Marketing campaigns are purposeful plans designed to promote one of your brand’s particular goals. A well-designed campaign becomes part of society, staying memorable long after the promotions end. If you can remember brand slogans that became iconic catchphrases, they were probably the result of a stellar marketing campaign. Brands of any size can design marketing campaigns that drive success. Learn everything you need to know about designing successful marketing campaigns with Cobblestone Media.
What Is A Marketing Campaign?
Marketing campaigns are cohesive strategies designed to spread awareness of a specific business target. Campaigns can have a variety of goals including increasing sales, spreading brand awareness, soliciting feedback, and more. A campaign usually involves multiple promotional channels such as print media, email newsletters, online ads, social media partnerships, TV or radio spots, and more. Ideally, a marketing campaign generates organic attention through online shares, word of mouth, and earned media.
Campaigns are part of a company’s overall marketing plan but they don’t include all marketing efforts. A campaign always leads to a particular goal. Major brands usually run several campaigns simultaneously, plus general marketing to boost overall awareness. Depending on your company’s size and goals, you may only put a single campaign into action at a time.
Remember that a campaign focuses on a specific goal. If you only have the resources for a single campaign, you should fully invest in that effort. You can address your next target once your current campaign finishes.
Marketing campaigns and advertising campaigns are related concepts with important distinctions. Marketing includes everything a brand does to boost awareness and encourage customers to convert. Advertising involves crafting messages to support marketing goals.
Advertising is a subset of marketing, so an ad campaign can be part of a larger marketing campaign. One marketing campaign can include many ad campaigns! If a marketing campaign targets diverse demographics, then running multiple advertising campaigns will help your brand reach these different groups.
Kinds Of Marketing Campaigns
You can create a marketing campaign to support any goal your company sets. Campaigns are a time-tested way of connecting with your core audience, reaching new users, and spreading brand awareness. Marketing campaigns can even support internal goals. For example, you can support a staff education goal with a campaign that highlights your efforts, humanizes your staff, and showcases your growth.
Explore some of the most popular kinds of marketing campaigns.
Product Marketing Campaigns
Product marketing comes to mind when many people think of marketing campaigns. Modern consumers are targeted by countless product campaigns every day. These campaigns nudge people to rethink their options, align themselves with new brands, and take action to improve their lives.
Brand Development Campaign
Brand development involves distinguishing yourself from the competition. These campaigns generate brand awareness by putting your company—or other brands in your niche—in a new light.
Email Marketing Campaign
Email marketing uses a series of targeted messages to reach users in their inboxes. Email marketing can target current subscribers, remarketing efforts, and new prospects.
Content Marketing Campaign
Content marketing focuses on blogs, essays, videos, photos, and other forms of content to share a message. Your content must be engaging, authentic, and fully realized for these campaigns to be successful. Consumers care deeply about content quality and show loyalty to brands that produce rewarding content.
User-Generated Content Campaign
These campaigns encourage a sense of community by soliciting user content. User-generated content is easy to find using contests like photo contests, naming contests, video contests, etc. Extend the user engagement by allowing users to vote on the winners.
Public Relations And Awareness Campaign
PR campaigns are designed to spread positive awareness of a brand. These campaigns can have a negative connotation when used as damage control. You’ll see more success by running PR campaigns when you have good news to share, not when you need to move past a problem.
Direct Mail Campaign
Don’t dismiss this classic type of marketing campaign as outdated. Direct mail campaigns use traditional methods but can still be very effective. Postcards, catalogs, letters, promotional items, and other mailers are tangible representations of your brand. The secret to a successful mail campaign lies in creating amazing content that people will love receiving in physical form.
Affiliate Marketing Campaign
Affiliate marketing campaigns are referral programs that reward users who help their connections convert. Affiliate marketing encourages loyal customers to introduce you to their friends, families, and networks.
Social Media Campaign
Social media campaigns harness the energy and reach of social media platforms. These campaigns can include posts made by your brand, online community engagement, social media ads, influencer partnerships, affiliate programs, and more.
Acquisition Marketing Campaign
An acquisition campaign is designed to acquire new customers and clients. These campaigns focus on the top levels of the marketing funnel and involve building awareness, information sharing, and overcoming hesitations. Depending on your campaign goals, you may also include a retention strategy for newly acquired prospects.
Paid Advertising And Marketing Campaigns
These campaigns focus on placing paid ads in a variety of formats. Digital ads like pay-per-click, banner ads, social media ads, and local ads are modern campaigns cornerstones. Don’t overlook traditional ad formats including print media, TV, radio, billboards, and others.
What Goes Into A Campaign? Marketing Campaign Components
Any good business strategy requires a thoughtful, detailed plan to succeed. Your brand should consider the following marketing components before putting a campaign into action.
Goals And Key Performance Indicators
Determine the final target of your campaign using quantifiable measures. You also need to determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) used to track and determine success.
Platforms
Choose the platforms and channels where your campaign will be active.
Budget
Set aside the resources needed for this campaign. Account for ad fees, agency costs, and your internal staff time.
Format
Choose the types of content to use. Most campaigns use a range of content types, such as blogs, videos, social media ads, and mailers.
Team
Make a list of everyone who’ll work on the campaign. Cobblestone Media and your marketing staff are probably the core of your team, but don’t forget about stakeholders, clients, technical experts, and everyone else playing a part.
Design
The look, feel, voice, and general appeal of your campaign all impact its success. Invest time and resources into crafting the perfect design that brings your goals to life.
Steps To Creating A Successful Marketing Campaign
Building a marketing campaign involves multiple essential steps. Some elements might seem more fun than others. You might prefer to design content than crunch budgets, but every component is necessary. Keep the overall goal in mind as you work through the steps for the best results.
Planning Your Marketing Campaign
1. Set your overall goal and purpose.
Every campaign should be mission-driven. What do you want people to do after engaging with your campaign, and how will that action benefit your brand? These questions drive your campaign, so find solid answers before taking your next steps. We recommend setting SMART goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely to help you track your progress.
2. Decide how to measure your campaign.
Determine what data to collect regarding the campaign. Depending on your goals, you might be measuring sales, social media shares, email subscribers, earned media mentions, and countless other metrics. It’s standard to measure a variety of data points for each campaign.
3. Set your target audience.
You need to know who you’re addressing before you craft your campaign. Your target audience influences your platforms, content format, design choices, and other important details. You should also determine your audiences’ place in the marketing funnel to create the best messaging for their needs.
4. Bring a concept to your Cobblestone Marketing team.
Brainstorm the look, feel, visual identity, and concept of your campaign, then share it with your Cobblestone Marketing team. We can’t wait to bring your campaign to life! We can also guide you through the initial planning steps if you’d like more assistance.
Distributing Your Marketing Campaign
5. Select your platforms and channels.
Keeping your target audience in mind, choose how you’ll share your marketing campaign. Consider paid, earned, shared, and owned content to reach as many of your ideal customers as possible.
6. Solidify your timeline.
Set a deadline for accomplishing your overall goal. Then work backward to choose key milestone dates. Make sure to consider any other campaigns your brand is running so you don’t overcommit resources.
Converting Customers
7. Make sure your campaign drives users towards your goal.
Catchy marketing campaigns can generate lots of traffic for your brand. Watch this traffic to make sure you’re seeing the results you want. Readjust your strategies if needed to encourage a different behavior.
8. Track your metrics.
Keep an eye on your KPIs throughout the campaign. Compare performance to your standard baseline to assess results.
Analyzing Your Campaign
9. Establish your successes.
After your campaign is complete, it’s time to analyze its results. First, consider your overall SMART goal. If you met your initial target, your campaign was clearly a success. You may also have made meaningful improvements without reaching your goal. If your campaign is a flop, use the experience to find opportunities for the future.
10. Put the data into action.
Every campaign should create valuable insights about your brand, services, strategies, and customers. Use your new data to improve your next campaign as well as your overall marketing philosophy.
Explore Marketing Campaigns With Cobblestone
Marketing campaigns are a vital tool for helping your company grow. A smart, well-conceived marketing plan can help you reach new audiences, spread brand awareness, drive sales, and achieve many other goals. We are here to help you put this framework into action. Contact us today to learn about marketing campaigns and see how to take your marketing to the next level.