Differentiated Marketing is Passe, Integrated Marketing to rule the roost now

Differentiated Marketing is Passe, Integrated Marketing to rule the roost now

Marketing is one of the key elements of a successful business strategy which requires a comprehensive worldview before creating the marketing messaging for the respective product category.
With the advent of online channel, there have emerged plenty of alternative channels such as social media and visual marketing channels which are exploited by brand managers today to capture the attention of their target audience. As a result today numerous social media marketing companies are mushrooming to tap the potential of this high-performing channel.
Introduction
Back in the heydays, when there were just the offline marketing channels available, it was a linear activity with the creativity around the campaigns being restricted to a clear and catchy message. However, with the introduction of social media and the advanced analytics that it comes with, it has become a whole lot easier to take the message to the concerned target audience that you wish to tap as part of the larger strategic touch points already decided upon.
Understanding the dichotomy of offline and online marketing comes naturally if the same is read only in theory. However, the way experts are wrapping their heads around this elusive distinction between these both is by treating them as one and creating strategies that underpins the key factors with equal prowess and comprehension. It is for this very reason that a social media marketing company is hired, so they can bring in their online marketing expertise to work in favour of your brand.
Key Online Marketing Pointers
Few key pointers of a great integrated marketing agency are listed below:
–Mobile check-in being one such strategy that is one of the most popular choices of brand marketers today. Following the introduction by Foursquare, the same has been imitated by other social media sites to benefit from the larger trend underlying the said SoLoMo trend.
The next wave in this strategy shall come by way of internet-of-things’ (IoT) emergence, as part of which branding experts are looking at getting people to talk about their brands online. This way brand managers expect to take the conversation to their larger focus group.
Another way in which they look at reinforcing this behaviour is by offering those who do mobile check-in to their respective brick-and-mortar stores with suitable discounts and offers matching the gesture on the part of the lone individual. The brand loyalty can also be built up by brand managers by offering special rates on days and hours that otherwise witness a lull thus leading to poor use of capacity.
–Hashtags are another major marketing trend which have picked up quite considerably in recent times. Invented by Twitter and embraced by others for the content discoverability that comes tied to it as its logical offshoot. Brand managers expect to use custom created hashtags to encourage the discourse around their brand.
The said hashtags can also be published in banners, print advertisements and other offline marketing collaterals.
One way in which hashtags can be used by brand managers is through offering gifts and discounts for using dedicated hashtags during a business event. Posting an image from the event on either Instagram or Twitter is another way in which the hashtags can be used to promote the brand.
–Custom URLs are another way through which brand marketers aim to integrate their online and offline marketing initiatives. This way it becomes much easier to keep track of how successful your initiative has been by managing to capture the essence of impact that brand managers have managed to carve on their focus group.
–Digital rewards work great to build the brand loyalty that is the end goal of any brand promotion exercise. Apps like Foursquare are doing a great job at doling out free rewards in return for the customer loyalty enjoyed by a brand, incentivising them aptly to return to a brand.
Marketing being the ever evolving phenomena that it is known to be, will continue to expand into newer horizons. Thus creating more opportunities for branding experts to innovate and create strategies to meet the aspirations of the new-age consumer.