Advertising silos could be killing your results

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The great thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice. The bad thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice.

From a positive standpoint, companies and individuals can get their messages out quickly and affordably, building their reputations and attracting followers.

On the flip side, anyone can claim to be an authority on any given subject. And bad advice is more widespread than you might think. I probably shouldn’t be by now, but I’m still surprised by a lot of what I see online. 

One of the most common misguided sentiments I see is the elevation of one marketing channel or tactic over another. Online advertising is better than print advertising, someone will state. Or their particular specialty is the only effective form of advertising.  The introduction to an infographic on content marketing I recently came upon positioned it as traditional advertising’s rival.

Here’s the problem with this type of thinking. While some channels and tactics may be more effective then others in specific situations, more often than not, an integrated campaign works better than any single component.

If you were building a house, would you want use just a hammer, or would you want a full array of equipment and materials at your disposal? The same is true when building your business. You severely limit yourself without a full marketing toolkit. 

Your target audience may become aware of your brand through one channel, interact with it on another and convert through a third. It all works together to lead prospects through to a completed sale.

Even in specific stages of the sales cycle, integrated marketing leads to better results. Let’s say, for instance, you’re holding a webinar to generate leads. It makes sense to promote it through direct mail, email and social media to appeal to different preferences of the target audience. And each would probably lead to a landing page.

Integrated marketing and advertising has the power to drive action and maximize ROI. You just have to let it.