Marketing communication is one of the essential aspects of a brand. If you want to convert more customers, you have to convey your brand’s key messages to them. Most brands utilize their content to communicate their messages to the audience.
However, it is challenging to communicate your messages to your audience correctly. Because there are a lot of aspects, I set up the right communication strategy. In this guide, we have mentioned every essential thing about MarCom elements and their relevant strategy.
Without any delay, let’s begin the guide !!
What is Marketing Communication (MarCom)?
Marketing Communication (MarCom) are referred to as the various tools, media, messages, and strategies. It allows the brand to communicate with its target audience. In this communication, your main aim is to convert the customers by informing them about your brand and products.
MarCom consists of various techniques and methods. It includes traditional advertising, direct marketing, social media marketing, presentation, and sponsorships. Therefore, marketing communications help the brand to shape its positive perspective in the customer’s mind. To apply to MarCom, you need to deeply understand your target audience, as it will help you connect with them in the right manner.
What is an Integrated Marketing Communication?
Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) refers to planning and executing marketing activities. In this strategic approach, you have to utilize various channels and tools to provide a unique and consistent message to your targeted audience base. This message can be portrayed through various modes. It includes social media, advertisements, public relations, business rules, and more. It helps organizations to enhance the customer experience as per your products and services.
In the IMC, you have to combine traditional and novel media practices to communicate with your audience. This method will help your company to execute multi-channel communication messages. It will help you influence your target audience. Therefore, Integrated Communication can help you in various aspects. It includes spreading brand awareness, building strong customer relationships, and driving growth in the business.
8 Main Elements of Marketing Communication Mix
Here are the eight main elements of mix marketing communication mentioned below:
1. Word-of-mouth
In this MarCom element, the existing customers of your brand have a good experience with your products and services and recommend them to their friends and family. It others to purchase your product over services. This is really a powerful marketing method; it can enhance your brand value in the market.
2. Advertising
It is one of the primary mix marketing elements. It allows you to inform your potential customers about your products and services through paid marketing. Simply put, you can advertise your products and services through TV, radio, web pages, print media and more. This MarCom method is widely used in the field of marketing because you can directly communicate with your targeted customers through it.
3. Public Relations
Public Relations (PR) is a communication element that focuses on enhancing the brand image of a company. In PR, you can perform various activities such as communication campaigns, press releases, crisis management, and building positive relations with media figures and stakeholders. This helps you influence potential customers and increase your business reputation.
4. Interactive Marketing
The interactive MarCom element has recently gotten buzz as per the changing behavior of the market. With this method, all of your customers can easily interact with your company and get their quotes resolved. It allows the customers to increase their trust in the company. For example, Zomato is one of the best examples of interactive marketing. When you order anything over the application and don’t get the desired dish, Zomato either reorders your food and beverages or returns your entire money. That’s why people choose Zomato over any other company.
5. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing consists of various methods. It includes email marketing, telemarketing, direct mail, and online advertising. All these methods help your brand to communicate your products and services to the targeted audience. This also helps you establish good customer relations. In this MarCom element, you can also utilize SEO, SMM, PPC, and others to reach out to more customers.
6. Sponsorships and Events
Many companies also sponsor different events to increase their popularity. You can sponsor sports programs, NGO events, entertainment programs, etc, to advertise your brand in front of a crowd.
7. Personal Selling
It is one of the traditional strategic marketing communication methods. A salesman personally goes door-to-door and communicates about your company’s products and services. Therefore, It is a reliable method, as you’re selling face-to-face.
8. Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is widely used in the business world. In this methods, you sell your products and services through various direct methods. For instance, you can use methods like emails, faxes, cold calling, etc. to make sales.
How To Create a Marketing Communication Strategy?
Step 1: Refers to Your Brand’s Identity
First, you need to define your brand’s mission and vision. It will help you to direct how you should communicate with your customers. To properly define your brand’s identity, you need to answer specific questions that we have mentioned below:
- What’s the reason for your brand’s existence?
- How do you see the future of your brand?
- Which path will you follow to shape your future?
- What would be the core principle of your brand?
These questions are general and help you develop any type of brand. If you properly answer these questions, you can have a clear understanding of your brand’s identity.
Step 2: Identify Your Targeted Audience
After adequately defining your brand’s ideal identity. You should start focusing on identifying your targeted audience. To define your targeted audience, you need to clarify certain elements. It includes ideal demographics, preferences, behaviors, and common needs of the customers. In this way, you can craft a better communication message based on the selected channel. It helps you create a personalized message for each group.
Step 3: Decide Your Key Messages
When you clearly know your targeted audience, you should craft key messages for your brand. These messages should be crafted totally based on the targeted audience. You have to convey a unique value proposition, add the pain points of your customers, and differentiate your brand from others. Communication messages would be a little different from channel to channel.
Step 4: Explain What Makes You The Best
In this step, you have to create a list of benefits that your products or services offer. To make your product benefits more appealing, you can match them with the customer issues. For instance, value propositions differentiate your brand from the competitors. The best way to establish your brand as the best is to make your offering far better than your competitors. When you have potential UVPs in the market, you can beat any of your rivals. In simple words, you just have to look and analyze your competitor’s offering and then create your own to defeat your competitors.
Step 5: Select and Integrate Required Channels
When you’ve prepared your brand’s key messages and benefits, it is time to select your required marketing communication channels. You have to decide these channels based on the product or service you’re offering. For instance, you can use LinkedIn for a professional service, Facebook for any ecommerce products, and so on. Every communication channel has a separate audience. Therefore, you have to choose your channel based on your targeted audience’s presence. There are various online and offline channels. It includes advertising, PR, content marketing, direct marketing, interactive marketing, social media and more. You can select these channels to have a seamless brand experience.
Step 6: Develop A Plan For Content
To run successful marketing campaigns, you have to create a marketing plan aligned with your IMC strategy. You can not directly communicate your key messages. Thus, you have to create content, topics, and formats that allow you to fit your communication messages within. In content planning, you also have to decide your content distribution across various channels or platforms.
Step 7: Implementation and Execution
When you’re done with your content plan. All you’re left with is the implementation and execution of your marketing communication strategy. You have to inform every team member informed about your strategy. It will help them to understand their roles and responsibilities better. You should divide tasks among all team members based on their qualities and capabilities. Therefore, your tasks will be properly implemented and executed in this way.
Step 8: Monitor and Evaluate
Monitoring and evaluation is one of the essential tasks in your IMC strategy. You have to monitor and evaluate your website’s key metrics. It includes website’s traffic, social engagement, lead generation, and conversion rate. Analyzing the insights will let you craft better strategies and make informed decisions. Therefore, you will have effective communication with your targeted audience.
Wrap Up
These are 8 simple steps to create a seamless communication strategy. By mentioning all the eight elements in the marketing communication mix, you can enhance your brand’s essential message efficacy. We hope this guide helps you create a better communication strategy.