The Secret Sauce to Digital Success Should Include a Valued Partner
In a world where everything is changing, the days of one-way communication are over. Today's successful business owners have to be creative and create deep connections with their customers if they want any chance in today’s marketplace. So what then? You might ask yourself... Enter the integrated marketing agency!
You may want to consider hiring an integrated marketing agency because they can use their cutting-edge technology and creativity in order to provide you with a well-thought-out, cohesive campaign for your business. This will make it easier for you so that all the hard work of converting leads into clients is done by professionals who have perfected this art form. It's the secret sauce of Science + Soul Marketing, just like we do here at Lure Agency.
Hiring an integrated marketing agency is the best way to get your brand the attention it deserves; because you're busy working in your business, your agency partner can get you new business with a marketing strategy and then execute it.
We will discuss seven reasons why you should choose such an agency for ultimate success, plus explore a few questions to ask and examples of other brands who have used them with successful results in this blog post.
But first, let's talk about what an integrated marketing agency is.
What is an Integrated Marketing Agency?
An integrated marketing agency is a company that excels in the marketing aspect of a brand, product, or service. Not only will this agency specialize in branding, graphic design, content creation, and social media, but they also fully understand the importance of a well-rounded tech stack which is ever so important for a modern marketing approach.
Integrated marketing agencies provide integrated campaigns to reach their target audiences through strategic planning and execution across all platforms. They work hand-in-hand with clients exploring marketing strategies and finding innovative ways to deliver results that are efficient and with the highest ROI.
This includes public relations (PR), sales promotions, market research, customer identification/segmentation, and understanding competitors or other brands within the same industry for competitive analysis.
Some of the best-integrated marketing agencies use a customer-first approach utilizing creative personalization and technological advancements to deliver the right kind of content and deliver it at exactly the right time during the customer journey.
Integrated marketing agencies can be found in many different industries, including automotive, food service, hospitality & travel, and healthcare.
Here's Why You'll Want to Work with an Integrated Marketing Agency
1. Integrated Marketing Agencies are cost-effective
An integrated marketing agency is more cost-effective because they offer a wide range of services in-house. This means you'll be getting branding, web design, content creation, and a slew of other marketing efforts in one package for the same price as if you were to hire different companies. The result? A more efficient marketing investment.
Integrated marketing agencies are a great way to get the most bang for your "technology" buck, too. Not only will you be able to take advantage of new tech tools, but because of agency accounts, some plans that may not otherwise fit within your budget can now become accessible.
2. Integrated Marketing Agencies have a better understanding of the customer journey
The customer journey is often made up of several different touchpoints: from the moment they find out about your company to their first interaction with you, down to when your organization makes the sale.
Integrated marketing agencies are more aware of this customer journey than individual companies who may only be concerned with one aspect or process in that chain.
The customer journey is one of the most important aspects of marketing communications because it allows the agency to identify a customer's problem and offer a solution. Getting the marketing message to the right prospect at the right time is a powerful tactic!
3. Integrated Marketing Agencies can provide a 360-degree view of the customer
Understanding your customer is perhaps the most essential key to a successful marketing campaign. An integrated marketing agency can provide a 360-degree view of the customer, from what they purchase to where they come from and how they interact with your brand.
This means that an integrated marketing company can have insight into which customers are more likely to convert based on their demographics or needs.
While the customer journey helps identify an effective content marketing strategy, having a 360-degree view of prospects across the web helps identify purchase intent.
Purchase intent is the likelihood of a customer to purchase from your brand based on their browsing habits.
Identifying those who are looking for what you sell and providing them with the right messages at the right time will increase conversions by 80%.
An integrated marketing company can help you identify these prospects and market directly to them to maximize efficiency.
4. Integrated Marketing Agencies offer cross-channel marketing campaigns that work together to achieve one goal
Can design cross-channel marketing campaigns to work hand-in-hand, with one channel supporting the others.
For example, search engine optimization might drive traffic to your website, and email marketing could offer an upsell during checkout. Social media posts are about customer engagement, while banner ads on websites and blogs keep you in front of prospects all day long.
A cross-channel marketing campaign is where all of these channels work together to achieve one goal.
An example of a cross-channel marketing campaign includes banner ads that use retargeting to encourage prospects to return. Banners can also be used as a loyalty program by giving discounts on future purchases when signing up with email updates.
Cross-channel campaigns allow companies to drive traffic from one channel - like search engine optimization - into other channels such as social media posts and promotional emails. Every post has meaning and context while also working together towards achieving the same goal.
5. Integrated Marketing Agencies know how to use data and analytics for better decision making
Utilizing data in marketing can really boost progress and success, but not every marketer is cut out for the task.
An integrated marketing agency will take all of your data and use it to make better decisions that have been proven to lead to a successful campaign.
This means you can reap these benefits without needing to hire a data scientist.
Marketing data is important because it tells a story about your campaign, including what isn’t working.
Agencies can also use marketing data to help you make better decisions for the future.
An integrated marketing agency will have access to this sort of information thanks to their current campaigns. They will use it to see where improvements are needed before launching another one to not spinning your wheels without progress.
6. Integrating all your marketing channels is key in today's digital age
Full marketing integration is the key to success today, and an integrated marketing agency will make sure that every channel you choose is working together towards one goal.
They'll be able to map out a plan for all your campaigns and help determine what platforms are best suited for each task.
Plus, they can create campaigns within budgets, so there's no need for any backtracking or cutting corners later on down the line.
This means less time spent on trial and error with different channels trying to figure out which work best when done separately.
Integrated marketing agencies know how important it is in this digital age of communication. Hence, all branding efforts work together simultaneously instead of being siloed into separate tasks like traditional agencies used to do.
7. New Marketing Ideas!
Integrated marketing agencies can come up with new ideas and tailor marketing campaigns around specific target audiences.
For example, they can help you decide if your brand should run a Facebook ad promoting the launch of your latest product or an Instagram campaign highlighting one particular aspect about what makes them so great.
Plus, these agencies are fast-paced and nimble!
Instead of waiting on one marketing or advertising agency to produce creative content, these agencies can make quick changes in response to the latest trends and developments.
They can also combine different forms of marketing for a more cohesive campaign that will work better with your target audience, including video production, social media management, email marketing campaigns, SEO optimization, and website design if needed.
It’s important to understand that there are many ways an integrated marketing agency can help you crush your goals. It would help if you decided which fits best with what you want for your business and how much time/money you have to invest in the process.
Examples of Great Integrated Marketing Campaigns
Now that we've explored why your organization should hire an integrated marketing agency, let's explore some examples of fun campaigns.
Coke Zero
If you're looking for awesome integrated marketing campaign ideas, look no further than Coke Zero.
Pura Vida Tequila
Another great integrated marketing campaign to check out is the one that Pura Vida Tequila did. They partnered with the National Geographic Channel to create a documentary about the town of Real De Catorce, where this premium-quality tequila is made and bottled to show America's fascination for unearthing Mexican culture. This integrated campaign shows the heart and soul of a brand.
What are the Marketing Efforts of an Integrated Marketing Agency?
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash
Integrated marketing agencies have a variety of marketing efforts they can offer to brands. These include:
Creative Direction: Designing ads and campaigns designed with the audience in mind, so they speak their language - Media Planning - Buying media space or time on TV, radio, online video, print, and more for your brand.
Content Creation: Creating content like blog posts or videos as an extension of your company's marketing campaign
Social Media Marketing: Utilizing social channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other up-and-coming channels to engage potential customers who might not see traditional advertisements but take notice when their friends share something on these sites.
Public Relations: Managing all your PR and communications efforts
Digital Marketing: Utilizing marketing software to create targeted ads seen by the right people who have shown interest in what you offer or can be a potential customer for something else. These tactics include retargeting, email marketing & search engine optimization (SEO)
Lead Generation: Generating leads through surveys, contests, and other types of outreach, so someone has an opportunity to sign up as a member of your company
Integrated Marketing Campaigns: An integrated marketing campaign is a comprehensive approach that uses all the tools in your arsenal, from print ads and email campaigns through social media channels
Marketing Automation: A type of software that can be used by businesses for many different types of purposes but often includes things such as lead nurturing & follow up automation with emails based on what stage someone has reached in their buying journey, which then triggers an automated response or dynamically generated content designed specifically for them. This includes triggered SMS alerts based on specific events happening within the system that prompt a text message to be sent out automatically without any human input required.
Lead Generation: Bringing sales-ready leads to your organization.
The benefit of integrated agency services is that they'll take care of every aspect of marketing from idea generation to execution, allowing your organization to scale easily. Plus, there's one voice communicating on behalf of the brand instead of many different voices representing different aspects like design or social media marketing without coordination between teams, leading to conflicting messages.
What Types of Content Creation is Typically Included when You Hire an Integrated Marketing Agency?
When you contract with an agency, you can expect a team to help create content for your digital assets.
Content such as:
- Website, landing page, and email copy
- Social media images and copy
- Video production
- Press releases
- Graphic design for online and offline advertising
- Infographics
- eBooks
- And so much more!
An integrated marketing agency can develop an organization's content messaging and creative across its marketing channels cohesively.
Can an Integrated Marketing Agency Offer Sales Support?
Absolutely! In fact, here at Lure Agency, sales support is a major part of the integrated marketing plan we prepare for our clients.
The benefits of sales support from an agency are many. Here are a few.
Increased sales revenue: A big part of any marketing campaign is to generate new qualified leads for your company. With agencies who offer sales support, you get increased value in expert assistance on converting those leads into customers best.
Save time through automations: If someone fills out one of your forms or provides their contact information during a live event, they will automatically be followed up by the agency on behalf of your business which can mean less time spent following up manually and more time driving revenues through sales calls. This also ensures consistency across every aspect from design to social media creating brand awareness among potential customer bases. Hence, there’s no question about the messaging and branding of your business.
What Type of Technology Tools Do Integrated Marketing Agencies Use?
Photo by Fitore F on Unsplash
Building an agency marketing stack is not for the faint of heart — there are thousands of modern tools out there, and finding the right ones takes plenty of research and a lot of trial and error.
The marketing stack will vary from agency to agency, but you can expect at least the following:
- Analytics platform (Sharpspring, Google Analytics)
- CRM (Asana, Monday)
- Marketing automation (Sharpspring, Zapier)
- Digital advertising (Google Ads, Facebook ads)
- Call tracking (CallRail)
- Email (Sharpspring, MailChimp, Constant Contact)
- Social media management (Missing Lettr, Hootsuite)
- Search analytics (SEMRush, Google Analytics)
PRO TIP: Work with a Sharpspring Agency for the highest ROI.
If there are more advanced marketing needs (and larger budgets), then additional tools could include:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Identity Resolution
- Bid management
- Analytics dashboarding and data visualization
- Website heat map tools
- Location data platforms
- Landing page software
- A/B testing and conversion optimization
An integrated marketing agency will be on the lookout for the best tech stack for their client.
Integrated marketing agencies can help brands create long-term strategies that work with how consumers are now interacting with different types of media and technology. There is an increased need for these services as companies know there has been a shift from traditional marketing towards digital marketing for unique marketing solutions.
