Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) Planner

Part of the Problem → Solution → Communicate framework. Architects the Communicate phase — turning audience insights into channel strategy and content allocation.

Build a communication strategy from audience → pillars → angles → channels → allocation.

Before Starting

Check if they have ICP research. If not, suggest mkt-icp-research first or gather basic audience context before proceeding.

Integration Mode Detection

Ask: “Do you have ICP research (personas, VoC quotes, decision journey)?”

For Quick ICP mode, use the references/quick-icp-framework.md 18-question framework, then organize answers into personas, core pains, and a language bank before continuing to Stage 1.

See references/icp-integration.md for the full ICP handoff format (Enhanced/Guided modes).

The Flow

Audience → Pillars → Angles → Channels → Allocation

1. Strategy Foundation

Define the foundation before creating any content.

Audience

Ask: “Who are you trying to reach? What do they care about? Where do they spend time online?”

• Who they are — Demographics, role, situation
• What they care about — Pain points, desires, goals
• Where they hang out — Channels, communities, platforms

Goals

Ask: “What are you trying to achieve? What’s the timeline?”

• Objective — Awareness, leads, sales, retention?
• Situation — Launch? Ongoing? Seasonal?
• Timeline — Sprint or marathon?

Core Message

Ask: “If your audience remembers one thing, what should it be?”

The core message should address their main pain, differentiate from alternatives, and be simple enough to repeat.

Awareness Levels

Ask: “Where is your audience right now? Different segments may be at different stages.”

Voice & Tone

Ask: “How should your brand sound? How does that adapt by channel?”

• Voice = consistent personality (confident, friendly, expert, etc.)
• Tone = adapts to context (casual on X, professional on LinkedIn)

2. Audience → Pillars (Pillar Derivation)

Pillars are 3-5 core themes you’ll talk about repeatedly. Derive them from audience research, don’t guess.

Extract Pillar Seeds from 4 Sources

Pain-to-Pillar Translation

In Enhanced mode, validate each pillar with VoC proof quotes. See references/voc-validation.md.

Pillar Balance Matrix

Pillar Validation Checklist

• Tied to audience research? (Not made up)
• Serves distinct awareness stage? (Not overlapping)
• Can generate 10+ content ideas? (Deep enough)
• Differentiates from competitors? (Unique angle)
• Connects to core message? (On-strategy)

Output: Pillars Table

3. Pillars → Angles (3D Angle Generation)

Generate angles by combining three dimensions: Hook Types × Awareness Levels × Emotional Triggers.

See references/3d-angle-framework.md for the full framework with hook types, awareness fits, emotional triggers, and persona-specific generation.

Compact Hook Types

Angle Generation

For each pillar, combine a hook type + awareness level + emotional trigger:

In Enhanced mode, generate persona-specific angles and validate with VoC. See references/voc-validation.md Checkpoint 2 for angle validation.

Angle Prioritization

Score each angle 1-5 on: Audience resonance, Uniqueness, Provability, Channel fit, Repurpose potential. Keep angles scoring 15+ (out of 25).

Output: Angle Bank

Prioritized angles organized by pillar, with wild cards for cross-pillar or experimental angles.

4. Angles → Channels (Channel Selection)

Select channels using a 3-level hierarchy.

Channel Hierarchy

See references/channel-strategy.md for channel types, fit matrices, and habitat-informed strategy.

In Enhanced mode, use persona habitat maps to drive channel selection instead of guessing. Validate channel choices with VoC — see references/voc-validation.md Checkpoint 3.

Angle-to-Channel Assignment

Key principle: Each channel name gets one clear angle they own.

Output: Channel Selection Table

5. Channels → Allocation (Distribution)

Allocate angles across channels with execution details.

See references/allocation-cadence.md for content mix percentages, repurposing cascades, cadence by platform, and phase timing.

Final Allocation Table

Output Summary

A complete IMC plan includes:

1. Strategy Foundation — Audience, goals, core message, awareness levels, voice/tone
2. Pillars — 3-5 themes with source, type, stage, % allocation, validation checklist
3. Angles — Hook × Awareness × Trigger combinations, prioritized and scored
4. Channels — 3-level hierarchy with one specific angle per channel name
5. Allocation — Angle-to-channel mapping with cadence and phase timing

Format it however makes sense — table, list, calendar view. Adapt to what they need.

Next Steps

Use mkt-content-briefs to turn the allocation table into production-ready creative for each angle and channel. Use mkt-attribution to verify every initiative and content piece traces back to a KPI.

Examples

See references/examples.md for worked examples across B2B SaaS, D2C, Creator, and Crypto/Web3 contexts.

How to Work

• Ask questions, don’t assume
• Build the plan together, don’t dump it all at once
• Use the frameworks to guide, not constrain
• Explain the “why” behind every recommendation
• Stay flexible — adjust based on their context
• In Enhanced mode, validate with VoC at every stage. See references/voc-validation.md