Integrated Marketing and the Customer Journey

(Or why social media alone isn’t the answer)

As new business owners, we’re too often drawn to the shiny world of social media that promised to solve all our problems in one hit.

People find you. They love what you do. And they buy. Right?

Well, not quite.

There’s a lot more to attracting, landing and retaining new customers than a quick social media post.

I recently caught up with the hyper-talented and globally-acclaimed marketing genius, Mia Fileman, to chat all things customer journey marketing. She strongly believes in a ‘done with you’ take on integrated marketing and the customer journey and her evolutionary approach has quickly cemented Campaign Del Mar as a must-have marketing partner for small businesses who want to think ‘longterm’ instead of ‘quick win’. With integrated campaigns that hit home for all the right reasons!

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Hey Mia, Thanks for joining me in this feature series all about small business marketing and the customer journey. Can you share a few snippets about you? who are you and what do you do?

Hi, I’m Mia. A marketing strategist with decades of experience in the industry. I’m also a mother and military spouse who knows the reality of juggling business, life and multiple roles.

In 2018 I decided to share what I’d learned and help growing marketers level up. Over two decades in the corporate world I ran marketing campaigns on behalf of business and government and spent 10 years in Brand Management roles for global companies such as L’Oreal, BIC and Kraft.

That was before I moved across to the world of creative agencies as a Director.

Nowadays, my business Campaign Del Mar helps marketers build marketing campaigns that are just right for their business. The signature program, the Campaign Classroom teaches small business owners the A to Z of marketing campaigns, from idea to execution.

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Side Note: Tune in to my guest episode on Mia’s Podcast

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Is Campaign Del Mar your first attempt at business or was there longer lead-up?

My business journey started with my own marketing agency just over a decade ago. I dreamed big and had big plans.

But I quickly realised that as a military spouse you have to be flexible, nimble and ready to pack up your bags whenever the phone rings.

It took a failed business and a few years of wisdom under my belt to finally start Campaign Del Mar, a business that can not only accommodate but support my lifestyle while I get to share my gifts with the business community.

Campaign Del Mark is where I can get the most out of my limited time and resources and satisfy my creative side without driving myself into the ground.

I love that I provide creative solutions to other small business owners that will give them the luxury of time and strategic support so they can focus on the things they love.

Can you elaborate on what Campaign del Mar does and how it can help small business owners with their integrated Marketing and customer journey efforts?

From Instagram Reels to SEO tactics, influencer campaigns to TikTok and content marketing – the pace of change in digital marketing can be overwhelming, even for those who aren’t wearing a bunch of other hats.

Campaign Del Mar is for marketers in small business who are ready to work smarter.

Instead of worrying about what marketing fad is right for your business, we help you focus and bring it all together in powerful marketing campaigns that deliver a seamless brand experience.

Marketing that’s seamless no matter where you encounter it. Where every element of a brand is working in harmony. Where it makes you feel something. That makes a successful marketing campaign!

Exactly that’s our bread and butter. Because it works!

Campaign Del Mar doesn’t just focus on one channel, platform or tactic because no single channel will ever be enough to reach customers where they are.

On every stage of the customer journey, customers are looking for certain things to progress to the next stage. A brand must meet those expectations with not only their marketing but their customer experience.

As a CX specialist (with a course from The London Business School under my belt), I use and teach a CX approach throughout everything I do with Campaign Del Mar. It’s infused in literally every part of Campaign Del Mar and how we interact with (and teach) our customers.

Why does every business need to keep a strategic customer journey in mind when marketing to an audience?

Whether you sell ugg boots or life insurance, customers go through a similar decision-making process.

But brands are still making the mistake of trying to sell to people who have never heard of them before.

Customer decision-making simply doesn’t work this way.

That’s why brands can benefit from understanding a typical customer journey, the channels they use and the tactics that best serve each stage of the journey.

(Spoiler alert: Social Media is great for some stages but really cr@p for others.)

Brands are still making the mistake of interrupting what people are interested in. Instead, they should *be* what people are interested in. At the right time.

It doesn’t matter how shit hot your offer is if it’s delivered at the wrong time.

If you sell a $10 Keep Cup your customer journey is far shorter than mine (selling high-ticket marketing program).

We’re typically looking at 6 weeks minimum for someone who has never heard of Campaign Del Mar to purchase from us.

(And a lot needs to happen in those 6 weeks to progress that person from stranger to paying customer.)

AS the queen of integrated marketing campaigns, can you share 5 key elements with us that impact a successful campaign?

Value proposition

What problem does your product or service solve? Is there a quantifiable need for your product or are you throwing it on the pile? What makes your product or service different from others? These questions should be answered before you design a single sales page.

Target audience segmentation

Marketers are obsessed with this (for good reasons) but brands still don’t know enough about their ideal customers. It surprises me because that information has never been easier and cheaper to find. Demographic segmentation is no longer sufficient. Brands should focus on psychographic and behavioural segmentation. We unpack all of that in week 1 of my Campaign Classroom.

Customer journey mapping

Seeing your brand through the lens of your ideal customer. What are the pain points? Where are the moments that matter along the way? What are the opportunities to delight?

Brand personality and tone of voice

Staying true to your identity and not confusing audiences with mixed messages. A professionally written message framework is SO valuable and teaches others how to create content for your brand.

Carving out time and space for creativity, planning and strategy

I’m giving you permission to pull back from social media so that you can create something much more enduring than a post.

What’s your take on marketing trends? Jump on them quickly or take a step back before you dive in?

Be careful with trends versus fads.

Do I think brands should be jumping at creating Instagram Reels versus planning an integrated marketing campaign?

I most certainly do NOT!

Marketing campaigns never go out of fashion, just ask De Beers. They’ve been using the same marketing campaign, A Diamond is Forever, since 1948.

Some genuine trends:

User-generated content, anti-marketing campaigns and collaboration marketing.

And here’s why I believe in these 3 trends that are here to stay:

User-generated content

Customers today have finely tuned bullshit detectors and are no longer willing to take a brand at its word. Real fans and customers advocating for a brand is far more compelling.

Anti-marketing campaigns

Creativity is the future of business advantage and anti-marketing campaigns cut through the noise!

Collaboration marketing

Double your reach while halving your costs. What’s not to like?

It’s time to tackle marketing myths. Surely you’ve come across the odd one?

Where do I start with the so-called marketing experts and “gurus”?

(There are so many that I published an article about exactly this topic.)

Here are some common untruths that come to mind:

“If done well, social media is all you need.”
”You don’t need a website.”
”It’s too late to launch a podcast.”
”Marketing research is too expensive for small business.”
”CX is a function of marketing.”

Now let’s dive into tangible results you’ve guided your small business ‘students’ to?

Steph from Montii Co is a great example. She’s built her very successful e-commerce business predominantly through social media and is killing it. Steph loves to learn and my Campaign Classroom piqued her interest. She and her in-house graphic designer did my course in October 2020. According to Steph, the Campaign Classroom “has completely changed the way she markets her business.” Her words!

Steph and the team now plan integrated marketing campaigns around strategic times of the year. #chuffed.

Thanks for your wisdom nuggets. Before I let you go, can you share any mentors or resources that have helped you along the way?

I loved Odette &c Co’s Hack Your Own PR and am inspired by Odette every day. I also recommend Hubspot’s free Inbound Marketing Certification. And Melissa Packham from Brand-Led Business and Erin Morris from Young Folks Digital are fellow marketers who I admire greatly.

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If taking control of your Marketing is on your radar, then check out Mia and Campaign Del Mar online:

Website, Instagram