How Integrated Marketing Communication Works

Recently, we wrote an article for one of our clients on the integration of direct mail and video. Afterward, it occurred to us that all industries need to know about integrated marketing communication. Most of you probably understand the concept on a visceral level, but here we will show you its practical application.

What Do We Mean by Integrated Marketing Communication

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMP) is a fancy term to describe ‘getting the most for your money.’ Marketing material is not free. You must invest both time and money to craft a message that attracts and converts your customers. Why shouldn’t that same message reach more people, in more places, and at a fraction of the cost?

For instance, let’s say you write a blog post. Why wouldn’t you then take that same information and share it on your video channel? Then you can link to one or both on your social media. Finally, use the material as part of an email campaign or direct mailing.

Cutting Edge Methods for Integrated Marketing Communication

Videos seem to be the hot thing right now. According to YouTube Press Statistics:

• The total number of people who use YouTube is over 1,300,000,000.
• Over 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute!
• Almost 5 billion videos are watched on Youtube each day.
• YouTube gets over 30 million visitors per day

So, how can you take advantage of the video phenomena?

As we detailed in Mail Manager’s Article, the USPS offers one leg of the tripod – for free. Their Informed Delivery campaign allows residential customers to receive a daily email preview of the mail they have scanned for delivery. At first, this doesn’t seem to mean much. However, when you realize that they can integrate this feature with the Engage One Video program offered by Pitney Bowes, the possibilities start to become clear.

With Engage One Video, your direct mail piece can include interactive links to video content. In other words, you can embed apps, QR codes, or hyperlinks. This allows you to marry both your online and offline marketing efforts.

Suppose you send a mailing to your customer. Using Informed Delivery, the USPS delivers a preview image of the mailing to your client’s inbox. This is Exposure #1.

Included with that is a call-to-action or an embedded video that drives them to your website. That is Exposure #2.

One to two days later, the actual postcard arrives in their mailbox, reinforcing the message and then you have Exposure #3.

You’ve communicated with them at least three times, in three different ways, with one mailing. You can use the same message or tweak each communication to build to your final call-to-action. No matter whether your client responds tactically, visually, or to auditory stimuli, you’ve covered it all.

This is the beauty of integrated marketing communication. By utilizing multiple channels, you stand a greater chance of finding the one that best resonates with your client.