Integrated marketing communications: elements, strategies, management

In the conditions of a dynamically developing market and growing competition, any company is interested in achieving the attention of potential buyers. And the most effective way to achieve this goal is the combined use of product presentation methods and consumer feedback tools.

What are Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)?

This term should be understood as the process of establishing communication with the end consumer, which differs from those methods that are used by large advertisers. In fact, IMC implies the planning of marketing communications, which are based on the need to evaluate their (communications) individual directions and strategic role.

In the process, IMC consolidates, unites and directs all means of influence, programs and messages to potential or actual consumers of the company's services and products.

Why IMC should be considered relevant

The concept of integrated marketing communications has come about by chance. The idea of ​​such measures to promote goods and services became popular already in the 90s. The reason why this system was recognized as practical lies in the fact that traditional marketing tools could no longer provide the level of efficiency necessary for the successful development of companies in a changing market.

Therefore, many enterprises went through the combined use of various marketing communication tools, the total impact of which was much more effective than the impact of each direction separately. In addition, IMC allowed companies to consolidate budgets, optimize them and receive more tangible returns.

IMC concept

Obviously, product promotion inevitably implies certain marketing communications. An integrated approach, in turn, leads to the solution of two problems that are related to each other.

The first task of the IMC is to create messages of a communication nature, in which various means of the QMS (standard communication system) will be used, not contradicting each other and quite easily coordinated among themselves. As a result, a single positive image of the communicator is being formed.

As a second goal, IMC should determine maximizing the level of effectiveness of marketing communications by searching for the most suitable combinations of synthetic and fixed assets QMS.

The essence of the QMS

In the process of implementing integrated methods, tools of a standard communication system are used. We are talking about a combination of such elements as subjects, channels, means and forms of interaction, as well as direct and feedback, used in the process of the marketing system with representatives of the external environment.

Using these tools, you can clearly and attractively convey the essence of the marketing message to the end consumer. It is important to take into account the fact that the value of the goods can also be used as an effective way to transmit information about the product (expensive, which means high-quality).

All these elements of integrated marketing communications, including the product itself, as well as its cost, allow us to convey key information about the company's offer to representatives of Central Asia.

The simultaneous use of several types of presentation and feedback is a profitable strategy that significantly exceeds the effectiveness of any one technique.

Key Issues in the IMC Strategy

The concept of integrated marketing communications involves obtaining an answer to 3 key questions:

1. At what points in the marketing channels is the customer’s extremely effective achievement and reaction speed in favor of acquiring the company's products?
2. What is the most effective combination of sales promotion and advertising to achieve communication goals?
3. How to correctly coordinate the advertising message and each type of advertising communication with the general positioning of the brand from the position of their combined interaction?

Answers to these questions allow you to draw up a competent plan for the implementation of the IMC in the framework of specific tasks.

IMC Elements

The integrated marketing communications system consists of several key elements:

• Public relations (public relations).
• Direct marketing. These include Internet and TV marketing. Speaking about the promotion through television, it is worth noting that it comes down to giving the viewer the opportunity to order the goods while at home after he sees the specific product in action and becomes familiar with its characteristics. In the Internet space the same principle is used, only the possibilities of promotion in this case are much higher.
• Advertising. These are certain measures, the purpose of which is the effective achievement of a marketing task.
• Stimulating demand for goods through the introduction of additional benefits and, as a result, increase benefits.
• Business and retail advertising. The process of interacting with competitors in retail always leads to fleeting changes. This is explained by the fact that often corporations come to the market with goods that are dynamically moving.

• A complex of integrated marketing communications. It implies the use of international advertising. This is an advertising campaign that goes beyond the country where the manufacturer is located. At the same time, for such a level of promotion, the product should be leading in the framework of its niche.
• Fairs and exhibitions. We are talking about events in which the manufacturing company takes a direct part, presenting its products to the end consumer.
• The plan of the enterprise. This refers to the general strategy of product promotion using various marketing tools.

IMC performance

The modern concept of integrated marketing communications involves the use of certain principles. One of them is efficiency.

The essence of this principle is to use for the implementation of strategic communication processes both initially planned events and those circumstances that arise involuntarily. It should be understood that any well-analyzed information is potentially capable of causing the formation of the IMC complex. Moreover, you can make an informational occasion from virtually any division of the company's internal data flows.

Openness principle

In this case, we are talking about a horizontal form of communication with the partners of the enterprise. This allows you to make the business more sustainable, so it is important to focus on an open attitude towards the possibility of developing partnerships. A good example of the implementation of this principle as part of an integrated marketing communications strategy are joint ventures to promote products of such well-known brands as McDonald's and Coca-Cola. Now you can often find promotions of manufacturers of washing machines and powder, sweets and tea, wine and cheese. With this approach, in addition to increasing the level of effectiveness of marketing measures, opportunities arise for optimizing their budget.

Personalization as a principle of IMC

The result that the implementation of this principle brings brings many companies to use it stably and actively. Personalization is understood as the formation of the personal nature of relations with each client of the company. Of course, this approach will require a lot of cost and effort, since it will be necessary to develop both new technical equipment and special projects.

Moreover, the specific skills of the staff will also be required. But in the end, the company will receive a high level of customer loyalty and, as a result, a significant increase in sales.

Synergism

This principle, through which integrated marketing communications are organized, can determine how the main one, since it implies the competent interaction of all the components of the IMC. The fact that combining promotion measures is much more effective than simply summing them up has been proven more than once by the experience of various companies.

One of the successful examples of the implementation of the principle of synergy can be called student sales teams in contact with potential consumers on the street. Almost all methods are involved in such activities, the use of which implies the concept of integrated marketing communications:

• the demand for specific types of products is estimated;
• there is direct contact with representatives of Central Asia;

• by solving such a social problem as youth employment, the company gets the opportunity to enter government contacts, which opens up new business development prospects;
• a seller dressed in branded clothing is a source of ongoing advertising.

Obviously, the principle of synergy allows you to use virtually all the elements of the IMC, and with a high level of productivity.

Integrated Marketing Communications: Internet Structure

Using the combined method of brand promotion in the online sphere implies the presence of certain factors that play an important role in achieving the task.

• Competitive environment. The advantage of competitor analysis on the Internet comes down to fairly simple ways to track their performance and ranking. Moreover, due to the fact that all the information on the network is presented in digital form, statistics collection systems can easily acquire the necessary data on the most popular resources of competing companies.

• The rate of price formation. The manufacturer has the ability to set dynamic pricing for products within the network. This may be, for example, discounts on the purchase of goods when purchasing a certain number of units.
• Feedback. We are talking about the possibility of feedback through the site and special forums.
• Data update. Thanks to the content management tools that are available on the Internet, the company gets the opportunity to change both the form of communication and the information itself at any convenient time.
• Management of integrated marketing communications within the network. It implies the use of a personalization factor. This technique is most relevant when working with banner advertising on websites, within the framework of which personalization of specific users is performed. This approach is used by industry portals, sites and other resources.
• Free communication. It's no secret that with the help of Internet resources you can quickly spread various rumors. This opportunity is often used by various companies to reduce the effectiveness of advertising campaigns of competing business structures.
• Flexible features of PR oriented towards representatives of Central Asia. In this case, we are talking about the possibility of various formats for the submission of materials designed to build brand loyalty and promote specific products. Specially prepared materials can be used for the selected audience.

conclusions

As a result, it can be noted that integrated marketing communications are the most effective and high-speed strategy for promoting both a brand and a specific product on the market.