Marketing Communications

Marketing communications (Marcom) are channels and tools a company uses to communicate the necessary message to the target group. They encompass PR, branding, advertising, packaging, social media, etc. Marcom allows customers to understand a company and product it offers and a brand to reduce the sales cycle.

In this article, we’ll unveil the objectives and types of marketing communications and figure out how to develop a Marcom strategy.

Objectives of Marketing Communications

In a market full of competitors, companies leverage different unique techniques and tactics to reach their audiences. They combine marketing channels and tools to convey the necessary message and make sure that prospects understand it. These communications include advertising, PR, sponsorships, promotion, social media, etc. They help fulfill different objectives, to name a few:

• communicate the main message and idea to the target audience;
• introduce a product to leads;
• initiate brand switching;
• allow a brand to compete within the market;
• improve your product and brand awareness;
• influence buying decisions;
• encourage customers to purchase a product;
• establish a positive brand image;
• attain brand recognition, trust, and transparency.

You can reach even more goals with marketing communications; keep exploring to find out more. Now let’s delve into the types of communications.

Types of Marketing Communications

Marcom implies different ways of reaching customers. We’ve prepared the main types businesses use most often to drive the attention of their target audience.

• Digital marketing. In this type, brands use the internet to market and promote products, connect with customers and encourage them to purchase. You can approach prospects and customers through email marketing, messengers, social media, web push notifications, etc. Create desktop and mobile versions of your website to enable users to feel comfortable when using your service. SendPulse enables you to create effective marketing campaigns and reach leads and customers in no time. You can communicate the necessary message to your target groups with our chatbots, web push notifications, and SMS.
• Public relations. This approach is considered one of the most effective and credible ones. This is because the information about a certain brand or product comes from the third uninterested party that genuinely recommends a specific company or discourages people from buying its products. Business owners don’t control the content parties disseminate about their companies. PR works best for brands that offer an excellent product, consistent user experience, and smooth customer support. These factors positively influence brand reputation.
• Advertising. Entrepreneurs spend millions of dollars to promote their products on TV, radio, social media, YouTube, and other channels. They seek help from advertising agencies or develop ads by themselves to hook a wide audience and encourage prospects to purchase. The method is expensive yet effective. By running ads on various platforms, companies can receive a high ROI that exceeds expenses.
• Social media. According to Asset Digital Communications, 71% of small and mid-sized startups consider social media platforms to promote their goods. Since 4.48 billion people worldwide use social media, it’s the most popular channel for promotion. At a low cost, brands can reach the international public. There are various channels you can use to market your product like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, place ads on sites and blogs, and ask influencers for promotion.
• Customer recommendations. Customers can become brand promoters for free. Word-of-mouth marketing is an effective tool since most people trust the recommendations of close people. Happy customers who like a product can promote it better than any quality ads. You can encourage more satisfied clients to promote your brand. For example, you can develop referral programs, provide consumers with discounts and special offers, and invite them to join a loyalty program. As a result, you’ll gain trust, credibility, and awareness.
• Direct marketing. This form of communication implies companies preparing content and tailoring messages for pre-selected customers. A brand already knows its consumers and the offers they need at a certain period. Companies send coupons, items on discount, special offers, etc.
• Sales promotion. The majority of people opt-in to receive updates on the brand’s news, especially sales, discounts, coupons, giveaways, loyalty programs, referral programs, and free delivery. With this approach, companies that just start can hook attention and increase product sales. More people will discover a new brand and get involved. Sales promotion is also a good idea for well-established companies. It helps sell old collections and make room for new products.

Now that you are aware of the types, it’s time to jump into creating a marketing communications strategy.

How to create a marketing communications strategy?

You can build your long-term plan in 6 simple steps. Our step-by-step guide will help you create a strategy and make your business grow.

1. Identify your target audience. Offering your product to all people doesn’t work. You need to target specific audience segments that need your product to help solve their problem. That’s why you need to identify your target group, their location, age, gender, interests, preferences, needs, occupation, etc. This will help you craft personalized messages and marketing campaigns. Besides, you’ll know which channels it’s better to choose to reach your ideal customer. Develop a buyer persona to name the characteristics of your consumer. It’ll help you select people you should target. To develop an accurate buyer persona, you need to mention the customer’s job title, pain points, challenges, and goals.
2. Define your unique value proposition. UVP makes your company stand out and outperform your competitors. It’s essential to have one to demonstrate it to your audience and prove that you are superior to other brands for a number of reasons. UVP is a solution your customers need. If you succeed in helping your customers, they will reward you with good revenue, word-of-mouth promotion, a bigger customer base, a good position within the market, and more. For example, Domino’s Pizza positions itself as a company that delivers the freshest and hottest pizza faster than competitors, only in 30 minutes.
3. Bring the solution to customers’ problems. The next thing you should do is to match customers’ pain points with the solution you offer. Create a table with customer problems and product solutions. You should mark the offerings that meet customers’ problems. Share this table with your team to create messages that address clients’ issues and provide solutions. Align messaging across all marketing channels you use for communication.
4. Select channels to deliver your message. The channels you use depend on the goals you want to attain and customers’ preferences. Identify the platforms and messengers your target audience prefers the most. You can start with developing your website and publishing quality content on your blog. SendPulse’s landing page builder empowers you to create a landing page within 15 minutes. Apply multi-channel services like SendPulse to send email campaigns, set up web push notifications, and support clients via chatbots.
5. Measure the end result. Once you implement everything, track the results. See if your business moves towards the achievement of your goals. Metrics will provide you with a clue of your company’s performance.

Congrats, now you know all the important facts about marketing communications. Hope our guide will come in handy when you are ready to develop a successful strategy for your company.

References:

1. This article defines the term and unveils elements of the marketing communications mix.
2. In this article, you’ll find marketing communications methods.
3. This article provides readers with information about a marketing communications strategy.

Last Updated: 22.03.2023