As search engines continue to change, so, too, must our strategies for maintaining powerful online presences. Gone are the days where little one-off marketing techniques made an impact. Now, the game is all about providing the user with an all-encompassing experience online. In order to create this experience for your website’s visitors, you need to combine a lot of digital strategies into an “integrated digital marketing” campaign.
What Is Integrated Digital Marketing?
Integrated digital marketing is, as it sounds, the integration of multiple marketing strategies to form a cohesive online approach for your business. Here’s what it typically entails:
- web development and design
- search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM)
- content marketing
- social media marketing
- local listings management
- paid advertising (or pay-per-click advertising) campaigns
The idea behind integrated digital marketing is that, while each individual strategy doesn’t have a huge impact on its own, when used in conjunction, you can create a more influential online presence.
And it’s not just some passing fad. It’s pretty much the status quo when it comes to tackling the digital realm. Of course, there are still one-off campaigns out there, but most agencies are moving toward integrated solutions, as a well-rounded marketing strategy provides better visibility and ROI for businesses online.
Buzzword or Legitimate Service?
Make no mistake—integrated digital marketing is a legitimate service provided by digital marketing agencies. But some agencies tout it as if it’s a unique service that you can only get from them.
The fact is that most digital marketing agencies have their own form of integrated marketing because it’s the most effective way to build an online presence. So don’t let the buzzworthiness of an “integrated digital marketing plan” sway you to choose one agency over another. Because, chances are, both of them probably offer that service. Instead, when you’re choosing an agency, focus on what they bring to the table in terms of resources and proven success.
Integrated digital marketing is most certainly the best way to build an online presence, but don’t get caught up in how cool the term sounds—and don’t fall under the impression that it’s a special offer at specific firms. Almost all marketing these days, digital especially, has a great deal of integration involved.
