Recently updated on April 13th, 2023 at 10:50 am

What is a marketing campaign?

A marketing campaign is a coordinated set of activities designed to promote a product, service, or brand to a target audience. The goal of a marketing campaign is to generate interest, awareness, and ultimately, sales or other desired actions from the target audience. Marketing activities at their core are designed to elicit specific behaviour from people.

Marketing campaigns can take many forms and use a variety of different channels, such as email marketing, social media, search engine marketing, content marketing, and more. They can be targeted at different segments of the audience based on factors such as demographics, interests, and behaviours. Defining the target audience, campaign objectives and relevant metrics are typically directed by the wider marketing and business strategy.

A marketing campaign typically has a specific goal or set of goals that it is designed to achieve, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, increasing sales, or promoting a specific product or service. The success of a marketing campaign is usually measured by metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI). Matching your metrics to your objectives is key to measuring the success of your marketing campaigns.

Email Marketing

An email marketing campaign uses email as a primary communication channel to reach out to potential or existing customers. These email messages can be used to promote a product or service, build brand awareness, share news or updates, and build customer loyalty. Being on a mailing list should give prospects the feeling that they’re getting inside information. Offering value up front is an easy way to encourage this sentiment.

The first requirement to run an email marketing campaign is a list of email addresses of the target audience, which can be acquired through various means such as website sign-ups, social media campaigns and events. First-party data is a vital component to digital marketing activities. Once the contact list is collated it can then be segmented into relevant target groups. This decreases the number of targeted individuals but their quality as prospects should increase.

After segmenting the email list, the email marketing campaign can begin in earnest by designing and sending personalised and targeted email messages to each segment of the audience. The email content should include a call-to-action (CTA) such as signing up for a free trial, registering for an event, making a purchase, or visiting a website. The correct option to choose depends on your specific objectives and customer journey.

Email marketing campaigns can also use automation to send triggered emails based on specific actions taken by the recipient, such as abandoning a shopping cart, signing up for a newsletter, or completing a purchase. Automations like this allow humans to spend more time doing the work that can’t be automated, like strategizing.

Social media marketing

Social media marketing is the process of promoting a product, service, or brand through social media channels. This type of marketing involves creating and publishing content to engage with the target audience, increase brand awareness, and drive website traffic or sales. Check out some tips for designing creative for social media here.

Social media marketing can involve several strategies, including organic content creation, paid social media advertising, influencer marketing, and social media contests and giveaways.

• Organic content creation involves creating and sharing authentic and relevant content that is designed to engage the audience and build brand awareness by increasing the brand’s reach. This content can include images, videos, blog posts, and other types of social media posts that are designed to educate, entertain, or inform the target audience. Consistent publishing of this type of content is vital to improve the ROI of paid media efforts.
• Paid social media advertising involves creating and running targeted ads on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These ads are designed to reach a specific target audience based on factors such as demographics, interests, and behaviours, and can be used to drive traffic, generate leads, and increase sales.
• Influencer marketing involves collaborating with influencers or individuals who have a significant social media following to promote a product or service. This strategy can help increase brand awareness and drive sales, as influencers hold sway over their followers.
• Social media contests and giveaways can be used to engage the target audience and generate buzz around a product or service. These campaigns typically involve offering a prize or incentive in exchange for the audience’s engagement, such as liking or sharing a post, or submitting user-generated content.

Overall, social media marketing can be an effective way to reach a large audience, build brand awareness, and drive website traffic or sales, but it requires a well-planned strategy and consistent execution to be successful.

Multi-channel marketing to Omnichannel marketing

Multichannel marketing and omnichannel marketing are two different approaches to marketing that involve using multiple channels to reach customers, but there are some important differences between them.

Multichannel marketing involves using multiple channels to communicate with customers, such as email, social media, print ads, TV ads, and other channels. The idea is to create a presence on multiple channels so that customers can be reached through their preferred channel. However, in a multichannel approach, each channel may operate independently without sharing data or insights.

Omnichannel marketing takes multichannel marketing a step further by integrating all channels in a seamless and consistent way, offering a unified and consistent experience to the customer across all channels. Omnichannel marketing focuses on creating a holistic customer experience by integrating all channels, both online and offline, into a single and cohesive strategy. This means that customers can move seamlessly between channels, and the brand is able to offer a personalised experience across all touchpoints.

In omnichannel marketing, the customer’s data and interaction history is shared across all channels, allowing the brand to provide a personalised and consistent experience across all touchpoints. For instance, a customer may browse a product on a mobile app, and later receive an email about the same product with personalised recommendations based on their browsing history. Omnichannel marketing creates a connected and streamlined experience for the customer that is tailored to their needs, behaviours, and preferences.

Overall, while multichannel marketing involves using multiple channels to communicate with customers, omnichannel marketing takes it a step further by creating a unified and cohesive experience across all channels. This makes it easier for customers to interact with the brand, laying the foundation for building long-term customer loyalty.

How to create a successful marketing campaign?

To simplify things we’ve set out 7 steps you can take to help make sure your marketing campaigns are a success:

1. Set goals
   The first step in planning a marketing campaign is to identify what you want to achieve. Your objectives should be specific, measurable, and achievable, such as increasing website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales. Make sure to match the correct metrics to your objectives.
2. Define your target audience
   Next, you need to define your target audience. Identify who your ideal customer is, their demographics, interests, and behaviours. This will help you tailor your campaign to create authentic content that resonates with your target audience.
3. Choose your channels
   Once you have defined the target audience, you need to identify the channels that will be most effective in reaching them. This could include social media, email marketing, SEO, PPC advertising, and more.
4. Develop your message
   Your message should be tailored to your target audience and aligned with your campaign goals. It should be compelling, unique, and address the needs and pain points of your target audience.
5. Produce your content
   Based on your message and target audience, you should develop your content. This could include blog posts, social media posts, videos, and other forms of content that align with your campaign goals and message. A mix of different media is optimal.
6. Execute your campaign
   Now that you have your message, channels, and content, it’s time to execute your campaign. This involves creating a timeline, launching your content, monitoring performance, and making any necessary adjustments.
7. Measure and analyse results
   Finally, you need to measure and analyse the results of your campaign. This will help you determine what worked well and what could be improved. Use data from previous campaigns to inform your next campaign and continue to refine your strategy over time. Progress is an iterative process.

By following these 7 steps, you can create a comprehensive marketing campaign that reaches your target audience, achieves your goals, and drives results for your business. If you’d like to recruit a team to help you, simply contact us.