5 SUREFIRE WAYS TO LAUNCH A BULLETPROOF INTEGRATED MARKETING STRATEGY

5 SUREFIRE WAYS TO LAUNCH A BULLETPROOF INTEGRATED MARKETING STRATEGY

Implementing a marketing strategy is no small task. Not to mention that there’s so many different components that go in to a strategy that reaps success through and through. For those of you who may be feeling a little misguided on how to navigate the scope of a task like this, consider these tips from industry experts to alleviate your worries and get your creative juices flowing.

Know your target audience better than Tina Fey knows Amy Poehler.

If you’ve visited our blog before, you know how much we encourage our readers to align themselves with their defined target audience. And often times, getting to know these individuals doesn’t mean sitting down at your computer to bop around on Google. You’ve got to make an organic and genuine effort to get to know them, otherwise the wrongful assumptions will show through. In addition to familiarizing yourself with the basics, like their geographic location and how they earn an income, you also need to know what their values are, what interests them, what desires they have, etc. The point is, your research needs to be extensive. If it’s only tapping in to the things you could see on someone’s Instagram account—think activities, interests, how an individual spends their time—you’re not digging deep enough. Find ways to learn more about your target audience, and your initial research will enable you to develop a key messaging strategy that resonates in powerful ways. Think of it this way: The better you know your audience, the more effective you can be in talking to them.

Make objectives as detailed as Van Gogh's Starry Night.

When defining what your goals are, you need to make sure that every detail is being considered. Embrace the rabbit hole and consider every possible component of your strategy that needs to be well-executed. Think about every possible facet of your strategy, and then criticize it. Asking questions, pushing back on your original concepts, and challenging yourself to think about potential ways it may fail will guide you in creating a plan that meets your objectives in a distinct and intentional way. Allocating time for this type of goal-setting will help ensure the end result will align most closely with your original vision.

Be as picky as Miranda Priestly.

Miranda Priestly is a headache in the hit movie The Devil Wears Prada, but her ability to remain committed to her vision is a relevant takeaway when it comes to creating an integrating marketing strategy. You’ll want to select the best option for every choice you need to make, whether that’s what channels you’re using, how you’re driving traffic to your page, or what you’re offering to differentiate yourself from competitors. It’s also important to note that it may be more strategic and more beneficial to choose NOT to do certain things. For example, many businesses often feel they need to have a presence on every social media platform out there. I’m talking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and more. But depending on your brand and what you offer to consumers, it may not be intuitive to invest in a presence across all these platforms. It may make more sense to focus solely on two or three, and to commit to making your presence on fewer platforms more impactful than a presence across all of them. So, don’t be afraid to say no.

Take a note from the New England Patriots when it comes to making your game plan.

As discussed earlier, creating definitive objectives plays a key role in the success of your strategy, and that applies to an integrated social strategy as much as it does to a concrete NFL game plan. Just as top-tier sports teams do, you’ll want to map our your approach and ensure the actions you’re taking to bring about the desired results are in fact aligned with your goals. Consider putting together a short-term and a long-term game plan in order to keep yourself thinking about all facets of your strategy.

Consistency is key. Just as Papa Murphy's.

In 2017, Papa Murphy’s was voted America’s favorite on-the-go pizza chain, and the fact that every order delivers the same caliber of deliciousness is a huge reason why. Consistency is non-negotiable when it comes to consumers, and it’s a something of huge priority when it comes to marketing campaigns as well. To be successful, you’ve got to give your audience something of value—something that is helpful, or entertaining, or soothing, or pleasurable, or just flat our delicious. Once you’ve found your niche and  established an audience that is loyal to what you have to offer, it’s in your best interest to continue providing your goods and services to the best of your ability. When it comes to your marketing strategy, make sure you’re finding creative ways to reinforce the same key principles of your brand in fresh and innovative ways. Be consistent in delivering the same messages in ways that parallel with the channels you’re using and the people that you’re talking to.