We are continually obsessing over our marketing campaigns, but how often do we stop to work out precisely what this means and how to succeed step by step. Typically, a marketing campaign is a planned sequence of activities and processes which promote an individual product, service, or resources. A multitude of channels are used and coordinated to deliver effective results.

The most successful marketing campaigns incorporate a range of sophisticated tools, but they are underpinned by comprehensive planning and research. A less successful campaign will be missing this core planning element. You may put together an ad or two, A/B test a landing page, or try the occasional email blast but there is no concerted, connected effort and dedicated plan. Successful marketing campaigns cannot be disjointed and haphazard. That’s asking to fail, and instead, you should keep these essentials in mind and consider them vital to all your campaigns.

In this blog, I’ll cover seven marketing campaign essentials for success.

1. Align Marketing Campaign Goals

The first step in succeeding with your next marketing campaign is to ensure the goals you set for the individual campaign are fully aligned and in keeping with the department as a whole. Your over-arching marketing plan should cover all of your business activities, and while each campaign needs to be unique, it needs to keep your central plan and its goals in mind.

2. Define Success

What do you expect from your marketing campaign? Before you even begin any of the work on your campaign you need to set out and define your goals. Identifying your key performance indicators and measurable metrics is essential. Looking at different metrics to measure is critical, and you should balance the direct metrics such as sales and landing page traffic with indirect ones such as social shares, overall website traffic and share of voice for mentions of your campaign online.

3. Due Diligence

You must understand your audience to achieve success, and you need to know when they are most accessible. Your marketing campaigns should be built upon a culture of testing, and this will give you the most precise image of who your customer is and what they want. Businesses need to learn what is resonating most in their sector through continual adaptation and analysis.

4. Campaign Strategy

Not all social media and marketing channels are suitable for every campaign so before you go diving into anything, plan out those most effective for the style of the campaign in question. What are you looking to communicate? What is the most effective way of achieving this? Look through all the possible channels and tie them back to the aim of the campaign. If for example, one particular channel doesn’t work with your goals, you aren’t obliged to use it and can find other more suitable options to fit into your multi-channel strategy. Don’t forget the importance of tracking demographics and tailoring content.

5. Channel-Centric Planning

Once you have selected your individual channels, you need to plan on a channel by channel basis to ensure the right results. What do you need to communicate? When do you plan to do it? What channels will you utilize? Whether looking at direct mail, social media, or email marketing, there is significant planning required. Even a single email marketing campaign requires real commitment and more than merely pushing for sales, with specific preparation and knowledge put into the content for the emails themselves in addition to testing for the best results.

6. Harness the Power of Testimonials

Customer testimonials are your way of letting your clients do the talking for you. A third-party recommendation or positive statement about your business has a much more clout than merely stating the same information yourself. More and more businesses are opting for the power of the video testimonial, which like all video content is exceptionally effective, delivers the message quickly and allows for a more personal and direct approach.

7. Map Out Your Timeline

None of the above points will work without planning and measuring. Creating a robust timeline is essential but you also have to be ready for flexibility should your insights find you need to make instant changes or move direction. Tweaks and fine-tuning needs to take place throughout the campaign and while the launch may be your “big moment” the work doesn’t stop there. You need to continually develop and hone your campaign to suit the needs of your audience.

The money and time invested in each of your marketing campaigns mean most businesses cannot afford abject failure. More than that, a failed campaign won’t necessarily be forgotten and can impact negatively on future success. Taking your time, using the tools available, and above all, planning is essential for success.

What steps do you take to ensure success for your marketing campaigns? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments.