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6. Integrated Communications Planning
6. Integrated Communications Planning
6. Integrated Communications Planning
identifying appropriate SMART communication objectives and how to recommend integrated marketing
communication (IMC) plans.
In this blog, we’ll explore the strategies in an integrated communications plan and how it helps raise
company profile and brand image.
It has been around for a while and it’s still very valuable, as it ensures that all your messaging is aligned
to support the desired brand image. The key point to remember is all internal and external messages
should be consistent and aligned to support the brand identity; Brand identity can be developed by
using brand building models.
For more information on IMC please check out my blog on Integrated Communications.
So, you will need all of them for the plan, but what tells them apart? Before you start any plan, knowing
this is crucial.
Aim – This is the business’s purpose or desired outcome, they tend to be more general than goals or
objectives because they are focused on a bigger long-term result
e.g. Achieve a marketing share of 20% within three years of the product launch
Goals – A goal is usually a target that won’t contain the steps needed to get there, but will be more
specific than an aim
Objectives – These are measurable and there are usually multiple objectives within a marketing plan.
Objectives should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, and Time-bound). We have a SMART
Objective Generator you can try out.
e.g. To increase the monthly website views, coming from organic search, social media, email marketing,
and direct traffic, by 10% within the next 12 months
Strategy – This is the ‘What’ that builds out a plan, within the strategy you should answer ‘What are
you trying to accomplish?’.
e.g. You might consider writing about the competitive landscape and what you are going to do to achieve
a competitive edge or gain more market share
Tactics – These are ‘How’ you will achieve the goals you have set, they are the specific activities that
need to be carried out.
e.g. Using social media channels to promote and share relevant content to followers
When it comes to marketing communication planning, there are three different methods you can base
your strategy on, and these are the 3P’s of marketing communication. A push strategy forces the product
down into the distribution channel by putting emphasis on product promotion. A pull strategy is used to
satisfy corporate promotional goals and involves communication between customer/ consumer to
attract them to purchase from retailers and distributors; Businesses use a profile strategy to develop
corporate promotional goals.
The push strategy aims to get the product to market without spending a massive amount on advertising,
this is where direct and personal selling is used to acquire customers. Businesses tend to use trade
shows for this strategy as a chance to use personal selling against industry figures attending.
Push strategies work best when the purchase decision is low-level and usually unplanned or described as
an impulse buy. Also use this strategy if there are a low brand loyalty and there is good substitutes/
alternative products available to the consumer. This is a good strategy for consumers who are familiar
with the product.
Shop displays
Unlike the push strategy, pull strategies are softer, promotion heavy and directed towards the end user.
Lots of promotional offers are needed to support the campaign. The additional advertising used in this
method means the total cost is considered as high.
If product demand is high, then it signifies that a pull strategy would be relevant. Also, if you have clear
product differentiators that are based on emotional or real features. For consumers that tend to make
brand choice decisions before they go to the shop, and if they have a high brand loyalty then this
method is also suitable.
Product competitions
Sponsorship
Free samples
Public Relations
Developing a profile strategy is a little different from the other two methods. It aims to build brand
awareness and perception, which is done through positioning and brand identity development. The
strategy is about sustaining communication with stakeholders and keeping them in the loop with
company updates, often done through monthly newsletters.
Corporate advertising
Sponsorship
Company newsletters