Published December 2002

Integrate company’s marketing from inside out

In marketing terms, “only” is a four-letter word and should be banned as corporately unacceptable.

I get calls all the time, “Can you do this (whatever the project du jour is) for us?”

I ask, “Why do you want to do that?”

They say, “We need more business!”

I say, “That won’t solve your problem; have you considered" … they cut me off, “No, no, we ‘only’ want to do this.”

Or, I hear people complain, “If ‘only’ we could” — you get the idea. When someone tells me they “only” want to do this or “only” want to do that, I know they’re about to throw good money after bad; then I use another four-letter word — “next.”

If you want to generate sustainable results from your marketing and sales, remove “only” from your vocabulary and replace it with “integrate.”

Rarely does a “single fix” solve a “marketing problem.” An integrated approach always produces better results than a piecemealed practice.

Before you can effectively direct traffic at the street level, you need to have a 30,000-foot view of your business situation and market opportunity.

The purpose of integrated marketing is to achieve a synergistic effect. Trite term, maybe, but it accurately describes the result of a coordinated program. One plus one should equal three.

Integrated marketing isn’t about multi-tasking. It involves having a common look, feel and voice in all of your communications, i.e. collateral materials, Web site, advertising, sales activities, even answering the phone.

It also mandates internal marketing — ensuring that all of your stakeholders are singing off the same sheet music.

While doing a promotion for a local grocery chain, we explained to the client that if their “internal customers” (front-line staff, management, channel partners, etc.) didn’t understand the promotion, their “external customers” wouldn’t either.

They assured us their people were on the same page. So we “mystery shopped” several of their stores. Less than 30 percent had a clue. During the first two weeks of the promotion, results were weak (go figure). After improving internal communications, their sales soared by 83 percent.

It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, or whether you’re an early stager or have a mature product, integrating all of your marketing and communications — inside and out — is vitally important.

Start by looking at every point of entry a customer or prospect could possibly come in contact with your company or product. Are all those channels unified — communicating the exact same value proposition? Do you and your team handle all customer inquiries in the same manner? Are you reinforcing your brand personality and promise in everything you do?

Integrated marketing begins on the inside. Appoint a “brand champion,” someone responsible for ensuring strategic integration and continuity in all that you do. Make sure your customers have the same experience regardless of their point of entry.

If you lose the “only” mentality and integrate from within, you’ll be far more likely to fall into the camp of companies that boast my favorite four-letter word, “sold.”

Andrew Ballard, President of Marketing Solutions Inc. in Edmonds, develops brand leadership strategies for businesses and teaches strategic marketing through Edmonds Community College. He can be reached at 425-672-7218 or by e-mail to andrew@mktg-solutions.net.

Back to the top/December 2002 Main Menu