Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

   Marketing has turned into an every day game in the lives of numerous entrepreneurs around the world. It is of shear significance that anybody seeking to be fruitful in the business world Knows a couple of things that will help up deals in an exceptionally charming manner. Today, I will be discussing about a specific Concept in the field of Marketing and Communication, which is the Integrated Marketing Communication.

 Integrated marketing Communication(IMC): is a process of managing the customer relationship that drives brand Value. It is a cross-functional process for creating and nourishing profitable relationships with customers and stake holders by strategically controlling or influencing all messages sent to these groups and encouraging data-driven, purposeful dialogue with them.

    

  It is the concept under which a company carefully integrates and coordinate its many communication channels to deliver a clear, consistent and compelling message about the Organization and its Products.

  It is a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates strategics role of a variety of communication diciplines- for example, general advertising, direct response, sales promotion and PR - and combines this disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communications impact.

  Features Of IMC

• Clearly identified marketing communications objectives- which are consistent with other organizational objectives.
• Planned approach which covers the full extent of marketing
• Range of Target audience- these may be any specified 'public' or group of 'publics'- stake holders (e.g. employees, shareholders, suppliers), consumers, customers and influencers of customers and consumer, both trade and domestic.
• Range of messages- brand (corporate and products) propositions should be derived from a single consistent strategy. The integrated marketing communications effort should ensure that all messages are determined in such a way as o work to each other's mutual benefits or at least minimize incongruity.
• Range of Media- any 'vehicle' able to transmit marketing communication messages are not just mass media.
• Range of promotional tools- all elements of the promotional mix.

IMC ELEMENTS
  
  Advertising: This is a marketing communication that employs an openly, sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product. It can be used to inform and to persuade the target group. It comes in many forms such as Social and print media. Organizations use social media more than any other platform to advertise their products.

Sales Promotion: This uses both media and non-media marketing communication and increase consumer demand, point of sale or point of purchase.

Reasons for the growth of sales promotions.

• High costs of media advertising
• Cost effective forms of promotion
• Growth in huge Supermarket chains
• Opportunities offered by super/hyper markets of retailing
• Fun and exciting promotions which customers can participate (e.g. SPAR, WALMART 7-ELEVEN, LIDL & ALDI).
• In store demonstration 
• Advertorials
• Charity promotions
• Branded packs- number of items branded together sold at a bulk price.

Events and Experiences: Developed into shows attended by the general public or trade 

(e.g.  Apple Iphone launch is always attached to the stakeholders). There are several types of Events and Experiences which includes;

• Public indoor/Outdoor
• Conferences
• Trade of bus indoor
• Joint trade
• Private indoor
• Travelling
• Portable
• In-store

Sponsorship: An act of giving monetary or other support toa beneficiary in order to make its activities financially viable. It is usually used to gain some advertising public relations advantage. Sponsorships comes in different categories such as;

• Books, publications
• Exhibitions sponsored by trade associations.
• Education scholarships,
• sports.
• Arts like music or painting,
• Causes and Charities.

Direct Marketing: It is a type of marketing that deals with shopping without an actual shop. It has become a big business with the containment of Tv Commercials. It is characterized as follows;

• Controlled
• Personal
• Economical
• Primary medium
• Testing and evaluations

Public relation/Publicity: Public relations is managing the spread of information between an organization with its publics. It is the idea of creating coverage for clients for free rather than marketing or advertising. It enhances corporate reputation, generating and maintaining goodwill. PR events may be organized including sales promotion and exhibition activities.

Direct Mails for invitations.

Publicity accompanies events.

Sponsorships support them.

PR tools includes

• Corporate newsletters
• Internal communications
• Media news releases
• Annual Reports
• Special events

Publicity contains high credibility making it more influencial than other marketing communication drivers, therefore this can affect consumer`s thoughts by catching them off-guard applying between differentiation and advertising.Publicity can influence a consumer`s attitude over an advertisement or brand.

In addition there is Marketing Public Relations which consists of the following:

•  media releases,
•  conferences,
•  lobbying
•  sponsorships
• company website 
• in-house magazine 
• corporate literature
• interviews
• speeches

Personal selling: occurs when a sales representative meets with a potential client for the purpose of transacting a sale.It is person-to-person communication between a salesperson and a prospective customer, in which the former learns about the customer's needs and seeks to satisfy those needs by offering the customer the opportunity to buy something of value, such as a good or service.It`s a situation where a company uses a sales force as one of the main ways it communicates with customers.

Digital marketing: is the marketing of products or services using digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, but also including mobile phones, display advertising, and any other digital medium.

Components of Digital Marketing;

Brand Awareness                                                                                                                            

Ease of Access: A key objective is engaging digital marketing customers and allowing them to interact with the brand through servicing and delivery of digital media. Users with access to the Internet can use many digital mediums, such as Facebook, YouTube, Forums, and Email.Through Digital communications it creates a multi-communication channel where information can be quickly shared around the world by anyone without any regard to who they are.

Competitive Advantage

By using Internet platforms, businesses can create competitive advantage through various means. To reach the maximum potential of digital marketing, firms use social media as its main tool to create a channel of information. Through this a business can create a system in which they are able to pinpoint behavioral patterns of clients and feedback on their needs.This means of content has shown to have a larger impingement on those who have a long-standing relationship with the firm.

Effectiveness.
Brand awareness has been proven to work with more effectiveness in countries that are high in uncertainty avoidance, also these countries that have uncertainty avoidance; social media marketing works effectively. Yet brands must be careful not to be excessive on the use of this type of marketing, as well as solely relying on it as it may have implications that could negatively harness their image.

  

In Conclusion, if this elements are applied appropriately into a business, Success is Imminent. Feel free to write your Opinions on how Businesses can be boosted in the Comment Section.