Your Treasure Map To Future Marketing Campaigns

5 Steps you should always take when planning a marketing campaign

Indiana Jones is maybe the best action hero of all time (who are we kidding, we know he is the best). Everybody recalls the great boulder scene, jumping out of a plane, and of course bringing a gun to a sword fight, but I was always impressed by the sheer amount of knowledge he possessed. He was able to find some of the most sacred treasures of all time without a pure “X marks the spot” map. 

Switching gears real quick, have you ever had someone tell you “hey xxx needs to be done”? You agree and are completely willing to roll up your sleeves and get the task done . . . except you have no clue how. Yeah, that’s what I did to you last time I talked about future marketing campaigns – or in other words, I expected you to be Indiana Jones.

It's easier to find your way if you're actually given a map

So now, I’m here to correct that and give you some tips on how to plan a future marketing campaign:

• Identify your goals – Figure out the precise reason for your campaign. Go as specific as you can. For example, “Gain more customers” isn’t exactly helpful; however, “Attract and convert 25% more new moms age 28 – 38 who are interested in XXX product within the next 2 months” gives you a focus that you can build on. 

Bonus tip (I know I’m using this early): Write your goals down. It’s scientifically proven that this will improve results. 

• Timing is everything – Timing can mean when you are going to launch, how long the campaign will run, or frequency of emails / posts / etc. These will markedly impact the results of your campaign. Try to send your messages during times that will stand out to your audience. Also when you approach your campaign expiration, make sure you include a sense of urgency in your messages.

• Decide you messaging – One of the easiest ways to find your messaging is to evaluate your competition and/or emulators (those that serve your target audience but aren’t in competition - for example, a hair salon and a gym). See if they are using keywords you should be using. Beyond that, find the keywords that best resonate with your audience that also make your campaign most desirable. 

Bonus tip II (yes, I can do that!) – If you’re planning on using email to promote, be careful of words that may send your message to SPAM folders. 

• Pick Your Platform(s) – This will be highly dependent on your budget, target audience, and campaign specifics (ex: driving sales vs. building awareness vs. gathering email, etc.). Whichever ones you pick, make sure you keep the same (or at least similar) message across them all. . . . and definitely make sure you keep the same call to action across all platforms. 

Undecided on which platforms to use? One I would highly recommend checking out is Cidewalk. Cidewalk helps you build your local brand. Use mobile marketing to target customers in your specific town. 

• Monitor, Measure, Modify – Always look for ways to improve your strategy and messaging (and if possible make changes based on what’s working). If you’ve run a targeted campaign, decide what can be scalable to your entire customer. Similarly, decide if this is a campaign you can repeat.

Check back in the future for more tips and calls to action!

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