Marketing Campaign
Expert advice on how to create an integrated marketing campaign, how to choose a campaign idea, and how to launch a marketing campaign in a big way.
Marketing campaigns should be cohesive, unified, interconnected
-
Coordinated in look, tone, personality, tagline, logo and theme
-
Integrated throughout all customer touch points (advertising, events, email newsletters, direct mailings, website, promotions…)
-
With complimentary messages unified with the overall theme
Checklist to evaluate your current marketing campaign
- If you looked at all your marketing and sales communication that a prospect and customer might receive from your company, would it look like it came from the same company? (Or does it look like different people created the marketing?)
- What about what's called your "visual branding". Does your logo look the same in everything? Is there continuity in the type style(s) and colors you've chosen?
- Are the messages used in your marketing consistent in how they explain the company/product/service? Is the tone and manner for how these messages are conveyed consistent?
- Is there a "big idea" that unifies everything?
If you answered yes to these questions, then you have integrated marketing and are presenting your brand in a consistent manner.
Benefits of integrated marketing campaigns
-
The unified marketing program makes customers think: “This brand/company is consistent...reliable...safe to buy from. I know what to expect.”
- When you’re traveling and you want to stop somewhere to eat, doesn’t it seem “safer” to go into a McDonald’s or Subway than an unknown restaurant or coffee shop that the locals may love but seems “risky” to you? (If you’re a local coffee shop what this means to you is that “curb appeal” is critical to attract new customers to your “unknown brand.”)
-
Your company or product/service brand will look more professional and “bigger"
- The sum of the marketing “parts” (ads, email marketing newsletters, promotions, events, PR and your website) will be perceived by prospects, customers and your competition as greater than it actually is. It will look like you are spending more money on marketing.
- If you invest in different types of advertising media (TV, radio, online, outdoor billboards, newspapers, magazines) using the same campaign, you’ll get an added benefit of what’s called the “media multiplier effect.”
- All the big marketers know and use integrated campaigns. Small companies and non-profit organizations can too.
- Concept was not invented here. Different agencies or freelancers may all have great (but different) ideas and they won’t want to use another person's or agency's idea.
- Many ideas will work in only one or two types of marketing very well (for instance TV or a website home page) but the idea won’t work well in a different area, for example, lead generation and more “close the sale” marketing programs.
- Often business owners don’t know they need to act as the “orchestra leader” to coordinate and integrate all the different marketing “players.”
- A small business owner doesn't know or doesn't fund the development of an overall brand identity (logo, typefaces, colors, tagline and personality) and the development of a “big idea” campaign that will work across multiple customer touch points (ads, website, promotional offers, newsletters, etc.)
- Not waiting to get a “big enough” creative idea. Since the campaign is being “invented,” no one knows long it will take to come up with a great idea. That’s a lot of luck and sometimes a lot of time. If you’re paying people on an hourly rate, you’ll be tempted to “just pick something” versus say “try again please.” You have to be willing not to accept “good enough” from agencies or freelancers.
- Time pressure. Agencies may say, “We need the campaign in place by this date so you’ll need to pick one of these ideas.” This happens to big companies all the time which is why you see so much turnover in their campaigns.
- A “big idea” that works well in only one type of marketing (ads, website, trade show, direct mail, an infomercial) may not work well across all the customer touch points and marketing programs.
Researching marketing products or services to buy?
-
Top Marketing Suppliers
- Reviews are written and continuously updated by editors.
- We don't accept advertising and we don't participate in affiliate deals so our subscribers can rely on us for credible, honest reviews.
-
How to Find, Select and Pay Agencies and Freelancers
- Best Sources to Find Marketing Freelancers to Hire
Copyright © 2009 - 2012 by MarketingZone™ Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this work, including design, content, and underlying technology on all pages, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, screen capture, and recording or by an information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations referenced with full attribution. Pages may be printed for the sole use of the person printing them. MarketingZone content is available via content license. Address inquiries to licensing@marketingzone.com.
MarketingZone™ is a trademark of MarketingZone, Inc.
Comment on This Article