Backbone Media B2B Marketing Blog

Unify Your Marketing Messages with Synchronized Marketing

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Take a quick look at the marketing program of any major brand today, and you’ll see that they’re using multiple marketing channels to engage with their audience, including:

  • Their website
  • Facebook fan page
  • Twitter feed
  • Pinterest board
  • Instagram account
  • PPC ads inside Facebook and on Google search pages
  • Ads on other online publications

That’s a lot of different channels to keep track of, which is why some brands stick to one or two channels, while others use all of them as they come out. Both of those strategies can be successful for brands, especially when they have a unified message that’s reflected across all those channels. One or many, it doesn’t matter. Regardless of the channel, they’re talking the same talk, same message, same voice, same everything. And it works.

How do they make it work?

They do it with synchronized marketing.

Integrated Marketing Communications + (Collaboration + Singular Brand Idea) = Synchronized Marketing

With integrated marketing communications you plan all of the contact points a customer may have with your brand, and ensure that it’s a consistent experience. Synchronized marketing takes that same foundation, and adds in the idea of focusing that communication around a “singular brand idea” that’s developed and sustained through a collaborative effort of your organization.

DeSantis Breindel, in their post on the topic, described synchronized marketing as marketing that “speaks to every target, through every relevant discipline at every touch point.” Successful brands have been using synchronized marketing to win new leads, customers, and ultimately grow their business.

So, how does that apply to you and the different marketing channels available to you? Let’s take a closer look at three ways you can put this into action.

1. Define your brand’s voice

Your brand voice covers everything from word usage and tone, to font choice, colors, and logos. Not only does your message have to be consistent with the rest of your brand, but it should also look the same as well. Audiences respond to that familiarity.

Apple is the classic example for doing this well. Every time you see a pair of white earbuds, you know there’s an Apple product plugged into them. They maintain the same design traits in all their products, and have let it flow into their marketing as well. Clean, simple ads, with a single message.

2. Define exactly what you offer that no one else does

This is otherwise known as your unique selling point. Every brand has one, and the successful ones have this defined very explicitly. They infuse this in all of their messages, images, and especially in their voice, so that each message is uniquely associated with their brand. .

Adidas’s tagline is “All In”, and promotes the idea that athletes are passionate about what they do, and give their all in everything they do. From the ads of professional athletes Lionel Messi and Derek Rose practicing, to the magazine ads of pop stars Katy Perry rehearsing for her next tour, and videos of marathon runners starting their race, the message in each of these channels is the same: these people were “all in” to whatever they were doing. They had passion for their work and activity, and it showed in the results.

3. Connect all of your channels

While larger brands can afford to use all of the marketing channels available to them, it’s simply not feasible for everyone. So instead, concentrate on the ones you can do well, and then produce quality content for them.

And then, unleash the secret the successful brands use: connect all of your marketing channels so they’re working together, amplifying your message. This interconnectivity expands your reach and makes it convenient for your consumers to find you when they’re most comfortable–which in turn increases the chances of them using your products.

An obvious idea for your digital marketing channels like social media or your website, but you can also connect your traditional marketing efforts with your digital ones and earn the same benefit.

Get better focus for your marketing channels

It takes true commitment from your marketing team to turn marketing efforts into a lean, mean, modern marketing machine with synchronized marketing. It can be especially hard for B2B brands that are used to dealing with the high-stakes business deals they see every day. In this high-pressure environment, your committed marketing focus will pay dividends. Highlight your uniqueness, create compelling messages that speak in one unified voice (regardless of the channel you use), and you’ll be on your way to success.

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