Integrated Marketing
Integrated marketing involves various channels working together to convey a consistent message. This can include the integration of traditional and digital channels, like direct mail, email, social media and more.
What is integrated marketing?
Integrated communication marketing, or multi-channel marketing, involves various forms of marketing channels working simultaneously to convey a consistent message, as part of a marketing campaign or communications plan. This can include a mix of direct marketing channels like email marketing and direct mail as well as indirect channels like paid search, out of home, unaddressed mail, as well as tv, social media and other forms of print advertising.
What are the benefits of integrated marketing?
There are many benefits for brands that opt for a holistic approach like integrated marketing. Successful integrated marketing campaigns can lead to an increase in brand awareness, loyalty, and sales.
Increase brand awareness
As integrated marketing campaigns use several channels to convey the same message, this can increase the awareness of specific campaigns, and ultimately your brand. This increase in exposure to the same message from various channels increases engagement and is more likely to lead to an action, like a sale.
Higher engagement
With the rise of digital advertising and social media, consumers can be exposed to hundreds of ads every day. This makes it difficult for messaging to stand out and be memorable. However, with an integrated approach, the repetition of a consistent message from various channels can increase engagement and the memorability of a campaign.
Quick execution
With integrated marketing strategies, brands can save time on content ideation and execution. Some content between different channels can be repurposed, although key messaging should still be tailored to the specific channel.
Targets a wider audience
As well as targeting a higher volume of people, integrated campaigns can also reach a wider range of demographics and audiences. For example, if a marketing campaign were just to focus on Instagram, audiences that don’t use social media won’t be exposed to the campaign. This approach to brand building takes small exposures from multiple channels and combines them into something big. Studies confirm that spending the same amount of money across various media channels brings in more returns in revenue and brand strength. One media channel can’t reach everyone. Different media channels performing different jobs with similar messaging can reach a wider range of people, whilst conveying repetitive messaging without it getting boring. For example, campaigns with direct mail in the mix with other channels are 52% more likely to report ROI effects, and 43% more likely to report revenue uplifts.
What’s the difference between integrated marketing and omni-channel marketing?
Integrated marketing and omnichannel marketing are both forms of multi-channel marketing, however, there are differences between the two. Both strategies convey the same messaging between various marketing channels, although, omnichannel marketing tends to focus on creating a consistent and seamless customer journey and experience. Integrated marketing however, involves using various channels to develop a consistent marketing message, to achieve business goals.
Integrating mail with digital channels
There are many ways you can integrate mail marketing with digital channels, including email and social platforms. Direct mail, door drops and catalogues can be integrated with online media channels for customer acquisition and customer retention strategies, or to increase sales.
Automation
You can automate physical mail in the same way as email, using behaviour-based triggers, or automated journeys. Integrating these direct channels is a great way to boost response throughout the customer journey. Using CRM platforms like Salesforce, Oracle, Adobe and Iterable, your campaigns can be faster, more focused, and more integrated than ever before.
Programmatic Mail
Programmatic Mail (AKA triggered mail) uses data based on a user’s online website behaviour to create personalised direct mail within 48 hours. It’s a powerful way to remind customers what they could be missing out on and can significantly boost conversions. Now you can turn abandoned online baskets into sales. Programmatic mail is also known as ‘offline retargeting’, allowing brands to target lost shoppers with physical, direct mail. This lets you reach recipients who’ve already shown an interest in your brand, increasing the chances of a conversion or action.
Read more about programmatic mail
QR codes
From restaurant menus to online registrations, QR codes make life more convenient in a contactless world. They can be used across all mail formats, and work well as a call to action to take people online seamlessly. They can also be used more creatively, like to bring a piece of mail to life.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented Reality lets you turn physical mail into amazing digital experiences. More and more brands are waking up to the huge potential of AR, and the unique way it merges digital and physical. Interactive gaming, engaging audio and rich animation are now all within the capabilities of mail. With AR, the only limit is your imagination.
Read more about augmented reality
Voice Activation (VA)
Voice search is fast becoming a major part of our everyday lives. Over 125 million people used a voice assistant in 2023. (Source: Demandsage) People use smart speakers for many reasons, from checking the weather forecast to making a purchase. VA can now be integrated with mail to create seamless and convenient customer journeys. Using a call to action on a piece of direct mail, customers can be prompted to launch an app on their smart speaker. They may be asked for their mobile number which triggers an SMS with a clickable URL to respond to. VA is simple, intuitive, and allows marketers to track campaign performance.
Mail and Digital Integration case studies
You can see some examples of mail and digital integration below.
Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar Land Rover launched a campaign to make booking a test drive for the new Range Rover Evoque as easy as pressing a button. Targeting tech-savvy, time-poor audiences unlikely to respond to digital marketing, they identified two key customer groups through data analysis. A luxurious mail pack used pioneering technology, enabling recipients to instantly book a test drive by pressing a button on the mailer.
The campaign achieved a 44% response rate, far exceeding the 20% goal, with over 2,000 test drive requests, showcasing the power of personalised, data-driven direct mail in reaching premium customers. Learn more about the campaign here.
EE
EE aimed to improve its Welcome experience, as customer satisfaction often dipped soon after receiving their new phone. Typically, devices arrived in unappealing, non-branded packaging that didn’t reflect the premium feel of the UK’s leading network. EE sought to turn this moment into an impressive unboxing experience.
With premium packaging and an interactive welcome letter featuring augmented reality, EE introduced customers to the brand’s capabilities. Through their new phone, customers could use AR to watch a personalised message from brand ambassador Kevin Bacon, reinforcing their choice of network. This approach led to over 175,000 AR interactions and increased customer perceptions of service quality, reliability, and support, setting EE apart in the market.
Toolstation
Toolstation wanted to shift customers from relying on its 800-page catalogue to shopping online. To encourage this, they sent a personalised 4-page mailer with QR codes linking directly to each customer’s most-shopped departments, using data-driven insights to create 143,000 unique packs.
Heavy-duty QR stickers let customers attach their favourite departments to toolboxes or dashboards, while a tear-off mini "Toolstation" made key sections portable. Branded with each customer’s name, the mailer aimed to feel as familiar as the original catalogue. The campaign exceeded expectations, achieving a 3:1 ROI, boosting website traffic by 10%, and increasing order values by 5%. Learn more about the direct mail campaign here.
