Many SMEs businessmen who are still do not understand about how to communicate the integrated ‘marketing’ (Integrated Marketing Communication/ IMC). Because they do not understand this, they only conduct simple marketing activities which has impacts that are not really optimal. They have not conduct the marketing activities through all ways to make the company grow maximumly.
My experience as a consultant in many companies has given very clear information that businessmen of SMEs have to learn more about marketing so that their business can develop much better.
Furthermore, in this article, I would like to discuss about IMC to add knowledge and increase businessmen competencies in terms of marketing.
IMC is an effort that is used by the company to combine and coordinate all communication channel in order to inform, persuade, and remind customers directly or indirectly ‘about product and brand that they sell’.
IMC represents company’s ‘voice’ and its brand and also as a facility where the company can make dialogue (communication) and build customer relationship.
IMC is an important activities that needs to be done by all companies with particular purposes, starts from simple purposes which are increase sales number, increase brand awareness, until makes brand image in customer’s mind.
IMC activities can be done by many ways, such as:
- Advertising
This is the way that often be done by businessmen. Advertising can be done through newspaper/magaziner, radio, brochure/ flyer, and internet. Selecting the proper advertising media iklan will give better result. In this modern era to advertise in internet is a choice that must be considered. Besides its cheaper price, the impact is also extraordinary. Some SMEs businessmen is already proven to be successful only by conducting the marketing through social media. - Public Relation (PR)
PR activities is intended to form public opinion to a brand. PR starts from pers release that is sent to various media. If the news that is sent contains attractive news, then the media parties will write news about it. Collecting the blogger to be explained about your product is one of the effective PR ways. They will write news about your company. - Personal Selling
This way has purposes to introduce the company’s product by meeting its target market directly. Few things that mostly done are through product exhibition, talkshow, and other activities which directly meets the customer. In personal selling activities, good company’s image must be reflected. - Sales Promotion
This is an activity that is usually done to attract the prospect customers to buy the product, for example: ‘Buy 1 Get 2’, ‘Discount 30% for 2nd purchase’. The strength of sales promotion is able to motivate people to be attracted and lastly will buy it. - Direct Marketing
It usually can be done by sending brochure or flyer through mass email. The purpose is to increase Brand Awareness to increase the number of new customers.There was the 5 ways of marketing communication that should be done by businessmen. Without marketing communication, then the company would never grow fast and the adding process of new customer will be slow. Thus, marketing communication actually has 2 main functions which are to acquire new customer and remind the old customer.If the 5 ways of marketing communication above is done integratedly, then the company is on the right path to make the company to grow more and can win the competition in the market.
I hope that this short article can give clear explanation about marketing communication. You’d better try to execute it as you need. Good luck and be successful to all Indonesian SMEs.
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