TED Magazine - May 2017

EFFECTIVELY USING INTEGRATED promotional campaigns is not as simple as just having print and digital versions of the same content. Besides aligning content across formats, mar- keters also have to fine-tune that content based on often- subtle differences in the audience, as well as deciding which plat- forms should be used and how best to lever- age them. The ability to reach customers through the digital platform of their preference is a huge benefit of integrated campaigns. But digital marketing is a fast- evolving field, and what worked last year—or even a few months ago—may be wan- ing by the time the next campaign launches Jim Dunn, executive vice president of Warshauer Electric Supply, Tinton Falls, N.J., noted that mobile market- ing will play a bigger role—and change —how integrated campaigns treat their digital portions. “As we progress on a digital cam- paign, it becomes ‘less is more,’” he explained. “Digitally, the vast majority will be done on smartphones and, to a lesser degree, tablets. It’s vital [for a campaign] to be mobile optimized. “But the digital world is so convo- luted and there are so many outlets, [it’s difficult] to make sure you hit them all and have it reflect the unique flavor of each platform,” he added. “It’s a moving target just to keep up with what the plat- form of choice is at the moment.” One strategy Evan Berglund, a senior partner at Gonzberg Agency, recommended for making sure the right content is on the right platform—and maximizing ROI in the process—is to essentially reverse-engineer the purchase process. “Examine the purchase process backward—starting with how the ac- tual purchase is made, then moving back to the phase of the process that involves evaluation and forming intent, then the phase in which the prospect does research, and then on to the beginning of the process where prospects start to feel the need,” Berglund explained. “The final examination of the process should be what is going on postpurchase, as repeat business is
an important aspect of most B2B relationships.” The more market- ing can learn about how users evalu- ate information at each stage, the more narrowly they can target the information a prospective buyer is looking for to the platform they’re using at that stage.
A Maze of Metrics Integrated campaigns have another hidden challenge: It is not always easy to determine the ROI of a campaign or to know which portion of the cam- paign delivered which results. “What is the ROI? That’s the ques- tion I always get asked,” said Dunn. “It can be hard to quantify. A quick poll on the web can be done, but it’s hard to do for some other cam- paigns. We try to get as much data as we can, but most of the time it’s very difficult. When we’re doing things over so many different types of media, we can’t always know which one, if any, brought in more business.” Dunn noted that the lack of trans- parency can keep companies, espe- cially smaller ones, from more fully embracing integrated campaigns. “But for us, we know it works and we need to do it or else we’ll be missing the boat,” he said. “Don’t wait for per- fect conditions and perfect insight into how it worked.” “With analytics comes the expecta- tion that any initiative should be con- stantly monitored, evaluated, and— when needed—altered for one that may be more effective,” said Jennifer Green-Moneta, executive vice presi- dent and managing partner at the Burns360 agency. “And while tech- nology exists that can now track, ana- lyze, and report on what initiatives are working—and not working—with each of those channels, our job is harder than ever.” To get the most from integrated
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Marketing professionals from winning companies
share their best practices and strategies. by Carol Katarsky