It is essential to have a strong Marketing communication strategy in the fast-paced world of business. It provides the foundation for building consumer relationships, raising awareness, and communicating your brand’s message to your target market.
Marketing communication strategy can be referred to as a multidisciplinary activity that requires multiple skills and coordination between departments. Earlier, marketing, advertising, publicity and sales were seen as the same and could be lumped into one function. Let’s explore 6 essential tactics that will help you improve your marketing communication.
what is marketing communication strategy
Just as individuals market themselves through language, dress, body language, etiquette, manners and mannerisms. Businesses use marketing communication strategies to project an image among their potential customers for their products or services.
A company’s complete plan and concerted efforts to effectively communicate with target audiences are referred to as their marketing communication strategy. For the purpose of to develop an integrated and powerful brand narrative, it includes the strategic application of a range of communication channels and techniques, including public relations, digital marketing, social media, advertising, and content development. Engaging, educating, and persuading the target market is the aim in order to eventually influence important customer behavior and accomplish company goals.
Understanding the target audience, adjusting messages to suit their needs, choosing the right media, and upholding consistency are the essential elements of a successful marketing communication plan that creates a powerful and identifiable brand identity. By integrating these elements, organizations can establish a meaningful connection with their audience, differentiate themselves in the market, and foster long-term relationships with customers.
There are several ways to reach potential customers. It is these complex and overlapping functions that make up an organization’s vital marketing communications.
It may start with logo, branding, product placement, press releases, advertising, public relations, sales presentations, sponsorships, CSR campaigns and more.
Marketing communication strategy 6 important strategies you should know
The 6 most important marketing communications strategies are as follows:-
1.Marketing communication strategy : Brand
In the market, you can either become a commodity or a brand. By being a commodity, the risks are lower and you may have weak profit margins. But the market will be crowded. There will be no identity for your product. These unbranded products are visible across consumer and industrial goods.
For example. The consumer has the freedom to choose a branded product or an unbranded good. The difference will be in price, texture and customer satisfaction.
While a branded product is a guarantee of quality because the company has invested substantial resources and effort in its creation, quality may still be found in an unbranded commodity product. with the intention of providing the client with increased value in terms of performance, quality, and safety.
Some of the successful brands that easily come to the mind of the customer might be
“Microsoft, IBM, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Amazon, Starbucks, Audi, Unilever, Yahoo, Ford, Sony, Warner Bros” and many others.
The main advantage of branding is that it enables a company to price its products at a premium level compared to commodity products. It is important to have a message or slogan that conveys the core feature of the brand called the brand voice. These are some of the most famous ones:-
- Apple-Think Different
- Audi-Vorsprung Durch Technik – Progress through technology.
- BMW – absolute driving pleasure.
- Ford- Feel the difference.
- Samsung Galaxy – Next Now.
A brand ought to encompass the company’s objectives, the advantages of its products and services, the way in which its clients view it, and the attributes that the business should be known for. It takes research into the needs, habits, and desires of clients to fully comprehend them.
Branding is comprehensive – it covers how you make phone calls, email signatures, what salespeople wear, website content, images and social media.
If the theme of the product is innovation, all marketing communications should focus on that. Let’s move on to the next marketing communication strategy.
2. Marketing communication strategy: slogan
A logo is the most visible and memorable feature of a brand. Even when a person forgets the brand name, they are likely to remember the logo.
Therefore, when creating and selecting the logo, care must be taken. Companies now spend enormous sums of money designing their logos, a testament to the logo’s significance in developing a brand since it embodies everything the company stands for.
It is best not to copy or make changes to an existing logo but it is better to hire a designer who has experience in creating professional logos for companies. Your logo should differentiate you from competitors. The logo may consist of thin, simple lines or curves.
Marketing experts say that having the logo visible in as many places as possible is essential to a successful brand. A fashionable logo may mislead consumers and fail to deliver the intended results.
The purpose of hiring a professional designer is to avoid using copied images or images used. So it does not serve as universal clipart that is available for use by anyone.
The logo should distinguish the product and make it stand out and attention should be paid to the use of fonts, images and color’s. It is best to use three colors that reflect the values and goals of the organization.
Having variations that are single-, double-, and multicolored is ideal for use in many contexts. After hiring a designer and creating the final version of the logo, it ought to be trademarked.
This can be completed online from the website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office in the United States.
In other countries, patent and trademark authorities have been formed to provide such services. Once protected, it can be used on websites, letterhead, business cards, newspaper ads and more. Let’s move on to the next marketing communication strategy.
3.Marketing communication strategy : positioning
The term positioning is often used in marketing but perhaps not properly understood. When launching a new product or brand, it should be appropriately positioned in the market whether in the entry level, regular or premium segments.
This phrase has two uses: verb and noun. It’s a method by which a business shapes consumer perceptions of the product in comparison to rival offerings. It provides a crucial response to the query of what the business does from the perspective of its clients.
Perception is defined by the success of a marketing communication strategy : it is determined by the product (what it is), the benefit to the customer (what it does), the impact on the consumer (what it means) and the motivation to buy (why should I care).
This is where marketing communications through media, advertisements, emailers and product reviews help. But part of the perception is in buyers’ minds through packaging, pricing, product performance, references and media recommendations.
Determining the market and your company’s position within it is the difficulty a business encounters when entering a new industry. It entails putting the business in front of forward-thinking consumers as a thought leader in a newly developed and extremely lucrative market niche. advantages of the product and its competitive edge over similar products already on the market.
The positioning strategy may be different in the current market as there must be clear clarification to economic buyers and end users regarding the reliability of the product and whether it is best suited to their needs. Marketing communication should clearly explain these benefits.
Product positioning is important for a variety of reasons – it has one major impact on a customer’s purchasing decision, and the product is evaluated against a mental map of the market. Also, the position is in the client’s mind and will not be easily changed.
It is important for the company to demonstrate product suitability using reliable, realistic and supportable terms. Let’s move on to the next marketing communication strategy.
4. Marketing communication strategy: advertising
The purpose of advertising is to create awareness of your brand or product among consumers and potential buyers. It creates a desire for the product among consumers through appropriate messages such as health, added comfort, fashion, appearance, benefits and a variety of other advantages.
A expensive component of brand promotion is advertising, and careful media planning is needed to achieve the intended results within the campaign’s allocated budget and timeline.
You can tell consumers about your product and business using print, outdoor displays, billboards, radio, television, websites, and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Marketing experts point out that the company’s advertising goals must be clearly defined in the business plan. It could be a certain percentage of growth in sales, more sales inquiries, or increased footfall in retail stores.
Advertising promotion can be brand specific or company specific depending on the requirements at hand and it is best to hire advertising agencies to do the creatives after defining the brand requirements and Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of the brand.
After the design is accepted, media strategists are hired to book advertising space in print, broadcast, and television media. Working with the agency to arrange this properly will guarantee a higher return on investment (RoI).
The criteria for advertising differ according on the kind, scope, and scale of a business’s activities. Identifying themselves will be the aim for startups. To get customers’ attention, a lot of promotional support might be needed.
For a growing business, the goal is to differentiate from the competition and provide compelling messages to attract buyers and for an established business, the goal is to maintain buying interest and not lose out to new competition.
In advertising the mnemonic AIDA is very relevant – it denotes awareness, interest, desire, and action. Every campaign should focus on achieving these goals.
Advertising or marketing promotion is not only limited to advertisements and billboards, but also to packaging, colors used in it, fonts and symbols. Let’s move on to the next marketing communication strategy .
5. Marketing communication strategy: blogging
Blogging has emerged as a useful function in the marketing communication strategy for an industry that is cost effective and may pay off in the long run while growth may not be as explosive.
Nonetheless, prominent content strategist Neil Patel believes that content marketing may offer steady, quantifiable increase each month.
Write about new technologies, market trends, industry-related issues, emerging technologies, R&D issues, functionalities of certain new products, and product reviews, but be careful not to write too much about the product itself.
Selecting a topic that is well-researched and well-written is crucial. Additionally, excellent promotional materials and writing are also necessary.
It would be great if top influencers or industry experts are invited to write blogs which in turn can make a difference in the search engine rankings of the website and blog.
Experts from within the company can also write good blog articles but care must be taken regarding the choice of topic and its relevance to the reader.
According to Neil Patel, many marketing blogs advocate high-quality content but deliver low quality on their own. Only a small percentage of blogs are quality.
when developing links to their websites and performing search engine optimization (SERP) to ensure that content is displayed and placed top when visitors use search engines to obtain fundamental information, firms have not yet analyzed and utilized big data.
Make sure there are targeted keywords in the content and sub-headings and use images and graphics to complement the editorial content. Let’s move on to the next marketing communication strategy.
6.Marketing communication strategy : Sponsorship
At any given time, there are numerous industrial, consumer and trade fairs taking place around the world, and it makes perfect sense to ensure your company or product is present.
Either by setting up exhibition booths and reaching out directly to consumers or sponsoring prizes or events held as part of the show.
By sponsoring a meal, giving away free books and stationery, creating accessories for the disabled, establishing a school, children’s park, bus shelter, or building infrastructure in a city or village, like a road or canal, many businesses demonstrated their concern for the community and the less fortunate.
The objective could be to create a long-lasting impression in the minds of industry, government, and consumer decision-makers that the business values its people and is committed to returning a portion of its earned income and earnings to the community.
Conclusion
Being an expert in marketing communication gives you a competitive edge in a world where communication is everywhere. Together, the tactics covered here provide a thorough method for efficient communication. Recall that flexibility is essential, and a dynamic approach will maintain your brand’s prominence.
