REGISTER NOW: Uncomfortable Conversations: The Skills Crisis
REGISTER: 8THIRTYFOUR Skills Survival School Founding Cohort

What Makes Us Integrated? (And What Does Integrated Communications Mean?)

Written by

Share This Post:

One of the top questions we are asked (right after, “Where’s Jimmy?”) is, “What exactly is integrated communications?”
Which is fine because we LOVE talking about integrated communications, and not just because it is a part of our company name. We enjoy helping others understand that the world of communications is constantly changing, and having a firm that understands how the various parts of a communication strategy interact and affect each other is a very (very!) smart investment.
Around here, when we say “integrated” we mean just that: true integration. Every section of your marketing, PR, digital, web, advertising, and other communications strategies, impact each other. It also means that these efforts can’t just be linked, they must be coordinated to create real results.
In action, that means that even though we might be working on “just” a digital advertising campaign for a client, we are going to also be thoughtful about their website and social content to ensure that everything is cohesive. Meanwhile, a company’s online presence impacts its physical one, so we need to ensure that what we create digitally aligns with other communications strategies.
All that to say: we are never really working on just one communication channel, even if that’s what we are focused on in that moment.
So, how do we create this kind of multi-layered strategy? We like to think we make it look easy, but we do have a few tricks up our sleeve that support our ability to create measurable success for our clients:

  1. Our whole team loves to learn

Because our professional world is changing all the time, each member of our team keeps their finger on the pulse of communications trends, no matter what their day job is. We use tools like Feedly and have learning sessions as a team to stay on top of new ideas, best practices, and more, to ensure that we are leveraging every tactic, every time, for maximized integrated impact.

  1. Sometimes, we say no

We love what we do, and we want to do it for everyone. That said, we also know that for us to be successful, we have to use our integrated communications approach. That means that sometimes businesses come to us asking for a very specific deliverable that we know will impact other initiatives within their communications strategy. If what they ultimately want is going to negatively impact their efforts in the long run, we say no.

  1. We don’t have a lot of walls

Hopefully, you’ve been in to see our new awesome office, but if you haven’t, one of the keys to our success is that we have a very open working space. This is very purposeful. An integrated approach means that our team approaches opportunities for our clients collaboratively…this sometimes means that someone overhears another team member sharing an update that allows for an impromptu brainstorm. It’s incredible. Our creative, hardworking team always puts our clients first, with our very special approach.
So, there you have it.
Integrated = cohesive, connected, results-oriented, strategically focused.
To learn more about us and our integrated communications approach, hop on over to our website.
 
 
 
 

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

Something on Your Mind?

This is your Monday reminder that nobody has it all figured out at first.

Owning what makes you weird and unique takes time... and work. 

You can start that work at a Big Deal Energy workshop. First one is on June 23. Link in bio.
The brands winning in AI search aren't doing anything new; they just never stopped doing what worked.

Kim was quoted in @incmagazine alongside business leaders talking about generative engine optimization, and her message is one worth hearing right now. The terminology is different, the tools are different, but the foundation is exactly the same.

Full article at the link in bio.
Big Deal Energy starts with questioning the status quo and the rules you've been told to follow. They were built for blending in, not standing out.

Thank you to @fox17morningmix for the spotlight on our upcoming workshops. 

Watch the full segment at the link in bio.
Being open and being honest aren't the same thing, and according to Grace Gavin, most leaders haven't figured that out yet.

Grace is the co-founder of Know Honesty, and she joined Maddie on the Happy Hour Hustle podcast to talk about the communication gaps costing teams more than they realize.

If you lead people, this episode is for you. Link in bio.
Nobody will remember your job title, and frankly, it's not what's interesting about you, anyway. 

The reason you're in those rooms is to be memorable, so find what that is and embrace it.

Thank you to @sheleadssocietymi for having us at your monthly meeting to talk Big Deal Energy

Come to an upcoming workshop, it'll be fun. Link in bio.
Fixing the skills gap means changing how we do things... not more AI 'solutions.' 

In her latest blog, Kim talks about the need for mentorship, a framework, better job descriptions, and (this one's really important) managers who aren't afraid to give honest, timely feedback.

Read the full blog at the link in bio.