This is lesson one. This is towards one of our missions. Education. You’ll learn everything about marketing — from the basics to the most advanced strategies — for free, thanks to VellumWorks.
It’s easy to confuse marketing with marketing communications. The marketing mix focuses on what you offer, the product, price, place, and promotion. Integrated Marketing Communications focuses on how you communicate that offer consistently across every channel.
Together, they create the difference between a scattered campaign and a clear, trusted brand voice. For charities, getting this balance right means more awareness, more donations, and more impact.
What Is the Marketing Mix?
The Marketing Mix is the foundation — everything that shapes your offer before you ever send a message.
It covers the 4Ps (or 7Ps if you’re including services):
Product: What value or solution do you deliver?
Price: What people give (money, time, data) and what they receive in return.
Place: How and where your offering is accessed.
Promotion: How do you make it known?
(Plus People, Process, and Physical Evidence for service-based organisations.)
Example:
A charity focused on education in rural areas defines:
Product: Free learning materials for children.
Price: Donor contributions and volunteer time.
Place: Local schools and digital platforms.
Promotion: Community outreach, social media, and email updates.
The marketing mix ensures your foundation is strong before you ever start broadcasting your message.
What Is Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)?
IMC is how you make sure that everything your audience sees, hears, and experiences fits together seamlessly. It’s about consistency and coordination.
The idea: Every message - from a social post to a billboard to a thank-you email - should sound like it’s coming from one organisation or charity with one clear voice.
Key principles of IMC:
Consistency: Same core message across all channels.
Clarity: Each piece supports the same goal (no mixed signals).
Reinforcement: Multiple touchpoints repeat and strengthen the message.
Synergy: The whole campaign works better than the sum of its parts.
Example:
A health charity launches a vaccination awareness campaign.
Facebook ads share a story of one family helped.
Posters in clinics feature the same imagery and tagline.
Emails and donation pages carry the same message and visuals.
Every channel reinforces the same narrative — “Every shot saves a life.”
That’s IMC in action.
Marketing Mix vs IMC: What’s the Difference?
Aspect | Marketing Mix | IMC |
|---|---|---|
Focus | The offer itself (product, pricing, delivery) | The communication of that offer |
Question | “What are we giving?” | “How are we telling people about it?” |
Ownership | Organisation-wide (operations, leadership, marketing) | Marketing & communications teams |
Goal | Build value | Communicate value |
Output | Campaign strategy, pricing, services | Unified messages, design, tone, campaigns |
Why It Matters for Charities
Charities often run campaigns across multiple channels - newsletters, social media, community events, partnerships - but without integration, supporters can feel confused or disconnected.
When you align your marketing mix with your IMC, you:
Keep every message on brand and on mission.
Make limited budgets go further through consistency.
Build deeper recognition and trust over time.
Example:
If your charity’s “product” is mental health support, your IMC ensures that every tweet, brochure, and thank-you email communicates one thing: “You’re not alone - help is here.”
That’s how marketing becomes more than communication; it becomes connection.
Why is this important to know?
Your marketing mix is the engine. IMC is the fuel that makes it run smoothly.
When both work together, your organisation stops talking at people and starts communicating with them.
At VellumWorks, we believe knowledge should be free. That’s why this series will guide you, step by step, through everything from the basics to the most advanced strategies in marketing: no jargon, no gatekeeping, just education that empowers.
At VellumWorks, we believe knowledge should be free. That’s why this series will guide you, step by step, through everything from the basics to the most advanced strategies in marketing: no jargon, no gatekeeping, just education that empowers.
