Integrated marketing—also known as multi-channel or cross-channel marketing—is the practice of reaching customers via multiple platforms or channels to increase the likelihood of reaching your audience for engagement and conversion. A typical integrated campaign may include various digital methods (email, paid and organic social media, and Google AdWords), as well as traditional marketing tactics (direct mail, magazines, old-fashioned networking, and events). 

So, does this kind of outreach on multiple channels impact your company’s marketing performance? As many integrated marketers and analysts have found, it does—and in a big way.

Why Companies Use Integrated Marketing

Integrated campaigns have a better chance of finding customers where they are—some prefer to receive email, some direct mail, while others may be spending all of their time on social media. A customer-focused approach allows you to provide consistent messaging to your target audience regardless of their preferred methodology or marketing platform. It is also an opportunity to dig deeper into targeting specific people based on demographics, psychographics, age, or geography.

Benefits of Integrated Campaigns

According to Mashable, 72% of consumers prefer that marketers take an integrated approach toward reaching out to them. If that’s not reason enough, how about these?

Attention Gets Boosted – when you are using so many channels to reach people, more people are going to see your brand and messaging. And when you are targeting them from several channels, you are compounding your outreach to each person.

Customers Get Your Message, Regardless of Where They Hang Out – Your audience can be wherever they prefer, keeping them in their comfort zones when you are messaging them.

More Touch Points = More & Better Data – You will get more accurate results on your campaigns when you can track across several platforms instead of filling in the blanks on one or two.

Consistency – You are managing your message across several channels and can be sure that the audience is always seeing/hearing what you want them to.

Build Better Relationships – Again, because you are reaching your audience where they are comfortable, they are more likely to engage with you, and you can more effectively nurture relationships. And because you know more about them, you can ensure that you appeal to what interests them.

Better Retention – Customers tend to stick around, and you can build loyalty through repeated outreach and rewarding engagement experiences.

How Effective is Integrated Marketing?

Here is where things get interesting. Zoom Info compiled several statistics on its blog that exhibit the power of integrated marketing.

• 98% of Americans switch between devices on the same day
• Mobile devices, computers, and tablets are each better suited to specific types of marketing, so take advantage of multiple channel
• 90% of customers expect consistent interactions across channels
• The best way to ensure this is by being available on many different channels
• 86% of shoppers regularly channel-hop across a minimum of two channels
• Again, your messaging will need to be available in multiple locations
• 72% of consumers say they would prefer to connect with brands and businesses through multi-channel marketing
• So, you don’t have much choice!
• Nearly 64% of technology buyers say that they read between two to five pieces of content before making a purchase 
• Companies that use integrated marketing experience 3x higher effectiveness rates than those that use non-integrated campaigns 
• So why wouldn’t you?

Conclusion

As the saying goes, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” So too is an integrated campaign with multiple channels and touchpoints more compelling than one channel or touchpoint. What is critical for a truly effective marketing campaign is consistency, accessibility, and the building effect that comes with seeing your messaging in many different places. Only by using the integrated or multichannel marketing approach can you ensure that you are making your audience outreach accessible and consistent while amplifying your message.