RISMEDIA, June 3, 2010—I was so excited when my husband went to a search engine optimization (SEO) conference and one of the sessions was about integrated marketing. I thought to myself, “Wow, it’s not just me who thinks this is something that needs to be discussed.”
You might be asking, “What is integrated marketing, Tricia?”
Integrated marketing means not just looking at one element of your marketing plan and expecting results that are independent from your other marketing components. An integrated marketing mindset means that you are massively mindful of the marketing you are doing across the board to ensure there is cohesiveness in the flow of information, and to best leverage your message for maximum return on investment.
Here are four simple tips to building an integrated marketing plan:
1. Buy domain names (URLS) for any call to action you might want to use in any of your marketing plans. Get Domains like www.FortMillHomeValues.com, www.FortMillShortSales.com or www.FortMillForeclosureList.com to support any advertising you will run to generate leads.
2. Make sure every postcard you use has a specific call to action that will drive lead generation on the Web. For example, a postcard that has a call to action, such as, “Market conditions and home values are changing in this shifting market. Go to www.WasillaStateOfTheMarket.com to get your custom weekly market report.” This will be much more valuable than a simple “just-listed postcard” with no traffic driver.
3. Classified ads. I know—you are dying to ask, “Tricia, isn’t newspaper dead?” The answer is no, especially if you use it as a specific driver in your Web strategy. Imagine having different calls to action that go to specific pages on your website to create interactivity and lead generation. Ask your local newspaper what they charge for a simple 2×1 classified ad. You might be pleasantly surprised how inexpensive this strategy can be.
4. Stealth marketing on Facebook. The ads on the right-hand side of your profile or newsfeed screen are ads you can create and run. This is where you have the opportunity to do stealth marketing and, even better, select specific target markets that reach those people using Facebook. Imagine having an ad that says, “Owe more on your home than you can sell it for? Click here for help.” This, in turn, could take them to a specific site that addresses this problem, such as www.GetShortSaleHelp.com. (P.S. – This applies for Craigslist.com, Google ad words, etc.).
Note: When driving traffic to your website from any marketing channel to a specific form, make sure these leads go into a specific e-mail follow-up drip that supports the message and connects to them.
Tricia Andreassen is the CEO/Founder of Pro Step Marketing, a leader in brand and Web strategy for the real estate industry. As an industry expert, speaker and author, she has over 19 years’ experience in helping Realtors grow their business.
For more information, visit www.prostepmarketing.com.
