IMC doesn’t have to be implemented from a top-down perspective. You don’t have to start at the beginning of a campaign nor does it have to be labeled an IMC campaign at all. You can begin to infuse some IMC flavor into a communications project at any step of the way. I’ve found that many public relations pris are already doing IMC without even thinking about it. Consciously understanding the things you’re doing that help the channels work together only makes it stronger. It also helps you figure out ways to add even more synergy between those channels. And synergy is the magic that makes IMC so powerful.
In IMC, we regularly get these kinds of results:
- 40-50% email open rates
- Site traffic increases of 50-75% within the first 60 days
- Significant increases in targeted impressions
The main ways to infuse IMC into a communications campaign include:
Audience Behavior – Forget about demographics. You need to learn the behavior of your targets so you can influence them accordingly. This matters whether you’re talking to journalists, influencers, consumers or others.
Integrated Strategy Statements – Alignment is key if you’re trying to influence others to the behavior you want. Creating a foundational statement that lies underneath all of your messaging ensures alignment.
Cross-channel Strategies – Strategies should not be designed to fit within a particular messaging channel. All of the best campaigns include strategies and messaging that can be translated between channels.
Synchronizing Tactics – Tactics can be synchronized and linked to include sequences of two, three, four or more tactics. Linked together, tactics are MUCH more powerful. You need to become conscious of the tactics you’re already linking, and work to make them even more powerful. Just like a developer has his or her own code toolkit, you need your own linked tactic toolkit.
Join me at PRSA’s International Conference on Monday, May 9th to learn more.
Expert Express – Using Personas for PR Purposes 3:45
Creating Powerful IMC Strategies: From Strategy Statement to Synchronized Tactics 5-6pm
