A marketing campaign is some type of promotion created to reach a specific goal with a beginning and an end date. It is designed to get you somewhere in a specific time. A campaign can contain as few or as many pieces as you find necessary to accomplish your goal. However, the goal is vitally important. Be sure you have a specific goal in mind, clearly defined, before you design a campaign around it.
 

What are the Basics of a Marketing Campaign?

Your marketing campaigns can be similar or follow different paths, but all good campaigns have a few basic ingredients that are vital to success. Before getting ahead of yourself, build the foundation for your campaign first with these three items.

1. A Promotion Channel – Think about the most effective tools you have to spread the word about your campaign. Word of mouth, in-store signage, email marketing, and social media are great starting points. choose the tools that work best for your business. Some will naturally work better to reach your audience than others.
2. A Clear Call-to-Action – Make sure your campaign has a clear call-to-action. A CTA encourages people to take a next step with you. You call-to-action can be anything from “buy now” to “make your reservation today.” No matter what it is, make it as clear and easy to act on as possible.
3. A Plan of Attack – Your campaign should have a definite start and an end date. Use a calendar to plan the important dates and actions. These will include:

• Date campaign begins
• Date of each email, posting (including channel), offer, etc.
• Date campaign ends
• Date of any follow-up plans
• Other pertinent items

How Do I Create Interest in My Campaign?

Select carefully what you want to offer or promote in a campaign. Think about how each option will help you accomplish the goal of your campaign. Some types of interest-creating tactics may work better for certain industries, services, or products. Here are a few examples of what you can promote:

• Discounts
• Downloads
• Events
• New Services
• Free Consultations
• Free Products
• Hints and Tips
• Volunteer Opportunities

Not only do you want your goals and objectives to be specific, but you want your promotion to be specific, too. Simply advertising a sale is too vague. Telling your audience about a specific discount for a specific amount and product will create interest.
 

How Do I Measure Success?

Your return on investment is very important when it comes to almost anything you do for your business. If you are unsure about the success of your campaign, you won’t know if it was worth your time and effort.
In many cases, digital tools make it easy to see if your campaign was a good use of your time. For instance, in an email campaign, you can track your results after sending the emails to see how many people opened your message and acted on your offer.
The way you measure your success will vary from offer to offer, but you always want to measure your end goal. For example, if your goal was to increase your network size, you want to take a look at how many new email subscribers you received from your campaign. If your goal was to drive attendance to your event, you should measure a number of attendees you received due to your campaign.
Creating a good marketing campaign isn’t complicated. If you’re not sure where to start, think about what would be valuable to your audience and build a campaign around that. Have you had success with any particular kind of marketing campaign? Why not share it with us in the comments?