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

---

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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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