Coffee N° 5 with Lara Schmoisman

Episode: Integrated Marketing in Action: The IEMA System
Host: Lara Schmoisman
Date: October 28, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special solo episode, Lara Schmoisman departs from her usual interview format to share a foundational marketing system she's developed: the IEMA System. Drawing from her experience as a marketing strategist and educator, Lara breaks down how IEMA—Informative, Entertaining, Memorable, Actionable—can transform your content and integrated marketing. This concise, actionable session is packed with practical wisdom for business owners and marketers looking to build stronger, more cohesive brand ecosystems.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Evolving Marketing Ecosystems

• Lara explains how the landscape of marketing has fundamentally changed:
  • Modern marketing elements (SEO, social media, newsletters, websites) are now deeply interconnected.
  • Every component in your marketing ecosystem must support and reinforce the others.

"Every part of the ecosystem needs to be connected with other part. You cannot have any more social media without having some of SEO, including social media. Even for newsletters, you need SEO." — Lara Schmoisman [01:10]

2. The Branding vs. Growth False Dichotomy

• Many businesses separate branding and growth into silos—Lara strongly disagrees with this:
  • Integrated marketing is essential; branding and growth must work hand in hand.
  • Visibility is important, but not at the expense of brand identity and audience relevance.

"Right now we're dividing everything...between branding and growth. And that's a no, no for me. For me, the important thing is to do integrated marketing." — Lara Schmoisman [02:02]

3. Introducing the IEMA System

• Lara unveils her signature framework, first developed while teaching:
  • IEMA stands for Informative, Entertaining, Memorable, Actionable
  • Every piece of content, regardless of channel, should incorporate all four values.

A. Informative

• Content must offer value; teach, explain, or inform your audience.
• Applies to everything from websites to social media to PR.

"The first one is informative. Every piece of content that you are offering to your audience, it needs to be informative." — Lara Schmoisman [03:05]

B. Entertaining

• Presentation matters: engaging, visually appealing, or emotionally resonant content is essential.
• Capture attention—otherwise, even valuable information might get ignored.

"If you don't provide the content in a way that is entertaining to read or entertaining to see or make you feel...then it's not worth it." — Lara Schmoisman [03:28]

C. Memorable

• Stand out; don't blend in with the competition.
• Originality and brand personality make your content stick in the audience’s mind.

"You want to be different. Stop copying everything...Show that you are unique." — Lara Schmoisman [04:01]
"For example, you've read my newsletters. My newsletters are mine and my stories are my personality. I make them memorable." — Lara Schmoisman [04:18]

D. Actionable

• Every piece of content should drive the audience to take a specific action.
• Clear calls to action and measurable goals are necessary.
• Know what outcome you want: a like, a visit, a purchase, etc.

"Every piece of content needs to be created [to drive] an action...be aware of what action you want...and also you can measure." — Lara Schmoisman [04:41]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On content cohesion:
  “As today, every part of the ecosystem needs to be connected with other part...Everything is about being visible right now, but being visible...cannot forget who we are, who we are as a brand, and who are we talking to.” [01:24]

• On measurement:
  "It's really important to measure the right goals. Otherwise you are—you’re doing things just whatever. And I see this too, too much." [05:12]

• On originality:
  "My newsletters are mine and my stories are my personality. I make them memorable." [04:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 — Introduction and context for the episode
• 01:10 — The necessity of an integrated marketing ecosystem
• 02:02 — The pitfalls of separating branding and growth
• 02:50 — Introduction to the IEMA system
• 03:05 — Breakdown: Informative
• 03:28 — Breakdown: Entertaining
• 04:01 — Breakdown: Memorable
• 04:41 — Breakdown: Actionable
• 05:12 — The importance of measurement and actionable goals
• 05:40–End — Closing thoughts; invitation for feedback

Summary & Takeaways

Lara Schmoisman distills years of integrated marketing wisdom into a simple yet powerful system: IEMA. She urges listeners to ensure every piece of content is informative, entertaining, memorable, and actionable—regardless of platform. This approach provides a strategic framework for driving both brand growth and engagement, fostering a stronger brand identity and measurable business results. If you want your marketing to cut through the noise and actually matter, the IEMA system is the brew Lara recommends.

"So don't forget about the IEMA system. Informative, entertaining, memorable, actionable." — Lara Schmoisman [05:34]