation on your website. Lastly, you can also provide a link to the relevant case study.

Now you’re supplementing and reinforcing your message. Content working jointly together strengthens your process. Importantly, it improves the chances of generating a qualified lead.

In conclusion, you’re widening your demographic reach and expanding exposure to larger more diverse audience. And by publishing complementary content, you’re giving prospects more reasons to contact you. Increased contacts increases your chances of generating a qualified lead.

And don’t forget you’re also building your brand, keeping your business “top of mind”.

You can achieve successful integrated marketing by following my simple 4-step process. It’s a powerful and proven method that provides out-sized results.

Here’s an appropriate quote I’d like to leave with you:

“In today’s fragmented media world, effective marketing cannot be achieved                                      unless it is integrated.” Andrew Molle, Marketing Director, Specsavers

Do you have any challenges in integrating your marketing content? Do you help it getting started? 

Try my 4-step process, and let me know what you think.

Have a great week!

Alex Milo

B2B Copywriter and Consultant

“Helping Transportation and Logistics Companies Generate Leads with Compelling Content”

Phone: 256-886-4684
Email: amilo@b2bcopywriting-alexmilo.com

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