Despite having “integrated marketing” in my business title for the past 2 years, when I thought about writing a response to “what integrated marketing means to me,” I decided to start with a good old-fashioned dictionary definition. What does the word integrated actually mean? 

According to dictionary.com, "integrated" is defined as combining or coordinating separate elements so as to provide a harmonious interrelated whole; organized or structured so that constituent units function cooperatively.

I find these definitions both affirming (so my business title actually does apply to the work I’m doing…) and instructive for us as members of the nonprofit community.

As integrated marketers in the nonprofit space, we try our best to coordinate previously separate elements (for example fundraising and marketing; direct mail and digital channels) to work more effectively and produce a greater yield (revenue; brand awareness; constituents). I think we’re all still working on the “functioning cooperatively” part.

To me, integrated marketing requires 3 core elements: 

• Appropriate channel mix -- using each channel for its inherent strengths. This requires an understanding of how each channel can contribute to reaching your objectives. By contrast, a “we need to be there because it’s the latest fad” approach often appears disjointed, producing disappointing results -- and wastes money
• Identifying, understanding and leveraging the overlap in target audience between channels to maximize impressions, ensure consistency and minimize brand confusion
• Measurement across channels at the constituent level

Often times, organizations start and stop their integrated strategies at deploying consistent graphics, message themes, offers, and timing. While this approach is beneficial because it supports unified branding, it doesn’t fully leverage the power of an integrated approach until data about the target audience and channel performance is aggregated and analyzed collectively:

• How many direct mail donors are also email constituents? 
• How many email constituents are registered website users? 
• What, if any, registration data do we have on our social media constituents? 
• How can we message most effectively to this very valuable “multi-channel” audience segment, taking into account their value and profile data from each channel?
• What is the optimal message timing & sequence?
• For those segments we are likely to reach via one channel, how can we encourage multi-channel behavior?
• What is net revenue per donor per channel? Aggregated net revenue?
• How many impressions are gained per channel at what CPM?
• What is the value of actions taken per channel? Actions per constituent?

A plan that incorporates media/channel mix, target audience (including understanding how and where the target audience overlaps) and a robust measurement framework is the essence of a well thought out integrated marketing strategy.