No perfect integration of traditional and non-traditional marketing?

Today, people are talking about the world being engulfed by the digital forum – all communications are part of the digital era. All shouts of communication seem to be of the “digital” kind and the favorite phrase in everyone’s vocabulary is ‘digital marketing’.

Why then do we still see print media in the market? Why is there a display of ads on dailies, periodicals, outdoor billboards and TV channels? This is questionable, but the answer is complex yet simple.

For marketers today, understanding the integration of both traditional and non-traditional methods is the bull’s-eye.

Many businesses and institutions have learned it the hard way: what works for traditional print marketing does not work as well on the web or on social media sites or in the television arena – and vice versa.

Although there is no perfect formula for creating a successful integrated marketing campaign, there are steps that can be taken to maximize viewership:

1. It is important to identify the target precisely, both demographically and psychographically. This will help you develop the key message and identify the best communication channels for the reach. For example: Who is the target audience? What motivates them? How can we best communicate with them? Which newspaper or magazine do they read or subscribe to? Which television channel do they regularly tune in to? Which sites do they visit regularly? If they are using social media, what are the other ways to reach them? This needs to be cross-examined even before you get started with the marketing strategy.
2. Once the research is covered, you may pick the channel(s). Remember that everyone need not be spending time on Facebook or reading a magazine or watching TV. You need to find the channel based on what the strengths and weaknesses are and how it will help reach the business objectives. You need to be firm and reject channels that prove doubtful. It is always better to focus on the more effective channels than trying to be everywhere at all times.
3. Maintaining the visual identity is necessary for communication to have an impact. The visual identity is far more than just the logo: it entails having a common overarching design and graphics, as well as having a consistent logo with common colors and fonts. Everything should look as though it came from the same company. A person reading a newspaper or watching an ad on TV should see an immediate visual connection when visiting the website or the company’s Facebook page.
4. Creating clear, consistent content that can easily be adapted or repurposed to suit different media or channels is vital as it can take more than five impressions for an individual to recognize a brand or specific marketing message. The key is to follow the three Cs for marketing messages: clear, compelling and consistent messages throughout all platforms. In addition, every piece of content you develop should be usable in as many places as possible. For example, you should be able to take a case study and use it in your blog post or as an excerpt on LinkedIn or Twitter.
5. Ensuring each element of your marketing campaign is set up to drive traffic to your ultimate target, whether your target is a website or a social media platform. This is a top priority in integrated communication.
6. Make sure your marketing teams and the agencies work in a coordinated manner. The connection should be more of a bond then a business relationship, with the same outlook of success in their minds. It is important to monitor and coordinate efforts within the organization as well as with agencies, to ensure your branding has a consistent look and feel across all platforms.
7. The most important aspect of any campaign is putting the proper analytics and methods in place to understand and summarize how you are achieving conversions and/or results. For example, for those looking to use digital to drive in-store sales with coupons, one option is to use a tracking platform that generates unique barcodes with every coupon printed and then allows you to receive data back from retailers, along with coupon-clearing houses to identify which corresponding campaign segments are performing best from an ROI standpoint.