CLARITY: Silver Bullet

Today we discuss a fundamental truth when it comes to planning. ..

You need an integrated marketing strategy which influences people at various stages of readiness to buy from you. Research conducted by Gartner has found that integrated campaigns across 4+ channels outperform single or dual-channel campaigns by 300%.

Integrated marketing is, quite simply, the cornerstone of all successful growth plans. 

No silver bullet

Some people, however, reject these tried and tested techniques in favour of a futile search for an elusive silver bullet. They don’t want to commit time or budget to a plan but, instead, would rather someone push an envelope across a table with ye olde secret marketing tricks tucked away inside.  

One of our Account Directors recently met with a prospect and took them through the benefits of an integrated marketing plan. It highlighted the importance of balancing:

–         Brand awareness

–         Developing a distinctive voice with personality

–         A clear sales activation plan

–         A range of communication channels

The response? “How about we just try ads on Google?”.  

Integration is critical to success

Do Google ads have value? Of course they do. But only as part of a much wider, considered plan – if that’s your one and only tactic, you may as well use the cash to fuel a bonfire. It’ll keep you warm in the winter, could be great as a team building ‘get together’ and will have the same overall effect on your position in the market.

There’s no silver bullet in marketing. Especially when there are so many companies competing for the time and attention of the same audience.

If you’re a growing company with ambition, an integrated plan is non-negotiable.