Integrated marketing: definition & best practices

Reaching your target audience across multiple channels can be a challenge. Keeping them engaged can be even more difficult. This is where integrated marketing comes into play. By using a variety of marketing tools, channels and strategies, you can use an integrated marketing approach to create a cohesive and impactful brand experience that yields significant wins for your business.

To illustrate, let’s imagine a puzzle in which each piece represents a different marketing channel or strategy. Individually, these pieces may seem insignificant or disconnected. But when they’re combined, they create a complete and compelling picture. This analogy perfectly encapsulates the concept of integrated marketing, which uses various marketing channels to create a unified and consistent brand message that resonates with a target audience.

In this article, we’ll use that adage as a guiding principle as we explore the many ways integrated marketing can be the driving force behind your successful marketing campaign.

What you’ll learn:

• What is integrated marketing?
• What’s the difference between integrated marketing and other marketing strategies?
• How to create an effective integrated marketing strategy
• How to implement integrated marketing campaigns
• What's next for integrated marketing

Integrated marketing is a strategic approach that combines various marketing channels and tactics to create a unified, consistent brand message and brand experience to the target audience, ensuring that all marketing efforts work together harmoniously to achieve business objectives. This approach comprises four key elements — a combination also known as “the marketing mix”:

1. Product: This focuses on developing and positioning a product or service that meets the needs and desires of the target market. It involves understanding customer preferences, conducting market research, and ensuring that the product aligns with the overall brand message.
2. Place: This element refers to the distribution channels and methods used to make the product or service available to the target audience, whether through physical stores, e-commerce platforms, or other distribution channels.
3. Price: This involves setting the right pricing strategy for the product or service, taking into consideration factors such as production costs, competition, market demand, and perceived value. The pricing strategy should align with the overall brand positioning and target audience’s willingness to pay.
4. Promotion: This element focuses on the communication of the product or service to the target audience. It includes activities like advertising, public relations, sales promotions, social media marketing, and content marketing, with a goal of creating awareness, generating interest, and driving customer engagement.

There are several benefits associated with integrated marketing to help you achieve your business goals. For example, by ensuring that all your marketing efforts convey a consistent brand message and reinforcing your brand’s identity and values, an integrative marketing approach builds trust and credibility among your target audience. This also tends to build stronger, longer-lasting relationships with customers by fostering loyalty and advocacy across your customer base. It yields an enhanced overall customer experience by allowing your customers to interact with your brand through various touchpoints for a more engaging, more personalized customer experience.

Increased brand awareness is another advantage of integrated marketing. This type of marketing communicates through multiple channels and tactics, which increases brand visibility and awareness among a wider audience. Plus, in a crowded marketplace, presenting a cohesive and impactful brand message gives you a competitive edge as you differentiate your business from competitors and stand out in the minds of consumers.

The bottom line is that integrated marking increases the return on investment (ROI) of your marketing efforts. That’s because it helps you identify the most effective channels and strategies so you can eliminate redundancies and maximize your budget and resources.

In comparison, non-integrated marketing lacks the synergy and consistency that integrated marketing offers. It may result in fragmented brand messaging, disjointed customer experiences, and inefficient use of resources. Integrated marketing, on the other hand, combines the power of multiple channels and strategies to create a holistic and effective marketing approach that drives business success.

To see what integrated marketing looks like in practice, let’s consider a hypothetical example of a new clothing brand, Urban Thread. This burgeoning business wants to launch a new line of sustainable and eco-friendly clothing targeted at environmentally conscious millennials. To achieve their marketing goals, they adopt an integrated marketing approach that encompasses:

• Social media: Urban Thread creates engaging and visually appealing content on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. They showcase their sustainable manufacturing processes, highlight their eco-friendly materials, and share stories of their brand ambassadors to build a community of like-minded individuals who not only are interested in their products but also share their values.
• Content marketing: Urban Thread starts a blog about sustainable fashion, tips for reducing environmental impact, and interviews with influential figures in the eco-conscious community. This helps them position themselves as thought leaders in the industry and attract organic traffic to their website.
• Influencer partnerships: Urban Thread collaborates with influential eco-conscious bloggers and social media influencers who create content featuring Urban Thread’s clothing, promoting the brand to their followers. This strategy helps Urban Thread tap into new audiences and gain credibility within the target market.
• Email marketing: Urban Thread builds an email list by offering exclusive discounts, early access to new collections, and sustainability-focused newsletters, strengthening customer loyalty and driving repeat purchases.
• Traditional advertising: Urban Thread advertises in eco-friendly lifestyle magazines, local newspapers, and billboards in areas with a high concentration of their target audience to ensure that their brand message reaches a wider audience and reinforces their presence in the market.

This integrated marketing approach creates a cohesive brand experience that resonates with Urban Thread’s target audience, amplifies their brand message, and increases brand awareness. As a result, Urban Thread experiences a surge in website traffic, higher conversion rates, increased sales, and a loyal customer base that identifies with their brand values.

There are many similarities and areas of overlap between integrated marketing, multichannel marketing, and omnichannel marketing. But the areas that differ are what give integrated marketing the advantage.

As we discussed earlier, integrated marketing focuses on creating a unified and consistent brand message across various marketing channels and tactics. It emphasizes the seamless integration of different marketing efforts to deliver a cohesive brand experience to your target audience. The key objective of integrated marketing is to ensure that all marketing activities work well together to achieve business goals.

Multichannel marketing is similar to integrated marketing as it uses multiple marketing channels to reach and engage with the target audience. Channels may include social media, email marketing, print advertising, television, radio, and more. The key difference is that the channels may operate independently of each other, with each channel having its own strategy and messaging, yielding a disconnected customer experience.

Omnichannel marketing is another approach. It takes multichannel marketing a step further by focusing on creating a seamless and integrated customer experience across all channels. In omnichannel marketing, businesses aim to provide a consistent and personalized experience to customers, regardless of the channel or device they use. The focus is on creating a unified brand experience that transcends individual touchpoints and ensures a smooth transition between channels, but it isn’t always as successful as integrated marketing in achieving that. Let’s dig deeper to explore the edge integrated marketing provides over other types:

• Consistency and cohesion: While multichannel marketing may result in fragmented messaging and inconsistent brand experiences, and omnichannel marketing may struggle to maintain consistency across all touchpoints, integrated marketing ensures that all channels work together seamlessly.
• Strategic alignment: Integrated marketing ensures that all channels and tactics are aligned with the overall marketing strategy and business objectives. In contrast, multichannel marketing may lack a cohesive strategy, and omnichannel marketing may face challenges in aligning all touchpoints effectively.
• Customer experience: By integrating various channels and tactics, integrated marketing provides a seamless and personalized customer experience. While multichannel marketing may offer a variety of touchpoints, the lack of integration may result in a disengaging customer journey. Similarly, while omnichannel marketing aims to provide a seamless experience, achieving true integration across all touchpoints can be challenging.
• Resource optimization: By strategically integrating marketing efforts, businesses can optimize their resources and budget allocation. In contrast, multichannel marketing may lead to redundant efforts and inefficient resource allocation across channels. Omnichannel marketing, while aiming for integration, may require significant investments in technology and infrastructure to achieve seamless integration.

Developing a successful integrated marketing strategy requires a systematic approach. Let’s walk through the steps one at a time, using a fictional fitness brand, FitLife, as a use case for context and explaining how FitLife would complete each step:

This involves conducting market research and analyzing demographics, psychographics, and consumer behavior. By gaining insights into your audience’s preferences, needs, and pain points, you can tailor your marketing efforts to effectively reach and engage them.

FitLife’s target audience is health-conscious individuals aged 25-40, primarily living in urban areas. Through market research and customer surveys, FitLife learns that their audience values convenience, sustainability, and personalized fitness solutions.

Your business objectives should align with your overall business goals and be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Some common objectives are increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, boosting sales, and improving customer retention.

FitLife’s objective is to increase brand awareness and drive website traffic by 30% within the next six months.

Consider both traditional and digital channels, such as social media, email marketing, content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), paid advertising, influencer partnerships, events, and public relations. Ensure that the chosen channels allow for seamless integration and consistent messaging.

FitLife decides to focus on social media marketing (Instagram, Facebook), content marketing (blog and video content), email marketing, and influencer partnerships with fitness enthusiasts and wellness bloggers.

Your brand message should resonate with your target audience and align with your brand values. It should be consistent across all marketing channels and effectively communicate your unique selling proposition (USP) or value proposition.

FitLife’s brand message revolves around empowering individuals to lead healthy and sustainable lifestyles through personalized fitness solutions. Their message emphasizes convenience, sustainability, and the importance of overall well-being.

Use multiple channels to deliver a unified brand experience, with each channel reinforcing the overall campaign message and objectives. Develop compelling content, visuals, and calls to action (CTAs) that resonate with your target audience and encourage engagement.

FitLife launches an integrated marketing campaign called “FitLife 360.” They create engaging social media posts showcasing workout routines, healthy recipes, and sustainability tips. They publish blog articles and produce videos on personalized fitness plans and sustainable living. FitLife also collaborates with fitness influencers to promote their brand and offer exclusive discounts to their email subscribers.

Regularly monitor and measure the performance of your integrated marketing efforts. Utilize marketing analytics tools to track key metrics such as website traffic, engagement rates, conversion rates, and ROI. Analyze the data to identify areas of improvement and optimize your campaigns accordingly. Make data-driven decisions to refine your strategy and maximize results.

FitLife tracks website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, and conversion rates. They analyze the data to identify the most effective channels, content types, and messaging. Based on the insights, FitLife adjusts their content strategy, invests more in successful channels, and optimizes their campaigns to achieve better results.

Incorporating integrated marketing strategies into your approach can create a cohesive experience that drives success for your business. Remember to adapt and refine your strategy based on data and customer feedback to stay relevant and competitive in the ever-evolving marketing landscape.

Successful integrated marketing campaigns require careful execution and thorough analysis. A marketing plan rooted in best practices — like storytelling, social media, and measuring metrics — can help you create an impactful campaign and gain valuable insights.

These examples demonstrate how using those best practices and others can lead to business wins.

First is WanderLux’s “Adrenaline Rush” campaign aimed to position the brand as a platform that offers exotic lodging and high-end travel experiences for thrill seekers. It involved various channels, including television commercials, digital ads, social media, and content marketing. WanderLux used the following best practices for campaign execution:

• Storytelling: The company focused on storytelling to showcase real travel experiences and highlight the benefits of staying in exotic locales rather than traditional hotels.
• User-generated content: The campaign encouraged users to share their own travel stories and experiences, leveraging user-generated content to create authenticity and engagement.
• Influencer collaborations: WanderLux partnered with influencers and travel bloggers to amplify the campaign’s reach and credibility.

They also made the most of best practices for measuring and analyzing campaign performance through:

• Social media engagement: The company monitored social media engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares, etc.) to assess the campaign’s reach and audience interaction.
• Website traffic and bookings: Tracking website traffic, click-through rates, and bookings allowed WanderLux to measure the campaign’s impact on user engagement and conversions.
• Customer surveys: By gathering feedback and measuring changes in brand perception, Wanderlux better understood the campaign’s effectiveness in shaping customer attitudes toward the brand.

Next, Flawless Fashion’s “My Body, My Beauty” campaign aimed to challenge traditional beauty standards and promote body positivity. The campaign included television commercials, print ads, social media, and online videos.

Flawless Fashion demonstrated these best practices for campaign execution:

• Emotional appeal: Flawless Fashion tapped into emotions by showcasing real women with diverse body types and promoting self-acceptance and confidence.
• Social experiment: The campaign included social experiments that highlighted the gap between how women perceive themselves and how others perceive them, which created a powerful message about self-image.
• Online community engagement: Flawless Fashion encouraged women to share their stories and engage in conversations about body image through social media and online platforms.

Plus, they used best practices for measuring campaign performance:

• Social media reach and engagement: Flawless Fashion monitored social media reach, impressions, likes, shares, and comments to assess the campaign’s impact on audience engagement and brand exposure.
• Brand perception surveys: Conducting surveys to measure changes in brand perception and customer sentiment allowed the company to gauge the campaign’s effectiveness in shifting beauty standards and improving brand image.
• Media coverage and PR impact: Analyzing media coverage and PR impact helped Flawless Fashion understand the campaign’s reach and influence on public conversations about beauty standards.

Finally, An Art Apart’s “Draw Out Loud” campaign showcased the ease and versatility of their drawing app by featuring images of artwork that users had created with the app. The campaign was promoted via billboards, print ads, social media, and online videos.

An Art Apart demonstrated these best practices for campaign execution:

• User-generated content: The company showcased real photos taken by Art Apart users, creating authenticity and engagement.
• Visual appeal: The campaign focused on images from a wide demographic of ages and skill levels to highlight the versatility of their product and to inspire creativity.
• Cross-channel integration: Art Apart ensured consistent messaging and visual elements across billboards, print ads, social media, and online videos, creating a cohesive brand experience.

They also used these best practices for assessing the success of the campaign:

• Social media metrics: The company tracked likes, comments, and shares to assess the campaign’s reach and audience interaction.
• App store downloads: Monitoring app store downloads and user engagement with similar apps allowed Art Apart to measure the campaign’s impact on driving app adoption and usage.
• Sales data: Analyzing sales data during the campaign period helped Art Apart understand the campaign’s influence on consumer purchasing decisions.

As use of cookies declines and reliance on first-party data rises, we’ll need to modify our strategy if we want to remain competitive. Here’s what the future might look like for integrated marketing.

First, with the decline of third-party cookies and increased privacy regulations, we’ll rely more on first-party data collected directly from our customers. Integrated marketing strategies will prioritize the data to effectively personalize messaging for specific customer segments.

• Contextual targeting will be more prominent as third-party data becomes less accessible. That means marketing efforts will focus on understanding the context in which customers engage with content and deliver relevant messages based on that context, ensuring a more personalized and privacy-friendly approach.
• There will likely be a stronger emphasis on customer relationship management (CRM) systems to consolidate and analyze first-party data. CRM platforms will become central hubs for managing customer interactions, enabling businesses to deliver personalized experiences across multiple channels.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will help businesses analyze vast amounts of first-party data, identify patterns, and make data-driven decisions to maximize marketing efforts and deliver personalized experiences at scale.
• Integrated marketing will continue to integrate various channels, with a focus on creating a seamless and consistent customer experience across touchpoints to ensure that messaging and branding are cohesive and are tailored to individual customer preferences.
• As privacy concerns increase, businesses will need to be transparent about their data collection practices, obtain explicit consent, and provide value in exchange for customer data, fostering trust and loyalty.
• Collaborations and partnerships may also increase as a way to access shared first-party data for more effective targeting and personalization.

So, how could the value of integrated marketing be impacted by that evolving landscape? Integrated marketing may become a crucial differentiator, for several reasons.

Integrated marketing allows businesses to gather and analyze data from multiple touchpoints, providing a comprehensive view of the customer journey. This holistic understanding enables businesses to deliver personalized experiences and targeted messaging that resonate with customers, fostering stronger relationships and loyalty.

Integrated marketing ensures a consistent brand experience across various channels. By aligning messaging, visuals, and customer interactions, businesses can create a cohesive and memorable brand identity, differentiating themselves from competitors and building brand recognition.

Integrated marketing strategies are flexible and adaptable to changing market dynamics. With the ability to analyze data in real-time, businesses can quickly identify trends, adjust their messaging, and optimize campaigns for maximum impact. This agility allows them to stay ahead of the competition and respond to customer needs effectively.

Integrated marketing leverages first-party data and advanced technologies like AI and machine learning to deliver personalized experiences at scale. By understanding individual customer preferences and behaviors, businesses can tailor their messaging and offerings, creating a unique and relevant experience that sets them apart from competitors.

Integrated marketing puts the customer at the center of all marketing efforts. By utilizing first-party data and focusing on customer needs and preferences, businesses can build stronger connections, provide value, and foster long-term loyalty. This customer-centric approach differentiates businesses by showing that they genuinely understand and care about their customers.

Integrated marketing is a strategic approach to creating a unified, consistent brand message that improves customer experience and results in business success. As the marketing landscape evolves, integrated marketing will be increasingly valuable as a way for businesses to differentiate themselves, deliver personalized experiences, and build lasting customer relationships.