Why working with an integrated marketing communications agency is the best choice for your business

As a business, you know that public relations (PR) is critical for success. It’s a powerful tool for crafting and maintaining a strong brand reputation and public image, and its ultimate goal is to keep your stakeholders, customers, and prospects up to date with important news and insights from your company. PR consultants at a highly experienced PR agency excel at building relationships with key journalists and media outlets to help you achieve these goals.

However, as businesses evolve, so do their communication needs. Today, an integrated communications agency can deliver much more value than just PR. While PR is still a vital component, agencies that offer integrated communications services can provide additional support through crisis communication, employee and stakeholder engagement, government relations, social media community management, and more. An integrated approach ensures that all communication channels and messages you use are strategically aligned to create a more cohesive brand identity, which is becoming increasingly valuable to businesses.

Marketing is equally important for business growth, as it helps to increase your share of voice and presence in the market while promoting your products and services to potential customers. However, when budgets compete, there can be missed opportunities for business growth, particularly if PR and marketing programs and messages don’t align. An integrated marketing plan that combines PR and marketing activities solves this problem.

What is integrated marketing communications?

Integrated marketing communications is the art of aligning and combining your PR and marketing efforts to create a cohesive message and strategy. By coordinating media engagement and marketing collateral, you can create a powerful narrative that speaks directly to your target audience, wherever they engage with your business. For example, strategic media placements can complement marketing content, reinforcing your brand’s messaging and positioning your company as a thought leader in your industry.

To achieve success with integrated marketing communications, organisations need a detailed integrated digital marketing plan that incorporates both PR and marketing insights. This can be challenging when working with separate PR and marketing strategies—and companies—that may have competing priorities and objectives.

The ideal solution is to partner with a single, fully integrated communications agency that can provide comprehensive PR and marketing services delivered by experienced professionals. With a team of marketing and PR consultants working together, you can develop a seamless B2B brand strategy that maximises your brand’s impact and drives business success.

What to look for in a communications agency

As companies increasingly recognise the benefits of integrated marketing communications, there has been a rise in the number of agencies promoting integrated services. However, not every integrated marketing agency delivers the same level of experience and success, especially when working with businesses in such a niche and nuanced industry as the built environment.

Often, PR agencies claim to offer marketing services, but they lack the experience and technical expertise to deliver effective campaigns. Instead, they may provide marketing services as an add-on to their existing PR rather than a standalone campaign designed to generate qualified leads. Meanwhile, many marketing agencies offer PR as part of their service but struggle with inexperience and a lack of understanding of the media landscape.

Marketing and PR are historically separate fields for a reason: they’re not the same thing and do not work the same way. While there may be some crossover, true integration requires equally specialised marketing and PR consultants working collaboratively to achieve the same goal.

When choosing an integrated corporate communications specialist, it’s important to look for:

• experience and expertise in both PR and marketing
• a track record of successful campaigns
• a deep understanding of your industry and the evolving media landscape.

Finding the right agency to fit your business

Finding the right communications agency to support your business can be a daunting task, especially if you’re looking for a partner that specialises in integrated marketing communications. While it may be tempting to opt for a generalist agency that dabbles in both PR and marketing, your business requires a tailored approach. Working with a specialist agency can provide your business with a team of dedicated consultants who understand your industry and can deliver an omnichannel marketing campaign that drives optimal outcomes.

Businesses across all sectors of the built environment industry increasingly seek agency partners that possess a deep understanding of their industry’s unique challenges and trends. It’s essential to partner with an integrated marketing agency with extensive experience in delivering campaigns that achieve results for complex solutions, products, and services.

At Write Away Communication, we know that the built environment industry is complex, but we believe that communication doesn’t have to be. Since 1986, we have been working with businesses involved in all aspects of the built environment, simplifying their messaging and helping them to connect with the right audiences. As a fully integrated communications agency, we specialise in creating and executing powerful campaigns that align strategically with marketing objectives for businesses.