By Roshan pant

MBM 2nd semester

Nepal Commerce Campus

5.4 Marketing Communication Decision

Promotion is the method you use to spread the word about your product or service to customers,

stakeholders and the broader public. As a key marketing element, promotion comprises

communications tactics used to educate consumers, increase demand, and differentiate brands.

Promotion is one of the primary elements used in the marketing mix. Thus, promotional efforts

should work in harmony with product marketing, pricing, and distribution actions that target

prospects and customers. When assembling a promotional plan, marketers typically employ one

or more of the following five promotional subcategories: personal selling, advertising, sales

promotion, direct marketing, and publicity (or public relations).

Promotion refers to raising customer awareness of a product or brand, generating sales, and

creating brand loyalty. It is one of the four basic elements of the market mix, which includes the

four P's: price, product, promotion, and place.

Promotion is also defined as one of five pieces in the promotional mix or promotional plan.

These are personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and publicity.A

promotional mix specifies how much attention to pay to each of the five factors, and how much

money to budget.

These communication tools serve as tactics within the promotional plan to accomplish objectives

such as:

Increasing sales through brand awareness

Launching new products

Creating and building brand equity

Establishing market positioning

Retaliating against competition

Strengthening brand image

As organizations implement their promotional plan, they also seek to educate consumers,

increase consumer demand, and differentiate their products and services in the marketplace

o A promotional plan identifies where, when, and how advertising, personal selling,

PR, sales promotion, and direct marketing tactics will be used to support sales and

branding objectives.

o Promotional tools are used to increase sales, build brand value and recognition,

strengthen market positioning, and launch new products.

o Online banner advertisements, store rebates, contests, events, and media

placement are all examples of communications tactics used in the promotional

mix.

Strategic Role of Promotion in Marketing

Owners of small and medium-sized businesses need to be keenly aware of the importance of

promotional and marketing strategies. Promotional and marketing strategies help your organization

utilize the skills of your employees and stakeholders and can help you develop creative approaches to

sales and customer service. The role of promotion in marketing are:

The Marketing Plan

Promotional and marketing strategies are often first brainstormed and written as part of an

organization's marketing plan. If your small business doesn't have a marketing plan, you should

seriously consider developing one. Most marketing plans include the current or expected

strategies you have for your products, the price points of those products, how you intend to

distribute the products, and your advertising and marketing tools. A marketing plan is also

important for developing a promotional strategy as it helps your business identify its target

markets and to set measurable goals. It is vital to the success of the organization that you

implement a marketing plan that aims for growth and positive change in the bottom line.

Understanding Your Clients

Promotional and marketing strategies can also assist your business in understanding and

connecting with clients and customers. If your marketing plan is loosely structured, you might

not have much success at targeting products to the "right" demographics. Having a solid and

well-thought-out marketing plan can help you identify gaps in the marketplace and provide

feasible solutions for your clients. If you operate an ice cream business in a neighborhood where

no other ice cream shops exist, it might be easier to attract clients than in a town where there are

other ice cream options. In this case, understanding that your clients want sprinkles and waffle

cones might help you sell more ice cream and keep your customers coming back for more.

Developing Financial Goals

Promotional and marketing strategies are also important for guiding your business into the

development of financial goals. Financial goals are two-fold: They are related to your sales

targets and also to your expenses budget. Sales targets are initially set as part of the marketing

plan but might change over time according to changing market conditions, increases in product

price, or increases or decreases in consumer demand. Monitoring expenses is also part of

financial goal development. If your business tends to spend more than it brings in, you'll have a

serious problem maintaining long-term business viability. However, if the business is able to

closely monitor its outflows, only spending what it absolutely needs to, you'll be better equipped

to increase the profit margins.

Strategic Planning

Another important aspect of promotional and marketing strategies involves strategic planning.

Strategic planning is a concept that encompasses marketing, promotion, sales, and financial goals

and is essentially about developing goals for your business. Having a strategic plan for your

business means having plans in place to deal with both expected and unexpected situations. If

you know that your mortgage will balloon by 5 percent next year, a strategic plan will outline

how you'll increase sales or decrease expenses to meet this additional outflow. A strategic plan

might also include solutions to "what-if" scenarios. This means having a plan B for months when

profits are down or expenses are unusually high. Sales and promotional strategies are important

here because they allow you to ramp up marketing and to increase the bottom line without

sacrificing efficiencies or service.

Increase Brand Awareness

Promotions such as television, radio and magazine advertising increase brand awareness. More

people tend to learn about a particular company or its brands if they frequently see or hear about

them. New companies particularly have to advertise to apprise consumers who they are and what

they offer. This is true with local or even national companies, as brand awareness can be

measured by market, regionally or nationally. It can take many months or even years for

companies to build brand awareness levels that match established competitors.

Provide Information

Small companies also use promotions to provide information, notes KnowThis, a popular online

business reference site. Marketers may run press releases to apprise consumers that their

products can help certain ailments. A small consumer products manufacturer may use displays

and pamphlets to describe the benefits of a new health food. High-tech manufacturers often use

in-store videos and demonstrations to show people how to use their products. Promotions can

inform people during all stages of the buying process, including their initial search. Small

business owners also use promotions to inform consumers about price, product features and

outlets that sell their products.

Increase Customer Traffic

Grocery stores, beauty salons and movie theaters use promotions such as frequency programs to

increase customer traffic. A frequency program promotion is designed to reward people the more

they visit and spend with a retailer. Most retailers start their frequency programs by having

customers fill out an application. They then issue cards for customers to use each time they make

a purchase; the cards contain magnetic strips that track purchases through registers and

computers. Frequency card promotions are designed primarily to attract traffic among current

customers. New customers also may be attracted to the promotion if they hear about it.

Build Sales and Profits

The primary objective in using promotions such as advertising, sales promotions and public

relations is to build sales. Promotions are designed to get people to try products and services.

Promoting high-quality products or services aims to get customers to return and spend more

money. Ultimately, companies use promotions to build a loyal customer base, which leads to

greater sales and profits.

Promotion Mix Strategies

Push and Pull Strategies

Push and pull strategies are promotional strategies used to get the product to its target market.

Push Strategy

A push strategy places the product in front of the customer, via a form of advertisement, to make

sure the consumer is aware of the existence of the product. This type of strategy works well for

low value items and impulse buy items . The different ways a company can use a push strategy

to increase awareness of a product include:

Push-Pull Strategy

Push-Pull Strategy

At trade shows and showrooms, businesses can demonstrate the product's features to

potential customers.

Companies can encourage retailers to stock a product. Sometimes a company has to

negotiate with a retailer to stock a specific item because retailers have limited store space

and need to stock items they know will sell.

Companies can create a supply chain so that retailers can obtain the product in sufficient

quantities.

Push strategies work best for merchants that already have an established relationship with users.

For example, cell phone providers proactively send (i.e. push) advertisements via text or MMS

messages to mobile customers regarding promotions and upgrades. This permission-based

marketing can be effective if personalized for the user based on personalized preferences, usage

and buying behavior. However, push strategies are also effective for building demand for high-

priced services (e.g., enterprise software) that are targeted to specific markets.

Pull Strategy

A pull strategy stimulates demand and motivates customers to actively seek out a specific

product. It is aimed primarily at the end users. A strong and visible brand is needed to ensure the

success of a pull strategy. The different ways a company can use a pull strategy to promote a

brand include:

Advertising strategies that include mass media promotion of a product

Customer relationship management that makes existing customers aware of new products

that will fill a specific need

Referrals

Sales promotions and discounts

Using these strategies will create a demand for the product. With that demand, retailers will be

encouraged to seek out the product and stock it on their shelves. For instance, Apple successfully

uses pull strategies to launch iPhones or iPads. Likewise, music has also fallen under pull

strategies due to digitization and the emergence of social networking websites. Music platforms

such as iTunes, Grooveshark and Spotify are reflective of the power shift from providers to

consumers. Merchants must adapt their strategies to pull in demand, rather than push products--

in this case, music--to consumers.

Most businesses will use a combination of push and pull strategies in order to successfully

market a product.

Other Strategies include: Types of

Promotion Explanation

Advertising Any non personal paid form of communication using any form of mass media.

Public

Relations

Involves developing positive relationships with the organisation media public. The

art of good public relations is not only to obtain favorable publicity within the

media, but it is also involves being able to handle successfully negative attention.

Sales

Promotion

Commonly used to obtain an increase in sales short term. Could involve using

money off coupons or special offers.

Personal

Selling Selling a product service one to one

Direct Mail

Is the sending of publicity material to a named person within an organization. Direct

mail allows an organisation to use their resources more effectively by allowing

them to send publicity material to a named person within their target segment. By

personalising advertising, response rates increase thus increasing the chance of

improving sales. Listed below are links to organisation who's business involves

direct mail.

Internet

Marketing

Promoting and selling your services online using various forms of online marketing

techniques such as banner advertisments, videos or social media.

Sponsorship Where you pay an organisation to use your brand or logo. This organisation usually

has a high profile so that you know that your brand will be seen by a large audience.

Most common use of sponsorship is with sporting events. The 2012 Olympics being

held in London is being sponsored by a number of organisations such as Mcdonalds

and Coca-Cola as the event will attract a world wide audience that will run into

hundreds of millions.

Promotion Through the Product Life Cycle

As products move through the four stages of the product lifecycle different promotional

strategies should be employed at these stages to ensure the healthy success and life of the

product. Stages and promotion strategies employed are as follows:

Introduction

When a product is new the organisation's objective will be to inform the target audience of its

entry. Television, radio, magazine, coupons etc may be used to push the product through the

introduction stage of the lifecycle. Push and Pull Strategies will be used at this crucial stage.

Growth

As the product becomes accepted by the target market (at this stage of the lifecycle) the

organisation will employ strategy to increase brand awareness and customer loyalty.

Maturity

At this stage of the lifecycle the product will be experiencing increased competition and will

need persuasive tactics to encourage consumers to choose their product over their rivals. Any

differential advantage/benefit will be need to be clearly communicated to the target audience.

Decline

As the product reaches the decline stage of its life cycle, all the organisation can do is use

strategy to remind consumers about the product in a bid to slow the inevitable.

Internet Promotion

The development of the world wide web has changed the business environment forever. Dot com

fever has taken the industry and stock markets by storm. The e-commerce revolution promises to

deliver a more efficient way of conducting business. Shoppers can now purchase from the

comfort of their home 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Owning a website is a now a crucial ingredient to the marketing mix strategy of an organisation.

Consumers can obtain instant information on products or services to aid them in their crucial

purchase decision. Sony Japan took pre-orders of their popular Playstaion 2 console over the

net, which topped 1 million after a few days, European football stars are issue press releases

through the internet and have websites registered under their names. Hit rates are phenomenal.

Advertisers have now moved their money over to the internet as customers are on average

spending more time online then watching TV. Popular ways to advertise seem to be with banner

adverts and pop ups.

Important Considerations in Promotional Decisions

Whenever a company sets out to design its promotional mix, it needs to consider the following

points:

1. Stage in the Product Lifecycle – During the beginning of the lifecycle, there may need

to be more aggressive and informational advertising, while a slowdown in promotions

may be seen during the later stages.

2. Nature of the Product – If a product is not new in its usage or function, there may be

less need for information and more focus on brand equity creation as well as on

emotional aspects of the product.

3. The Allocated and Available Budge – A certain total budget is set for promotional

activities and these then need to be designed and executed within these constraints.

4. Cultural Sensitivity – If a product is to be launched in a new international market or

translated across markets, it becomes imperative to take into consideration local

affiliations and sensitivities. These include both cultural and religious considerations.

Often, these issues may even present themselves within one country.

5. Target Market Composition – The people who make up the target market need to be

considered before committing to a promotional mix. If a market is not tech savvy, then

more traditional means may need to be employed. Conversely, an internet generation

used to instant gratification may need to be provided more focused and targeted

messages.

6. Competitor Actions – The methods a competitor uses need to be taken into account as

well. There may not be a need to spend money on a radical advertising method if a

customer is using rudimentary methods for example.

7. Budget Available. For many companies, the budget available to market a product

determines what elements of the promotion mix are utilized. The budget affects a

promotion’s reach (number of people exposed to the message) and frequency (how often

people are exposed). For example, many smaller companies may lack the money to create

and run commercials on top-rated television shows or during the Super Bowl. As a result,

they may not get the exposure they need to be successful. Other firms such as

McDonald’s may come up with creative ways to reach different target markets. For

example, McDonald’s targeted college students with a special promotion that it filmed

live in a Boston University lecture.

8. Stage in the product life cycle. The stage in the product life cycle also affects the type and

amount of promotion used. Products in the introductory stages typically need a lot more

promotional dollars to create awareness in the marketplace. Consumers and businesses

won’t buy a product if they do not know about it. More communication is needed in the

beginning of the product life cycle to build awareness and trial.

9. Type of product and type of purchase decision. Different products also require different

types of promotion. Very technical products and very expensive products (high

involvement) often need professional selling so the customer understands how the

product operates and its different features. By contrast, advertising is often relied upon to

sell convenience goods and products purchased routinely (low involvement) since

customers are familiar with the products and they spend relatively little time making

purchase decisions.

10. Target market characteristics and consumers’ readiness to purchase. In order to select

the best methods to reach different target markets, organizations need to know what types

of media different targets use, how often they make purchases, where they make

purchases, and what their readiness to purchase is as well as characteristics such as age,

gender, and lifestyle. Some people are early adopters and want to try new things as soon

as they are available, and other groups wait until products have been on the market for a

while. Some consumers might not have the money to purchase different products,

although they will need the product later. For example, are most college freshmen ready

to purchase new cars?

11. Consumers’ preferences for various media. We’ve already explained that different types

of consumers prefer different types of media. In terms of target markets, college-aged

students may prefer online, cell phone, mobile marketing, and social media more than

older consumers do. Media preferences have been researched extensively by academics,

marketing research companies, and companies to find out how consumers want to be

reached.

12. Regulations, competitors, and environmental factors. Regulations can affect the type of

promotion used. For example, laws in the United States prohibit tobacco products from

being advertised on television. In some Asian countries, controversial products such as

alcohol cannot be advertised during Golden (prime) time on television. The hope is that

by advertising late at night, young children do not see the advertisements. The strength of

the economy can have an impact as well. In a weak economy, some organizations use

more sales promotions such as coupons to get consumers into their stores. The risk is that

consumers may begin to expect coupons and not want to buy items without a special

promotion.

13. Availability of media. Organizations must also plan their promotions based on availability

of media. The top-rated television shows and Super Bowl ad slots, for example, often sell

out quickly. Magazines tend to have a longer lead time, so companies must plan far in

advance for some magazines. By contrast, because of the number of radio stations and the

nature of the medium, organizations can often place radio commercials the same day they

want them to be aired. Social media and online media may be immediate, but users must

be careful about what they post and their privacy. Uncontrollable events can affect a

company’s promotions, too. For example, when a disaster occurs, TV stations often cut

advertisements to make way for continuous news coverage. If there is a crisis or disaster

and your company is in the middle of a promotion being advertised on TV, you will

likely have to scramble to reach consumers via another medium.

14.

TYPES OF PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES

A company may use different strategies to promote its products. These can be broadly

categorized as push and pull strategies. Both strategies differ in how the customer is approached.

© Entrepreneurial Insights

Push Strategies

As the name indicates, this is when the product is taken to the customer by the company. This is

mostly used when the product is an impulse purchase or if the company has an established

relationship with the customer base. Companies may sell directly from their showrooms or at

tradeshows etc. Essentially, there is less need to create an advertising buzz and more to make the

product readily available at retail outlets and showrooms. Push marketing may focus primarily

on short term sales.

Pull Strategies

In the opposite approach, there is an attempt to pull customers towards the brand or product.

Through mass media campaigns to sales promotions and personal references, a company

attempts to create brand loyalty and attractiveness. Pull strategies may attempt to focus primarily

on long term brand loyalty then high sales in the short term. A lot of media hype and mass

campaigns are required to create sufficient interest and encourage customers to seek out the

product on their own.

Most companies will use a mix of these two strategies at different points in time.

Selecting the Marketing Communication Mix(kun bela kun

mix better hunxa)

Communicating your company’s brand positioning and delivering it to the target audience is the

foundation of the organization’s marketing strategy. Designing the right marketing mix involves the four

P’s i.e. Product, Price, Place and Promotion. If you are in the field of marketing communications, then

you must coordinate your efforts towards the last P of the marketing mix – Promotion. You need to

develop strong sales and advertising messages that will connect with your customers instantly and

effectively highlight your product’s quality and differentiation from other brands. Remember, while

creating your promotional mix, you should ensure that you can deliver your promises and are able to

create a believable position in the market. Company reputation is built over years but it just takes

seconds to lose it because of unethical promotions or inability to deliver to your customers. Therefore,

promotions are as important as your product or service quality, pricing and other offerings. Creating an

effective marketing communication mix through a well-researched strategy will not only help your reach

out to your customers but also help you adapt to the ever-changing marketing environment.

What is Marketing Communication Mix?

An organization’s promotional mix consisting of various promotion tools like advertising, sales

promotion, public relations, personal selling, direct-marketing tools and online, digital and

integrated marketing methods is called the Marketing Communications Mix. It is the way to

communicate your brand value to the consumer and build long-lasting customer relationships. If

you are a marketing professional, a business owner or an entrepreneur, then this course on

Marketing Fundamentals can help you get started in one day. We will look at these promotion

tools one by one and understand the various benefits that each has to offer. We will also visit the

need for an integrated marketing communications and identify the communication objectives that

companies must focus on

Different Factors of Marketing Communications Mix

1. Identifying target audience – If you don’t know who your audience is, you can’t decide

on what to communicate, how to communicate, when, where and who will communicate

the company’s message. Therefore, the first step to building a marketing communication

mix is to identify your target audience.

2. Determine Communication Objectives – Companies must find out at what stage of

buyer-readiness their consumers are presently in. The six stages that consumers normally

go through before buying a product are – awareness, knowledge, liking, preference,

conviction and purchase. For more insights on creating the right marketing

communications mix, skip right ahead to this course on effectively managing your digital

Marketing Campaign. You must design your communication mix so as to address all

these aspects as well as the organization’s objectives in delivering the message and

moving the target audience towards a favorable stage.

3. Delivering the Message – Your promotional messages must not only be catchy and hold

the consumers’ attention but also compel them to like your product and make a purchase.

Putting the message content together and choosing the appropriate communication media

either through personal or non-personal channels is an important part of delivering the

right message at the right time.

4. Setting up Promotional Budget – While there are innumerable ways to attract the

customers, you need find out how much you can spend on promotions. Budgeting based

on the target consumers and industry requirements is key to achieving promotional

success.

5. Creating a Promotion Mix – Different companies have different marketing strategies

wherein they use several promotional tools like advertising, direct marketing, personal

selling or online marketing etc. Each tool has its own advantage and costs involved;

therefore it is important for you to choose the right marketing communications mix also

called as promotion mix.

Elements of Marketing Communications

Advertising

This is widely used by companies to reach out to geographically distributed consumers in a large

scale. It could be through TV ads, paper and print ads, billboards, radio announcements etc. to

reach out to a mass audience. While such a promotional tool is quick and seen as legitimate by

the consumers, it is very expensive and also happens to be a one-way communication with your

potential customer.

Personal Selling

This is very effective in building customer relations and helping the consumer move from

awareness and knowledge stage to conviction and action. Your marketing personnel need to use

their people skills and learn to listen to the audience so that the consumer’s requirements are

addressed. You get immediate feedback and increase sales potential.

Sales Promotion

Through discount coupons, contests, daily deals and other offers, you can promote your product

sales and create short-term marketing effects.

Public Relations

You can use company news, promotional events, sponsorship programs etc. along with other

promotion tools to reach out to prospective customers. Such a campaign is very cost-effective

and economical while reaching out to a larger audience.

Direct Marketing

This is a highly personalized communication tool that is addressed to a specific person through

emails, telephone or mobile messages, online media etc. It also allows for customer interaction

and is mostly used as a targeted marketing approach.

Online Marketing

Internet and powerful mobile technologies have rapidly increased company efforts to market

their products and build customer relationships via social media, websites, mobile apps, e-

commerce, online promotions etc. Create your online presence and find out the best way to

communicate with your audience in a cost-effective, quick and reliable way. This course can

help you create a smarter, faster and better online marketing blueprint.

These are the main tools of creating an effective marketing communications mix for your

business. However, while doing so, you should be aware of the various legal and ethical issues

surrounding marketing communications. Respect customer privacy and adhere to social norms

and government regulations while you build a powerful marketing communications mix for your

organizational growth.

Strategic role of Integrated Marketing Communications

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is an approach used by organizations to brand and

coordinate their communication efforts. The American Association of Advertising Agencies

defines IMC as "a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of

communication disciplines and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency and

maximum communication impact. " The primary idea behind an IMC strategy is to create a

seamless experience for consumers across different aspects of the marketing mix. The brand's

core image and messaging are reinforced as each marketing communication channel works

together as parts of a unified whole rather than in isolation.

Benefits of Integrated Marketing Communications

With so many products and services to choose from, consumers are often overwhelmed by the

vast number of advertisements flooding both online and offline communication channels.

Marketing messages run the risk of being overlooked and ignored if they are not relevant to

consumers' needs and wants.

One of the major benefits of integrated marketing communications is that marketers can clearly

and effectively communicate their brand's story and messaging across several communication

channels to create brand awareness. IMC is also more cost-effective than mass media since

consumers are likely to interact with brands across various forums and digital interfaces. As

consumers spend more time on computers and mobile devices, marketers seek to weave together

multiple exposures to their brands using different touch points. Companies can then view the

performance of their communication tactics as a whole instead of as fragmented pieces.

The other benefit of integrated marketing communications is that it creates a competitive

advantage for companies looking to boost their sales and profits. This is especially useful for

small- or mid-sized firms with limited staff and marketing budgets. IMC immerses customers in

communications and helps them move through the various stages of the buying process. The

organization simultaneously consolidates its image, develops a dialogue, and nurtures its

relationship with customers throughout the exchange. IMC can be instrumental in creating a

seamless purchasing experience that spurs customers to become loyal, lifelong customers.

Integrated marketing communications is an approach to planning

communications that gives your small business the potential to get better

results from your campaigns and reduce marketing costs. By integrating tools

such as advertising, direct mail, social media, telemarketing and sales

promotion, you provide clarity, consistency and maximum communications

impact, according to the American Association of Advertising Agencies’

definition

Results

In the traditional approach to marketing communications, businesses and their agencies plan

separate campaigns for advertising, press relations, direct marketing and sales promotions.

Integrated campaigns use the same communication tools to reinforce each other and improve

marketing effectiveness. In an integrated campaign, you can use advertising to raise awareness of

a product and generate leads for the sales force. By communicating the same information in press

releases and feature articles, you reinforce the messages in the advertising. You can then use

direct mail or email to follow up inquiries from the advertising or press campaigns and provide

prospects with more information. To help convert those prospects to customers, you can use

telemarketing to sell directly or make appointments for the sales team.

Creative Consistency

In an integrated campaign, the different tools feature the same creative treatment. By repeating

the headlines, key phrases and images in each communication, you ensure that prospects and

customers receive consistent messages each time they see one of the elements of the campaign.

Creative consistency helps reinforce the basic campaign themes by increasing the number of

times prospects see or hear the same message.

Cost Savings

Creative consistency in your integrated campaigns can also save you money. By using the same

images and adapting the same copy for different media, you reduce copy-writing, design and

photography costs. If you work with external communications suppliers, you may be able to

reduce agency fees by working with a single firm that offers integrated communications services,

rather than separate specialist agencies.

Customer Preference

An integrated campaign helps you provide customers with information in the format they prefer.

Consumers and business customers can specify if they want to receive product information via

email, direct mail, text message or telephone. Integration ensures they receive the same

information in all communications. You can also meet the needs of customers who search the

Internet for product information by integrating your website design and content with other

communications.

Marketing Communication Strategy

Marketing communication helps to develop brand awareness, which means that consumers

translate product information into perceptions about the product’s attributes and its position

within the larger market. Businesses also use marketing communication to retain the product’s

current customer base, and to cement relationships with customers and suppliers, notes

"Reference for Business." Marketing communication strategy defines the business’s plan for

product information dissemination and brand awareness development.

Components

Design an effective marketing communication strategy with one or more marketing

communication components. Advertising allows a business to reach a large audience through

mass market or target market appeals. Personal selling enables a company to communicate

product benefits directly to the customer, as in a retail setting. Direct marketing permits a

business to reach customers without a third party medium; examples include catalogs and direct

mail. Sales promotion provides a customer with an incentive to buy the company’s product, such

as a company that makes a charitable contribution with each sale. Public relations involves a

company’s outflow of information to customers, suppliers and other groups affected by company

operations.

Strategies

Businesses employ five general marketing communication strategies. Company owners often

inspire customer trust by presenting the personal story that led to the business’s creation. A

business clearly presents its products, along with projected customer benefits. The business

illustrates why its product is superior to similar competitors’ products. A company utilizes

customer testimonials to highlight a product’s value. A business often creates customer goodwill

by developing an informational sheet on a customer-focused topic.

Benefits

A well-chosen marketing communication strategy utilizes one or more components to

disseminate the company’s outgoing message. A market-appropriate strategy increases the

company’s chances to accurately transmit the product’s benefits, and to have that message

positively received by the customer. The business likely benefits from customer goodwill when

the company story or customer testimonial strategies are used.

Considerations

A business owner must utilize a marketing communication strategy appropriate for each product.

If the company sells higher-end diamond jewelry, for example, customers may value a diamond

ring’s cut and diamond clarity over other variables. The jewelry store does not want to use a

strategy focusing on its superiority to its competitors. This comparison may cheapen the

diamond's value for the customer. The business should focus on the benefits the customer

receives by buying the ring.

Components of Integrated/ Marketing Communications Strategy

1. Client Centered

Many business owners measure success by their ability to attract new clients, but the ability to

maintain the loyalty of existing clients is even more important. Client-centered business owners

understand that “communications” is the essential keyword in integrated marketing. As

such, companies that use integrated marketing communications plan interactive strategies across

all of their marketing platforms.

2. Product Design

Since client-centered companies are always listening to consumers, they usually develop

products that people actually want to buy, with features that clients say they need. Once they

determine the requirements of their potential clients, they create the appropriate product.

3. Promotion

The second part of listening tells you where your prospective customers “hang out.” Some will

spend most of their time online, while others fall into the television addict category. Another

subset of people takes public transportation, and is constantly exposed to billboard

advertisement. An integrated marketing communications strategy would focus the

advertisements in the places where customers are most likely to seem them. The other marketing

channels would reinforce the major marketing platform.

4. Tracking

Tracking the success of your promotions, either with sophisticated metrics or analytics, or by

simply asking “where did you hear about us,” lets you determine your strongest marketing

channel. Once you know this, you can leverage your integrated marketing communications

strategies.

5. Leverage

Every marketing channel has its specific strengths and weaknesses. Savvy marketers know how

to leverage the strengths of one marketing channel, in order to offset the weaknesses of another.

For example, a start-up with a limited marketing budget might not be able to afford a full page ad

in the local paper. Instead, their integrated marketing communications plan would involve

purchasing a smaller ad that features their distinctive logo and slogan, then set up social media

pages with said logo and slogan.

6. Brand Identity

The stronger your brand identity, the easier it is to market it across a variety of channels. Geico,

with its signature gecko, illustrates this point. Even in the commercials that do not use the gecko,

the message remains the same: “Fifteen minutes can save you 15 percent on car insurance.” Nike

also does this well, with their “Just Do It” slogan.

7. Synergy

A successful integrated marketing communications strategy has an overwhelming need for

synergy. Every type of communication must sing in a single voice, which harmonizes with your

brand identity. This implies that all of your marketing tools, including advertising, event

sponsorship and social media pages must coordinate with your brand identity. Referring back to

Geico, its ads are almost always funny. Unlike other insurance companies, they do not mention

strife or calamity, because humor is essential to their brand identity.

8. Earned Media

Paid media is advertising that you pay for. This might even include social media, because you

have to pay for your Internet access. Earned media comes from being newsworthy. Newspaper

articles, television news, magazines and blog posts by others all constitute earned media. If you

do something unique with your business, or if the history of your business is particularly

interesting, you might earn media coverage. Then, you can use quotes from the media source as

integrated marketing communications examples in your advertisements, and on your social

media pages.

9. Educated Consumers

“Syms: Where an educated consumer is our best customer.” This advertisement appeared on

television commercials during the 1980s, but how much can you educate your clients in a 40-

second TV spot? Thanks to social media, you can stress the need for consumer education in a

TV, print or billboard ad, then make a call to action, advising clients to go your website, and

listing your URL. This is integrated marketing communication at its finest.

10. Event Sponsorship

Event sponsorship is a highly effective, albeit expensive means of marketing. As the sponsor of

an event, you will be allowed to hang your banner, and give out company literature. Given the

expense, it is best to use an integrated marketing communications strategy to inform customers

of your sponsorship. Mention it in your ads and on your social media pages. Add a call to action,

such as “come see us at such and such event.”