Integrated Marketing Programs … matched to your sales process
Small business owners and marketers often come to us with assignments to produce single projects:
- a direct mail program
- an ad campaign
- a brochure
- a new website
- a paid search (Adwords) campaign
- drip email
- an email newsletter
And that’s okay. We gladly take on those solo campaigns.
But we know real success in marketing occurs not with a single marketing tactic, but with multiple activities all working together in support of the sales process.
In our view, this is what defines integrated marketing.
Why integrated marketing?
Many years ago, my business was almost entirely focused on direct mail. A client would hire us to create their direct mail campaign usually to generate leads for their sales force. We would implement the campaign and watch the leads come in.
But that’s where the program ended.
Leads would come in and immediately get tossed over to sales where they would be followed up or, in some cases, ignored.
Accountability has always been a problem in sales. Sales people are independent sorts. They like leads but they are often quick to dismiss leads that are not immediately ready to buy.
Many don’t have the interest or patience to wait for leads to develop over a long term.
But the fact is most leads are long-term leads.
It’s very satisfying when a new lead converts immediately into a sale, that is an infrequent occurrence.
Most leads have a long-term interest in what you sell. But too many of those leads would routinely fall through the cracks with little or no follow up. What a waste.
Back then, we would recommend a follow-up postcard go out periodically to all leads – just so they wouldn’t forget. But too often, that recommendation fell on deaf ears.
Today, however, follow-up and lead nurturing is a central part of marketing. We now have at our disposal drip email and email newsletters that allow us to stay in touch more easily and more frequently.
Building relationships through multiple touches
But integrated marketing is more than just integrating lead generation and lead nurturing.
It also involves integrated messages across multiple touch points … using a mix of outbound and inbound activities.
It’s a recognition that different people within your target audience will respond to different marketing channels and messages.
A Three-Step Process
We use this chart to illustrate our overall approach to marketing. It’s a three-step system designed to find, capture and nurture customers and prospects.
The actual marketing tactics may vary from client to client.
Some use good old fashioned print advertising and direct mail. Others rely on the latest internet marketing strategies. And more and more today are using a mix of online and offline marketing activities.
But regardless of which tactics are being used, we believe the best way to build the marketing relationship is with this three-step program of Outreach, List Building and Follow Up.
How we can help
Lead generation and lead nurturing
For businesses that rely on a steady flow of qualified sales leads, we offer a closed loop demand generation program that combines online and offline lead generation campaigns with a consistent (and sometimes automated) lead nurturing program.
Reputation building
For consultants and other professionals whose success depends on building and maintaining an authoritative reputation within their industry, we offer strategies to help you capture more leads from your writing, speaking and presentations – and then cultivate those leads with relevant follow-up campaigns.
Retail traffic building and loyalty
For retail businesses and restaurants, we offer a range of services to bring in more first-time customers and keep current customers coming back.
Donor acquisition and renewals
For non-profit organizations, we can help you apply both online and offline communications tactics to help you find and acquire new donors and continue to communicate/solicit the donors you already have.
Let’s talk
To learn more about our Integrated Marketing Program or to discuss your marketing challenge, call Bob McCarthy at 508-473-8643.