# Integrated marketing Human Guide

## What This Is For
Guides Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) strategy. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for integrated marketing: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Integrated marketing agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for integrated marketing.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Integrated marketing guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- **Message consistency**: Same core message across channels; adapt for each medium
- **Start focused**: 2-3 connected channels first; prove ROI before expanding
- **Map to funnel**: Assign channels to awareness, consideration, decision
- **Unified measurement**: Single framework tracking shared goals; avoid channel-only reporting
- **Cross-channel attribution**: Link channels to determine true performance
- **Program** definition and goal
- **Channel** selection with evaluation rationale
- **PESO** mapping (which channels = paid/earned/shared/owned)
- **Campaign** structure (if applicable)
- **cold-start-strategy**: Cold start for early-stage; first users, launch channels
- **indie-hacker-strategy**: Indie hacker channel mix; Build in Public; first 100 users
- **discount-marketing-strategy**: Promotional pricing; LTV (discount) in channel testing

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Program vs. Channel vs. Campaign, PESO Model, Growth Metrics by Stage, Customer Journey by Stage, Channel Evaluation Framework, Example Programs, IMC Best Practices, Output Format, Related Skills.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- **Relationship**: Program contains campaigns; campaigns use channels. Avoid using terms interchangeably.
- **Principle**: Growth is a means, not an end—it serves conversion and monetization. Don't pursue traffic at the cost of user precision or long-term brand health.
- Map touchpoints across the lifecycle to avoid channel silos:
- **Unified measurement**: Single framework tracking shared goals; avoid channel-only reporting

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Integrated marketing human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the kostja94/marketing-skills skill entry for `integrated-marketing`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Strategies: Integrated Marketing (IMC)

Guides Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) strategy. IMC coordinates all marketing channels to deliver a consistent message and unified customer experience. Companies using integrated approaches achieve ~25% higher marketing ROI; optimized channel mixes outperform by ~27% in acquisition efficiency.

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

## Program vs. Channel vs. Campaign

| Term | Definition | Examples |
|------|------------|----------|
| **Program** | High-level strategy; collection of channels to achieve a discrete goal | Thought leadership program, lifecycle program, loyalty program |
| **Channel** | Specific medium/platform for communication | Email, LinkedIn, SEO, paid ads, events |
| **Campaign** | Time-bound initiative using one or more channels | Product launch, seasonal sale, holiday giveaway |

**Relationship**: Program contains campaigns; campaigns use channels. Avoid using terms interchangeably.

## PESO Model

Organize communications into four integrated categories:

| Type | Examples | Role |
|------|----------|------|
| **Paid** | Ads, sponsored content, influencer partnerships | Immediate reach, targeting |
| **Earned** | PR, media coverage, organic mentions | Authority, credibility |
| **Shared** | Social engagement, co-created content, EGC | Community, authenticity |
| **Owned** | Website, blog, email, content hub | Strategic foundation; anchor |

**Best practice**: Owned media as anchor; sequence PESO intentionally. Integration over silos--all four work together for synergy.

## Growth Metrics by Stage

| Stage | Focus metrics |
|-------|----------------|
| **Early (traffic)** | Website traffic; organic traffic; keyword rankings |
| **Channel testing** | ROI (influencer), LTV (discount), ROAS (paid) |
| **Monetization** | CAC, conversion rate |
| **Scale** | MRR, ARR |

**Principle**: Growth is a means, not an end—it serves conversion and monetization. Don't pursue traffic at the cost of user precision or long-term brand health.

## Customer Journey by Stage

Map touchpoints across the lifecycle to avoid channel silos:

| Stage | Touchpoints |
|-------|-------------|
| **Awareness** | PR, ads, word-of-mouth, email, PPC |
| **Consideration** | Social ads, reviews, blog, media, direct email |
| **Purchase** | Website, e-commerce, store |
| **Retention** | FAQ, knowledge base, community forum |
| **Advocacy** | Social, blog, promotions, newsletter |

**Use**: Assign channels to stages; ensure handoffs (e.g. awareness → consideration) are intentional. See **growth-funnel** for AARRR framework.

## Channel Evaluation Framework

When selecting channels, evaluate across:

| Variable | Question |
|---------|----------|
| **Goal** | Awareness, acquisition, loyalty? |
| **Cost** | Budget; CAC vs LTV |
| **Measurability** | Can you attribute impact? ROI clarity? |
| **Speed** | Time to full impact |
| **Scale** | How big can this channel get? |
| **Fit** | Does target audience use it? |
| **Effort** | Resources to set up and maintain |

## Example Programs

| Program | Channels | Goal |
|---------|----------|------|
| **Thought leadership** | PR, social, influencers, spokespeople, events | Brand authority |
| **Lifecycle** | Email, website chat, retargeting, SMS | Conversion, retention |
| **Loyalty** | Email campaigns, promotions, personalized offers | Retention |
| **Brand awareness** | Content marketing, influencer partnerships, PR | Reach |

**Content marketing**: See **content-marketing** for content types, formats, repurposing across channels.

## IMC Best Practices