Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

Communicate Track — Step 2 of 4. Turns audience insights into pillars, tested angles, channel assignments, and a phased timeline.

Inputs Required

• ICP research from .agents/mkt/icp-research.md

Output

• .agents/mkt/imc-plan.md

Quality Gate

Before delivering, verify:

• [ ] Every pillar traces to a specific pain or aspiration from ICP research (can you quote the VoC source?)
• [ ] Every angle passes ALL three questions: visual? falsifiable? uniquely yours?
• [ ] Every channel assignment cites the habitat map (not guessed)
• [ ] Timeline has specific dates, not just "Phase 1"

Chain Position

Previous: mkt-icp-research | Next: mkt-content-create

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Before Starting

Step 0: Product Context

Check for .agents/mkt/product-context.md. If available, read for product positioning context.

Required Artifacts

| Artifact | Source | If Missing | |----------|--------|------------| | icp-research.md | mkt-icp-research | STOP. "Run mkt-icp-research first — guessed audiences produce weak IMC plans." |

Optional Artifacts

| Artifact | Source | Benefit | |----------|--------|---------| | product-context.md | mkt-copywriting | Product positioning context | | prioritized-initiatives.md | mkt-initiative-prioritize | Aligns content pillars with solution priorities |

Read .agents/mkt/icp-research.md. Import personas, pains, habitat maps, VoC quotes.

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Step 1: Foundation

Goals: What are you trying to achieve? (Awareness / Leads / Sales / Retention) Timeline? Situation? (Launch / Ongoing / Seasonal)

Core Message: If the audience remembers one thing, what is it?

Awareness Levels: Where is the audience now?

| Stage | They think... | Your job | |-------|---------------|----------| | Unaware | "No problem" | Surface it | | Problem Aware | "Problem, no fix" | Show you understand | | Solution Aware | "Fixes exist, which?" | Differentiate | | Product Aware | "I know you, not sure" | Overcome objections | | Most Aware | "Ready" | Clear CTA |

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Step 2: Pillars (from ICP pains)

Extract 3-5 pillars from ICP research:

| Source | Pillar Type | % Content | |--------|------------|-----------| | Top Pain Points | Problem | 25-30% | | Aspirational Identity | Transformation | 30-35% | | Current Workarounds | Alternative | 20-25% | | Decision Criteria | Trust | 15-20% |

Each pillar MUST trace to a VoC quote or ICP finding. No made-up pillars.

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Step 3: Angles (3 per pillar, tested)

For each pillar, generate 3 angles combining: hook type + awareness stage + emotional trigger.

The 3-Question Test

Every angle must pass ALL three:

1. Visual? Close your eyes — can you see it? ("12 hours lost to status updates" = yes. "Improve productivity" = no.)
2. Falsifiable? Can it be proven true or false? ("31 hrs/month in unproductive meetings" = yes. "We help teams succeed" = no.)
3. Uniquely yours? Could a competitor use this? ("The dating app designed to be deleted" = only Hinge. "The best project tool" = anyone.)

3 yeses → keep. Any no → rewrite or cut. No exceptions.

See references/3d-angle-framework.md for hook types and generation framework.

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Step 4: Channels (from habitat map)

Use the persona habitat maps from ICP research. Don't guess where the audience is — the research already tells you.

Assign one clear angle per channel:

| Platform | Specific Channel | Angle | Why (habitat evidence) | |----------|-----------------|-------|----------------------| | [Platform] | [Specific group/account] | "[Angle text]" | [Density + engagement from ICP] |

See references/channel-strategy.md for channel hierarchy.

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Step 5: Phase Timeline

| Phase | Dates | Focus | Content Mix | |-------|-------|-------|-------------| | Pre-launch | [start–end] | Build anticipation, educate on problem | 70% Problem, 30% Solution | | Launch | [start–end] | Drive action, prove value | 30% Problem, 40% Proof, 30% CTA | | Sustain | [start–ongoing] | Maintain presence, deepen trust | 40% Solution, 30% Proof, 30% Brand |

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Artifact Template

---
skill: mkt-imc
version: 1
date: [today's date]
status: draft
---

# IMC Plan

**Date:** [today]
**Skill:** mkt-imc
**Core Message:** [one sentence]
**Audience:** [primary persona from ICP]

## Pillars

| # | Pillar | Type | Source (ICP) | % Content |
|---|--------|------|-------------|-----------|
| 1 | [Name] | Problem | VoC: "[quote]" | 30% |
| 2 | [Name] | Transformation | Aspiration: [from ICP] | 30% |
| 3 | [Name] | Trust | Criteria: [from ICP] | 20% |
| 4 | [Name] | Brand | — | 20% |

## Angle Bank

| Pillar | Angle | Hook Type | Stage | 3Q: V/F/U |
|--------|-------|-----------|-------|-----------|
| 1 | "[angle text]" | Data | Problem Aware | Y/Y/Y |
| 1 | "[angle text]" | Contrarian | Solution Aware | Y/Y/Y |
| 1 | "[angle text]" | Story | Unaware | Y/Y/Y |
| 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Channel Assignments

| Platform | Channel | Angle | Habitat Evidence |
|----------|---------|-------|-----------------|
| Reddit | r/[subreddit] | "[angle]" | Density: H, Engagement: Lurker→Engager |
| LinkedIn | [group/feed] | "[angle]" | Density: M, Engagement: Creator |

## Timeline

| Phase | Dates | Focus | Key Actions |
|-------|-------|-------|-------------|
| Pre-launch | [date–date] | Problem awareness | [Specific actions] |
| Launch | [date–date] | Drive action | [Specific actions] |
| Sustain | [date–ongoing] | Trust + brand | [Specific actions] |

## Next Step

Run `mkt-content-create` to turn angles into production-ready content.

> On re-run: rename existing artifact to `imc-plan.v[N].md` and create new with incremented version.

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References

• references/3d-angle-framework.md — Hook types × awareness × triggers
• references/channel-strategy.md — Channel types and fit matrices
• references/examples.md — Worked examples across B2B SaaS, D2C, Creator, Crypto