How to Integrate Your Advertising across All Media Channels

by Heather Sumpter

integrated marketingMulti-channel marketing–i.e., the practice of marketing to consumers through multiple media channels–has become a major theme in recent years, and is becoming more and more of a necessity due to the rapid changes taking place in consumer behavior. In today’s era of digitally-driven commerce, potential customers have an unprecedented number of mediums to choose from in order to research and shop for products and services, making the path to purchase somewhat difficult to pin down.

Now more than ever, the consumer is in the driver’s seat, and multi-channel marketing responds to this by making it easier for customers to complete a conversion through whatever medium they deem most fit. So how exactly can you position your brand to make the most of multi-channel marketing? Below are some key ideas to help you integrate your advertising across all media channels. 

1. Integrate the marketing message being communicated.

The importance of conveying a consistent message across all of your marketing channels (e.g., social media, email marketing, website, mobile apps, etc.) cannot be overemphasized. Customers need to experience the same marketing message and brand “zeitgeist” across all of your digital media. This includes the visual elements such as colors and graphic design, but it’s equally as important to convey a consistent tone and marketing emphasis.

2. Play to the strengths of each media channel.

While consistency is absolutely vital, that doesn’t mean that you should simply create carbon copies of your advertisements and repeat them across all of your media channels. Play to the unique strengths of each media platform in a manner that will engage the customers who prefer those particular platforms. For example, you could develop a downloadable app for your mobile visitors, or boost the conversational quality of your communications for your social media visitors.

3. Create the right push-pull mix for your brand.

One sign of a healthy, integrated advertising campaign is a balanced push-pull mix, where customers are seamlessly transitioned from one media channel to another with no disruption or inconsistency.

  • Special “pull” promotions such as social media or SMS notifications of deals/discounts can push in-store sales.
  • Your website can be used to push users towards social media interaction.
  • Your content marketing efforts–e.g., blog posts that rank well in search engines–can pull users to your site to seek more information, which can garner new leads and sales.
  • Television or radio advertisements can push readers to your website to seek more information, sign up to an opt-in list or complete a sale.

4. Know Thy Audience.

While all of your media channels should convey the same message, it’s important for you to identify which channels will work best for your business. Where does your target audience tend to spend their time online? What media channels receive the most prominent and consistent response and engagement? Use this information to determine where the bulk of your time and resources should be invested.

Multi-channel marketing consists of many moving parts, but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Use the above ideas and examples to help you integrate your advertising across all of your media channels in a way that will maximize the effectiveness of your brand’s marketing efforts.

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