The Most Bang for Your Buck: Create Fireworks with a Strategic, Integrated Marketing Mix

Nothing says Fourth of July like fireworks, especially those large-scale displays at theme parks and shopping malls, often set to music and ending in a “grand finale” that lets loose with starburst explosions and thundering booms. If you pay close attention to such displays, you’ll notice that you’re not seeing just one type of pyrotechnic, but a multitude integrated together for maximum impact. Comets, shooting stars, falling sparkles, pinwheels and whistling rockets are just some of the effects that, when combined, elicit the most “oohs and ahs” from the crowd.

Like pyrotechnicians, marketers increasingly understand that just one form of outreach is no longer adequate for fully grabbing the attention of busy buyers these days. Instead, a marketing mix personalized to buyers’ interests, pain point and needs—and delivered via the channels they’re frequenting—has the best chance of resonating. These different iterations of marketing come from Earned Media (think traditional PR, like editorial coverage), Paid Media (advertising), and Owned Media (content originating from your own website or blog, for instance). The key is reaching the buyer where they are, while also establishing a personal relationship that offers the buyer something of value via your own thought leadership or expertise.

It’s important to know that there is no “one size fits all” marketing mix. Each targeted industry—and drilled down, each targeted prospect—is unique, and each has optimal methods of outreach. That being said, let’s consider a sample strategic marketing mix for “Vendor A” that, based on its targets, includes the following:

Email marketing—What used to be the mass blanketing of the same message to every email address in your database has evolved. Thanks to new technologies, it’s now an easy process to segment lists and tailor content to touch your prospects more personally. Drip-marketing campaigns allow us to send out multiple pieces of promotional content over a period of time to a subset of leads, helping to automatically nurture them through the sales funnel.

Account-based marketing—Digital IP or cookie-based methods enable marketers to target prospects with messaging on the very channels they’re frequenting, be it social media, industry portals or other web locations. This type of marketing digitally “learns” what the prospect is interested in and targets them with repeat ads (known as retargeting) while they are web surfing. If you’ve ever browsed online for a product, only to have ads for that product then seem to “follow” you around to other web sites or network platforms, you’ve been the recipient of this kind of marketing.

Telesales—Considered the most “old school” of the techniques mentioned here, telesales is still a key cog in the marketing factory. Ideally, less of these efforts will be “cold calls,” particularly if the target has already been properly warmed up via other programs such as email marketing or retargeting that ultimately drive the prospect to your owned content for education. The goal is for the lead to already be acquainted with you by the time your sales rep makes personal contact.

While such a mix can be effective and cost efficient for many companies, it bears repeating that there is no “one size fits all” integrated marketing strategy. An experienced marketing firm will work closely with you to understand your product and competitive landscape, including your target audience and, most importantly, its buyer persona. Our agency is adept at helping B2Bs figure these things out and then developing the best mix of marketing methods for reaching and engaging your prospects. We can also help you develop the content that is foundational to your marketing tactics—from white papers, bylined articles, website, email and blog copy, all the way to scripts for web-based video and telesales.

We hope you’re planning a fun and safe Fourth of July holiday this summer! And, if you’re ready to set off some fireworks with your own marketing activities, be sure to give us a call. Let’s talk about your specific situation and budget, and how we can help.

What’s in your marketing mix that is making your customers go “ooh and ah?”