In the world of marketing, integrated marketing communications (IMC) is a term that has been in use since the early 1980s to refer to coordinating the messages among advertising, public relations and sales promotion programs. Since then it has evolved into a strategic process focused on building positive relationships with customers by understanding their needs, motivations, attitudes and behaviors. It is driven by business objectives and customer data and requires research and measurement.

With so many media channels available, marketers are realizing that customers respond better to more relevant, integrated messaging.

Because the Internet has introduced new marketing channels and created new consumer behaviors, research shows that the most effective campaigns now reach customers with a blend of direct mail, Web and email. An  integrated marketing campaign today may encompass the following steps:

1. A targeted direct mail piece with a compelling offer
2. An offer linked to a personalized URL
3. A personalized website page containing a short survey
4. A thank-you email or letter
5. The saved survey information sent to the Sales Department
6. A direct sales call.

By tying these steps all together into an integrated campaign, companies can collect more customer data to use in future marketing efforts. The benefits of IMC for today’s marketer are that customers respond to relevant  messages and their level of response increases as messages are integrated across media channels. At PIP Printing we have the tools in place to provide this value-added opportunity for you and your business.