How To Develop An Effective Integrated Marketing Strategy w/ Ben Austin @absolutelyben #vcbuzz

Digital marketing has been isolated for too many years now.

But it no longer works.

Digital marketing needs to be integrated into everything a company is doing.

Here’s how.

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About Ben Austin @absolutelyben

Ben Austin @absolutelyben is founder and CEO of @AbsoluteDMedia, best large integrated agency of the year.

Having initially been inspired by the possibilities of SEO after propelling his own site to search engine success, Ben’s natural flair for digital marketing led him to carefully craft the successful agency.

Questions we discussed

Q1 How did you become a digital marketer? Please share your career story!

In 2008 I founded @AbsoluteDMedia, a digital marketing agency specialising in SEO, PPC and digital PR. Since then, we‘CDC’s worked with brands including Ladbrokes, Romantix, QuidMarket and many, many more! SEO was & still is my passion!

Of course not! Before starting my business in SEO and marketing, I worked in the banking/finance industry ? #vcbuzz
— Ben Austin ? (@absolutelyben) January 11, 2022

Q2 In your opinion, what is the first step to building the perfect integrated marketing strategy?

To build the perfect integrated marketing strategy, you need to have a good understanding of your audience & market. Choose your channels carefully & develop a process to make sure each part of your strategy comes together! Team work makes the dream work.

A2 Start involving the rest of your company into the process! Teams like sales and customer service may help you boost your marketing strategy, so may product development, design, etc. teams #vcbuzz
— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) January 11, 2022

A2:
Have a good understanding of your target audience.
•Where are they located?
•What are their interests/needs?
•Their attitudes and behaviors?
This will help you recognize their pain points and tailor key messages accordingly. #vcbuzz
— Asangi (@asangi_j) January 11, 2022

Creating unity, common purpose and goals with the entire leadership & marketing team. #VCBuzz https://t.co/R5L7FwNdw2
— ? Sean Adelberg ? (@IntelBlazeSean) January 11, 2022

Step 1: Correctly identify your target audience – if you miss this, additional efforts will be off. #vcbuzz https://t.co/c3oJCP5gRE
— Jeannie Hill (@essentialskill) January 11, 2022

#VCBuzz A2.

Research.
Who and Where, followed by When and Why,
then What and How.

Figure the limits of each location/platform/channel,
then audience preferences – so you have minimal waste
(and be prepared to alter/adapt as you go)
— Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat) (@darth_na) January 11, 2022

Q3 What are the key elements of a successful integrated marketing strategy?

It all starts with an aligned strategy. Think websites, content marketing, social media, paid media, SEO, PR, creative… the list goes on. Establish your goals and decide what best fits those goals based on what you want to achieve.

A3:
>timing
>consistency
>customer focus
>media mix#VCBuzz
— Asangi (@asangi_j) January 11, 2022

#VCBuzz A3.

Meeting both the Business and the Prospect goals,
and targeting the right channel/platform for the relevant stage/goal.
What is targeted on SM is likely to differ to CM – as the audience are in a different state, different stage etc.
— Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat) (@darth_na) January 11, 2022

Q4 How does your audience influence content and style?

Knowing your audience helps you understand what information you need to provide/topics to write about! Matching your tone to the content = a more engaged audience ? Consider what content types they are receptive to & build your content strategy from there onwards.

A4 Enormously! If what you perceive as your audience litters their interactions with f-bombs, you are eliminating another potential audience entirely.

So you really have to know what is acceptable within part of your audience that won't offend other segments. #vcbuzz https://t.co/Y6QjmZq0Al
— Gail Gardner (@GrowMap) January 11, 2022

Knowing your audience is important!
> identify what information you should include in your content
> the tone you need to use
> help you determine the distribution channels and timing #VCBuzz https://t.co/EaWbTa6EaS
— Asangi (@asangi_j) January 11, 2022

Think about where they will/won’t be! Tailor your content to the platform ? #vcbuzz
— Ben Austin ? (@absolutelyben) January 11, 2022

#VCBuzz A4.

They (should!) dictate … just about everything (apart from the business goals).
What mediums and formats, tone/language level, timing/frequency, subject (topic and depth) etc.

It's no good cooking food to your own tastes!
It has to be to theirs 😀
— Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat) (@darth_na) January 11, 2022

Q5 What are the integrated marketing trends to look out for in 2022 & beyond?

Shoppable content
Eco-friendliness
User experience
Meta

#VCBuzz A5

Audience shifts/migrations between platforms (new channels/mediums, or trending over to a different one due to policy changes etc.).

New channels, and their stability (*cough* clubhouse *cough*).

Transference and overlap (same audience/stage etc., or similar?).
— Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat) (@darth_na) January 11, 2022

A5: Accessibility! Making content easily consumable for people with various disabilities! ?⚡️?? #VCBuzz https://t.co/QHO8RmwIkM
— ? Sean Adelberg ? (@IntelBlazeSean) January 11, 2022

Yes! This will be huge this year!

I see this as both a challenge and an opportunity. Individuals that embrace user and search evolutions correctly may command wins over the competition. #vcbuzz
— Jeannie Hill (@essentialskill) January 11, 2022

I believe accessibility might be a trend, which is good news for everybody really. Integrated marketing might finally be a trend too #vcbuzz
— Montse Cano (@MontseCano) January 11, 2022

I believe this will come out of the integrated marketing trend. If you try to integrate marketing, then you need to be more strategic too to know how to do that and provide value #vcbuzz
— Montse Cano (@MontseCano) January 11, 2022

Integrated marketing trends to watch in 2022 & beyond:

✨ Experiential marketing, online & offline (including VR & AR)
? Stress-free, user-friendly #CX more important than ever
? Permanent content grabs the spotlight back from ephemeral #vcbuzz #marketingtrends https://t.co/SoKMYdk094
— Jaime Shine ?️ (@jaimeshine) January 11, 2022

Q6 What is your favorite marketing campaign and why?

My favourite marketing campaigns are always those that are outside of the box because they stand out so much more. Campaigns that utilise real-world experiences/events are always a BIG hit!

#VCBuzz A6

I think my favourite is … still the Nescafe Coffee commercials (from when I was a little kid!).

TV, Radio, Print … pretty sure there were billboards too.
IT wasn't just "drink our coffee" – there were characters, a (okay, lame) plot … it had setup 😀
— Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat) (@darth_na) January 11, 2022

Q7 What are your favorite digital marketing tools?