Once you have created a promotion and pushed it out through a promotional channel, that promotional content can be used as a basis for creating other promotions in other promotional channels. For example, let’s say an organization’s top sales person has developed an effective voice mail message they use when they call someone for the first time. It’s brief, to the point, and has an interesting twist that gets people calling back. It’s possible that the voice mail message could also be used as a concept for a postcard mailing. It could also be documented and distributed to other sales people for their use, and in addition it could be turned into a 30-second radio commercial.
Another example is using a television interview as the basis for an article in a promotional newsletter. The television could also be highlighted on the company website or it could be referenced on a sell sheet used by the field sales staff.
The process of stringing promotions together like this is called building a content chain.
Carefully following the promotional process for creating messages, and then stringing them together to form content chains will create integrated marketing. No matter what the consumer’s contact point, be it the sales person, the website or a direct mail piece, they will receive a noticeably consistent and sales-rich promotional message.