Paper Example on Integrated Marketing Communication Strategies

Introduction

It is always essential for any business organization to create an effective marketing communication plan to help it convince targeted customers to buy its products. These strategies are included in the integrated communication marketing plan which is essential in guiding the implementation process of the marketing plan. Currently, advertisement and product promotion is changing and therefore it is important to use modern marketing techniques which are cost effective and more efficient as compared to traditional methods. A long time ago, companies over depended on conventional mass media to market their products but to date, they are less active and can only reach very few people (Holm, 2006). For that reason, the owner of the readymade magazine has to integrate its advertisement with other communication methods like use of the internet, websites, sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations and event sponsorship to meet its target audience. It has also been discovered that these communication strategies are more useful and cost-effective when used together with other marketing elements.

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In the current marketing condition, there is stiff competition, and therefore the owner of Readymade magazine must use attractive messages through the above communication strategies while promoting their products. On a daily bases, there are new companies that are created, others are amalgamated, and others form alliances. Under this business condition, it is necessary for the owner of the readymade magazine to be smarter in their marketing strategies or else it will have quality products but low sales volume. IMC creates various marketing objectives, and in each, there is an effective communication plan aimed at sending attractive language to a given targeted customer. It is necessary for the owner of the readymade magazine to include public relation to identifying strategies that can be used to communicate with customers. Also, the owner of the readymade magazine should first know how the product will benefit customers and the best way it can make customers acknowledge the usefulness of the product or service. Public relation as one of IMC can solve marketing communication problems.

The owner of the readymade magazine can use advertisement to market its products either through digital marketing or use of the internet to communicate with its customers. When advertising its products, it is necessary to produce a standard message relating to the product price, benefits, and product availability. It is done to make the products more appealing to ensure they buy the good. Such messages can be given either through TV or radio to ensure it reaches as many people as possible. The advertisement is a communication strategy that provides that the owner of the readymade magazine to enter a broader market. This is because any kind of information used through radio or television or digital media is likely to reach people in various parts of the World. There are other media which can be used as a way of advertising the products of the readymade magazine and they include radio, video, print media, and websites. It is essential for the owner of the readymade magazine to identify the appropriate media by the target customer (Pujari, 2013).

The advertisement has also increased the legitimacy of the product because the information about the product is being addressed to customers that have the assumption that they cannot get wrong information from the company. Most customers prefer buying a product which is widely advertised although there are some problems associated with it. It does not allow direct communication between the marketer and the potential buyer. Other issues related to the advertisement is that it is impossible to get the feedback from customers, knowing whether the message has reached the targeted customers and limited opportunity to give the input.

The owner of the readymade magazine can also use sales promotion to communicate with its customer. This is also a very important communication strategy which the business organization can use to reach its targeted customers. In sales promotion, the owner uses incentives that can stimulate customers to buy the product. It is essential because its effect is felt immediately and also it is more important when launching a new product on the market as it allows customers to taste and try a new product. Furthermore, it is necessary for the owner of the readymade magazine to use sales promotion because it can also improve the effectiveness of other marketing communication strategies. Selling a product that has an incentive is easier than selling a product without an incentive (Pujari, 2013). Therefore, sales promotion is a very important marketing communication strategy that the owner of the readymade magazine should use when marketing its products. Although it is appropriate, it has other problems that make it ineffective. It always has a reflection of a crisis because any company that provides an incentive year in year out, it shows that the product has very low demand and high supply. The customer can also think that the company produces products of very low quality and therefore it should not be used most of the time.

Personal selling is also a very important marketing communication strategy that the owner of the readymade magazine should use. It is a way of communicating with targeted customers directly. The owner of the readymade magazine can talk to customers face to face, and it is more important because it gives the company the opportunity to clarify the product. This marketing communication strategy also allows the company to receive direct feedback from the customer. It also improves the relationship between the customer and the company, and at the same time, the marketer can easily convince the customer to buy a product when they are communicating face to face (Pujari, 2013). The only issues that the owner of the readymade magazine is likely to face that it will be possible to meet very many people within a shorter time. The owner of the readymade magazine should use this marketing communication strategy even though it reaches very few people as compared to an advertisement.

It can also use public relations to communicate with the customers. Public relation is a way of developing a good relationship with the general or customers. The owner of the readymade magazine can ensure that it develops good relations with the customers. It involves the assessment of the attitude of customers and discovers the policies that can be used to gain the public trust. In most cases, it overcomes the negative relations of the general public. It also has the potential of molding the customer attitudes towards the company products (Pujari, 2013). In the process, the owner of the readymade magazine will build its brand image although it may make the company not to have control over the channels used to send the message.

Conclusion

Generally, marketing communication is a very important step that improves the attitudes of customers towards the product. This is because any effective marketing communication strategy ensures that the customer gets clearly what the marketer is saying and also the perception the customer has on the message. In the process of creating a good communication strategy, the owner of the readymade magazine should first assess the communication channels available and select the most suitable one that can reach very many people within a short time. In choosing an appropriate communication strategy, it is essential to use a promotional mix. When it is an advertisement, the message needs to be aired either through radio or TV. In sales promotion, it is also necessary to broadcast the message through radio or television. These can be used in modern and conventional societies, but the internet and digital media can only be used in the contemporary world.

It is the responsibility of marketing manager to lead the development of promotional strategies which significantly influence the marketing communication plan. The promotional strategy has various elements, and it is improved through the use of market research (Holm, 2006) which helps business owners to understand the needs of different customers. To understand the customers, buying behavior can be checked, and it is essential to use any media to pass messages to customers. To effectively communicate with the customers, it is, therefore, necessary to use a public relation as it is a direct way of communicating with customers. On the contrary, the advertisement is used to air messages about the products through TV and radios, but currently, digital media and social media are also used to reach very many customers within a shorter time (Ogden & Ogden, 2014). The customer is allowed to either ignore the message sent by the business owner or respond to it although the owner of the readymade magazine is not absolute if customers have received the letter.

References

Holm, O. (2006). Integrated marketing communication: from tactics tostrategy. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 11(1), 23-33.

Pujari, S. (2013, August 16). 4 Most Important Elements of Promotion Mix | Business Marketing. Retrieved May 14, 2016, from http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/marketing/4-most-important-elements-of-promotion-mix-business-marketing/8796/

Ogden, J. R., & Ogden, D. T. (2014). Integrated marketing communications: Advertising, public relations, and more. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education