Putting your marketing plan into action: Part two
What is a marketing campaign?
A marketing campaign is any marketing activity that has a clear goal, defined timelines and audience. It is the tactical execution of a marketing strategy.
Campaign tactics include email, social media, events, digital activities and advertising. You might employ one or more of these tactics to support a campaign.
For instance, you have a business objective to acquire net new customers. One option for a marketing campaign to support that goal might be a digital ad offering a free consultation or eBook. You might also use social media or traditional advertising with the same offer. Layering multiple tactics in one campaign helps capture a larger audience.
How do you define an effective campaign?
Simply put, an effective campaign will meet or exceed its associated business goal and do so within the set budget. It will also help support your business development and brand visibility with your key audiences.
Five steps to building an effective campaign
Executing an effective marketing campaign requires a systematic approach and planning. Here are five steps to a successful marketing campaign:
1. Decide on a campaign goal
Your marketing plan will give you direction on deciding the goal for your campaign. For example, if you have ‘acquire new customers’ as part of your marketing plan, your campaign goal might be ‘generate 10 new leads’.
A great way to ensure your campaign goal is on track is to use the SMART goals system. SMART goals have defined criteria that will help your campaign be more effective:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Relevant
T – Time-bound
We’ll go into more detail on SMART goals later.
2. Set your budget
A common theme throughout our marketing articles is the need to set/watch/assess your marketing budget. Overspending on marketing activities reduces your ROI. The value of your marketing activities is dependent on ensuring you get more return than you spend.
3. Define your target audience
Your campaign will need to be specific to a group or segment of customers. By understanding who you want to target, you or your agency will have a better idea of which channel and/or type of campaign is best. As well, you can tailor your message or offer to better appeal to your audience.
4. Choose your channel/campaign type
In a recent article, 'Business goals and marketing go hand-in-hand – Part two', we looked at aligning types of marketing activities to specific goals. Understanding which channels or campaign types best support your goals is an important part of your planning.
5. Measure and assess results
There is a simple formula to follow to help you understand what you are measuring for marketing. Every campaign is a combination of your costs, your time and resources, and the results. If either your spend or your efforts are greater than your results, your campaign will not be successful. What you are measuring is the balance between these three elements.
$Spend + $Effort = $Results
Marketing is an investment in growing your business and your brand. What you spend should produce results that enhance your bottom line.
By consistently measuring these elements, you can improve your marketing and realize better ROI with every campaign.
SMART goals and why they work
Following the SMART goals methodology with your marketing is a great way to ensure a focused and successful campaign. When building each campaign, ask yourself if its goal meets the SMART criteria below:
S – Specific: Campaign goal should be clear and well-defined.
M – Measurable: You know what results you want to see.
A – Achievable: Your goal should be realistic and attainable.
R – Relevant: The campaign goal aligns with your marketing strategy.
T – Timely: The campaign has a definitive start and finish.
Campaign development is crucial to executing on your marketing plan. Building a process to ensure each campaign succeeds will help grow your business and revenue. Each successful campaign makes the next one even better.
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