Creating Integrated Marketing Communication Plan

Integrated marketing communication integrates all aspects of marketing mix to promote products and services among the end-users at the right time and right place. You need to promote your products well for maximum awareness among the end-users.

According to integrated marketing communication plan, various methods of promoting a brand are put together for maximum effectiveness and better results.

Let us understand the same with the help of an example:

Organization B deals in providing lucrative holiday packages to end-users. The first step would be to identify the target customers. It is crucial for the organizations to understand who would be the best buyers for their products and services (in this example). For honeymoon packages they need to target the newlyweds, for pilgrimage packages, it would be the senior citizens and so on. Organization B can promote its brand by simultaneously giving advertisement in the news paper (print media), promoting through social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin), through company’s websites, banners, hoardings, press conferences and so on.

Integrated marketing communication increases the visibility of the brand and also enables customers to remember the brand whenever they go out for shopping. The impact of integrated marketing communication plan is obviously more as end-users see the brand simultaneously at multiple places.

How to create an integrated Marketing Communication Plan

An integrated marketing communication plan needs to keep in mind the available resources and time to promote a particular product or service. Budgeting and allocating right resources for promoting products and services through integrated marketing communication plan are of utmost importance. The objective of the marketing plan needs to be clear.

The second step is to gather as much information as you can about your company, brand, features and most importantly target audience. Understand who all would be the best buyers of your products and services and what they expect of you and your organization? A marketer needs to very clear of the vision, goals and objectives of his/her organization. Know what your product is offering and how would it benefit the customers?

Plan out how you would like to proceed with the integrated marketing communication plan. Always adopt a step by step approach. Do not forget to do your homework carefully before writing an integrated marketing communication plan. Thorough research is essential.

Integrated marketing communication plan needs to include:

• Detailed summary of your marketing plan as to how it intends to promote products and services among target customers.
• Background, history and vision of your organization.
• Know your products well. Include features and essential components of your brand.
• Target market needs to be described well. Plan out how your brand can meet and exceed customer expectations. Have clarity as to how your brand is better than your competitors and why should consumers only buy your product and not go anywhere else. It is essential to read customer’s mind and know their perceptions.
• Compare your brand with the competitors. Write down how your brand is better than competitors? You need to keep a close watch on competitor’s activities.
• Do a SWOT analysis which highlights the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of the marketing plan.
• Specify the tools and methods which would help you create awareness of your brand.

Integrated marketing plan needs to be reviewed periodically. Measure the results of the plan and find out how is it helping your organization promote products successfully and earn higher profits and revenues?