Have you ever heard of Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy - CIM?

In this article we will talk about CIM and how you can use this tool in your business. We take as an example the case of the company PLAY, a B2B startup focused on digital communication, created to meet the needs of companies in the new generation.

Article written by Stevão Pacheco - Journalist, specialized in Corporate Marketing with a post-graduate degree in Multiplatform Audiovisual Production, creator of the Action Creative Studio Agency, with a 19-year career.

The goal is to create an Integrated Marketing Communication strategy (CIM) for the company PLAY, a startup created to meet the needs of companies in the new generation, focusing on digital communication.

The first step is to identify, analyze, and study the target audience of the company to which the communication services will be provided, understand their interests and needs, identify in which channels they are most present, how is the communication and language used, and how this audience comes into contact with companies to consume products or services, starting the planning.

"Communication can be understood as a way of dialoguing, exchanging ideas with other people, which generally involves establishing a relationship between those involved within the communicational process. " (URDAN; URDAN, 2013).

The CIM planning should use, besides the traditional ones, the new communication tools, such as Google SEO, Google ADS campaigns, Facebook ADS (Instagram and Facebook) and YouTube ADS, using the same language, updated and aligned with its target audience, following the same pattern in the various platforms, but with adaptations according to the profile of each platform and media partner.

It is necessary to establish a more effective and innovative communication, according to the profile of the new consumer, who does not want only to consume products and services, per se, but that their wishes and desires are fulfilled.

"More and more consumers are becoming demanding and do not accept cold companies, with the sole purpose of selling their products or services." (Rockcontent.com/blog/comunicacaoinegrada)

Six tools to win new customers:

CIM's multiplatform actions, organized in stages through planning, analysis and execution, have the objective of creating the best experience for the consumer public and consolidate the brand in the market.

The actions must have consistency, coherence, continuity, and complementarity, through the following tools:

- Advertising (Coherence) - use different channels, digital and off-line using the same language, interconnected in the different media.

- Sales Promotion - (Consistency) - offer discounts, loyalty programs of progressive discounts, and giveaways.

- Personal selling - (Consistency) - understanding customer needs and offering solutions through the product and service portfolio, ensuring intense and constant training for customer service employees and salespeople.

- Public Relations (Complementarity) - working the company's image through the local and national press, in addition to the relationship with stakeholders through the participation in events, fairs, corporate meetings, etc.

- Direct Marketing (Continuity) - carrying out e-mail marketing and whatsapp campaigns for the registered customer base.

- Inbound marketing (Complementarity) - explore this tool to the maximum, given its importance. Invest in the team with experienced writers to produce relevant content with key words, through articles, stories, infographics, e-book, interviews, etc., to publish on the company website (blog) and generate flow on the site and conversion of prospects through engagement in Google SEO - Search Engine Optimization.

You have to know where you want to go and stay on track. Brands have personality, companies that make a good planning and invest in communication, retain more customers by the brand values and treatment with the public.

"A communication process that involves planning, creation, integration and implementation of various forms of communication, linked to a single central theme, which are presented during a certain time to target consumers and other audiences of interest to the brand. "(CRESCITELLI; SHIMP, 2012, p. 10).

Therefore, one of the major flaws in a CIM strategy today is the immediacy of companies, i.e., after approved the planning, CEOs and businessmen expect immediate result after a few months, and for not understanding the communicational process, stop the investment or constantly change the focus and the type of action, creating a vicious cycle of failures, which can lead a company to lose its identity to the public and even lead to bankruptcy.

In this respect: consistency, coherence, continuity and complementarity are decisive aspects for the success of a CIM strategy.

Following these steps mentioned above in the communication process, the benefits for the startup Play or any company that uses it, can be seen positive results in strengthening the brand identity: brand personality; greater efficiency of communication strategies: consistency in the message; integration among teams: they follow the same narrative in the different platforms; economy: digital media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are cheaper and more efficient compared to traditional models such as TV; increase in sales: the customer (Prosumer) prefers brands that have values that they identify with, such as environmental programs, social inclusion, that make a difference in their environment or community.

"Online and offline platforms must converge and create a new format, which is omnichannel, through which experiences are created for the consumer regardless of the channel they are in. In addition, it is possible to be in more than one channel, such as entering a physical store, observing and tasting a product, and triggering the smartphone, making the purchase through the app." (Kotler, Kartajaya and Setiawan; 2017).

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