What Is Convergence In Marketing And How Can It Benefit Your Business?

If you’ve kept abreast of all the latest digital marketing trends within the business environment, you may have come across this buzzword: convergence.

Taking a convergent approach to marketing is a great way for businesses to empower their customers, deliver exceptional customer service, and enhance their message. Keep reading to find out why convergence is so key in marketing.

What is meant by convergence in marketing?

Put simply, convergence in marketing is when a company integrates marketing, IT and design to present an integrated, clear and consistent message across all their media.
Convergent approaches to marketing communication mainly concern digital and online components. Whereas traditionally approaches involve print brochures, email, coupons, advertisements, exhibitions and in-person sales, convergent approaches, on the other hand, involve social media, viral ad campaigns, blogs, user-generated content, websites, apps, etc. Convergent approaches are generally digital, more accessible and more instantaneous than traditional approaches.

Areas where marketing can be integrated in a business model

Potential areas where marketing can be integrated includes Marketing and IT, where the IT department can bring the marketing ideas to life through social media channels and in the form of an app, for example, to help drive sales and elevate the brand’s image and presence, and ensuring that the branding is in line with the business’ webpage.

Convergent marketing empowers the customer

One of the benefits of convergence in a marketing environment is that the customer is given the opportunity to interact with a brand in more ways and on more channels than ever before. Convergent marketing is customer-centric and gives the customer a voice and the opportunity to feedback on products and services. This will greatly benefit many businesses because if their customers are more empowered they will help to enhance brand recognition and inform the business’ marketing objectives so that it can develop its services.

Convergent marketing improves customer service

Convergence is where departments within a business present a unified message, and this requires sectors to interact, share information and work to the same policies. This is a shift from traditional siloed methods, in which sectors do not overlap, in turn hindering the quality of communication between business and customer.
Messages that can be unified across a business through an integrated approach include phone calls, email, SMS, Social Media posts and comments and Instant Messaging. By having all organisational messaging integrated into one interface, a business can deliver a unified marketing message. This means that customers will experience a consistent voice and brand identity and efficient customer service, which will help to build trust and integrity between the customer and the business.

3 marketing tools to enhance convergence

Social Media is one of the most effective marketing tools that all businesses should leverage. The advantages of Social Media include better interaction between an organisation and customers, the easy promotion of goods and services, and the opportunity to spark User Generated Content (UGC). The disadvantages of Social Media include that it’s a public arena where users and customers can speak freely, and this means that negative or defamatory comments and feedback must be diligently monitored and rapidly responded to so that the brand’s reputation is not damaged.
Mailshots or direct mail marketing is used to target potential customers. Traditionally, it’s in the form of letters, but now more associated with email marketing. The advantages of digital “emailshots” are that it’s a quick and easy medium in which to target specific audiences and regularly promote marketing messages. It is easy to measure the effectiveness of an email marketing campaign through Google Analytics. To implement an effective EDM (Email Direct Marketing) campaign, enlist the expertise of an inbound and digital marketing agency in Australia.
Apps are another great marketing tools that some businesses should harness to improve customer experience and organisational efficiency. The advantages of apps include the ability for a customer to store all their information on one interface, as well as being a platform where they can easily interact with a business (e.g. shop for items, track information, etc.). The disadvantages of apps are they must be easy-to-use and aligned with the organisation’s branding and message, or else the business can risk looking unprofessional.
Consider taking a convergent approach to marketing and your business will thrive.