Internet marketing campaigns done right can be extremely successful and profitable; however, such results come from extensive planning and proper execution. A little luck doesn’t hurt either. Regardless of who the campaign is for or what the goals are, there are five essential things you need to know before execution. And lucky for you, we’ve put them together for you!
- Preparation
Preparation is the most important piece of a productive campaign. You need to take the time to work with your client to determine the goals they want to accomplish with the campaign including increased sales, improved engagement, driving website traffic to a specific landing page, or simply raising brand awareness. Decide your goal with your client and then sit with your own team to prepare a plan for how you will accomplish this goal.
- Audience
When determining a plan of action, the most influential element is the audience. You should already have a target audience in mind based on working with your client and the goal that you have agreed on for this specific campaign. Now you need to dive even further now. Figure out where the audience lives and why. What are their interests? Where do they spend the most time? What outside companies, brands, stories, etc. do they engage with? Use this information to help you define how your audience may react during your own campaign and use that information to help you define the process and evolution your campaign should take.
- Budget
There is no guarantee a campaign will work like you want it to, no matter how much research and preparation you do. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen. This is why setting a strict budget for the campaign is essential. Your client needs to decide how much money they are willing to potentially lose, because if the campaign fails, that’s what will happen. Now, it’s also important to consider how much money might be necessary to help the campaign be a success as well. Use both those numbers to find an agreeable amount and then determine where the budget will be spent (i.e. printing costs, advertising costs, design costs, promotional costs, clicks and conversions costs, etc.).
- Timing
Timing is everything! You need to know when your audience is active on the platforms you decide to push your campaigning including social media sites, Google, Yahoo and Bing search indexes and your client’s website itself. Track this activity in advance (two months or more if possible) before launching your campaign so that you have set yourself up to reach the most people possible. Running campaigns at the optimal times creates the possibility for greater ROI results.
- Content
Content is what drives marketing. It’s what captures your audience’s attention, keeps them engaged and is what encourages them to take action. While design is crucial for that first-look-grab, content is what makes the campaign work long-term. You should be working with your designated content specialist on all your campaigns for any client, using their expertise to create campaign-specific message, hashtags and other relevant wording you will need.
These five things are essential for a solid campaign that’s worth your time and your client’s money. Be sure you take the time to follow a campaign from beginning to end without rushing, and if you don’t have time for a full-fledged campaign, consider trying a smaller effort such as a Facebook ad or Google AdWords first.