ABC’s of Cross-Media Marketing

In recent years, you may have heard the buzz about Cross Media Marketing and wonder a) What is it?  b) How can it help my business?

Infotrends, a worldwide market research and strategic consulting firm defines cross media marketing as “the use of two or more media types  in an orchestrated campaign targeting a specific demographic and/or psychographic segment…A cross-media campaign delivers relevant content and a call to action through multiple media simultaneously as an integrated campaign.”

Benefits of Cross-Media Marketing:

• Increased ROI;
• Raised awareness of your offering and brand;
• Measurable results;
• Personalized communications and targeted, relevant content delivered to each recipient;
• Increased response;
• Multiple touch:  reach your audience multiple mediums increases chances of making meaningful contact;
• Gathers valuable data about your audience.

Who is it good for?

Businesses of all sizes can benefit from cross media marketing because campaigns are easily scalable based on your audience, data, and budget.  It can also be used to meet any organizational need like:

• Increase brand awareness;
• Announce new services;
• Increase ROI on a seasonal promotion or sale.

What types of marketing tools can be combined in a cross media campaign? 

• Print pieces like brochures, postcards, flyers, newsletters, etc.
• E-mail marketing
• Web campaigns
• Mobile marketing
• Social Media
• PURLs

Here are a few tips on how to get started:

• Start with a desired end result: Who do you want to reach? What is the purpose of your campaign? To increase membership?  Sales by 20%?  Add subscribers to you newsletter?  Attendees to your upcoming event?  A focused goal will deliver better results and drive what marketing techniques you need to combine to reach your desired goal.
• Select a combination of print and online tools: Utilizing a combination of print and online marketing makes for a rock-solid campaign. While online marketing has great tracking capabilities, print earns customers trust and respect because it creates a sense that they are valued.
• Make it unique: When developing your print piece, utilize unique papers, unusual folds, or bold graphics to make your piece stand out, feel special and attract attention.  For your online component, get creative by adding video components.
• Unify and Target: To get the most from your cross media marketing, makes sure all your materials share common elements.  Your audience should know immediately that each piece is part of the same campaign.  When making your design, you also want to make sure that it appeals to your target market aesthetics.
• Good data = Great results: The golden rule of marketing is start with good data. Spend some time going through your email database and making sure you have as much data filled in as possible. LinkedIn Premium is good tool for qualifying data. Good data is crucial to personalization, and personalization is the key to success in cross media marketing.
• Create a solid plan and a timeline of activities: Cross media marketing builds upon and strengthens each component, so you need to keep the connection and conversation going throughout your campaign.
• Create a measurement plan. When you measure, you can determine what worked, and what didn't. Determine measurement tools for each component. With online marketing like email and PURLS, measurement is worked into the distribution platform. For direct mail or brochures, you can add a phone number to call or a call to action that integrates mentioning that they are contacting you because they received your print piece. Example: "Mention this flyer for 10% off".  Numbers can be tracked in a simple google doc.

Now that you understand the basics of cross media marketing, you can start planning your own campaign!  If you need a little help, AlphaGraphics San Francisco is here to offer you all the services you need for all the success you want. We have a full-service creative services department offering services like direct mail, website development, PURLs, and social media campaigns. We can help you develop the concept, execute the campaign, and track the results. For more information, product samples, and a success-analysis, please check out this case study by our partner PODI (www.podi.org)  

View the full PODI case study here: PODi_Dunstable_Eye_Centre

We are an extension of your team, with focused and dedicated services that deliver results.  Give us a call to get started with cross media marketing today!