In today’s fast-paced world, a great marketing campaign is not just about pushing products or services. It is about connecting with your target audience on a deeper level.  

As a marketing manager for DDOT Transit Services, my goal for each campaign is to always keep our client’s expectations at the forefront, while providing my expertise to ensure the campaign is successful in meeting its targets. As a team, KGL has worked on campaigns both large and small, and each time we incorporate different marketing strategies and tactics to ensure our campaigns are engaging and creative. 

Campaigns allow your client or company to showcase new or existing components of their brand through creative marketing for their audiences and more importantly, invite an action or response. Companies do this through a multitude of ways, whether it be traditionally through print advertisements and billboards, or digitally through social media and email marketing.  

While many campaigns have similar components, they are not one size fits all. Each time you plan a campaign, you must tailor all components of the campaign to your client’s needs. Maybe the client wants to increase brand recognition or maybe they want to grow their social media audience. Whatever the goal may be, it is very important to keep it at the forefront of the planning process. 

If you want to create a marketing campaign, here are some steps you can take to ensure your campaign has a strong foundation: 

 

Understand your client’s goals for the campaign. 

  • When brainstorming ideas for a new campaign, you should sit down with your client and other key stakeholders to determine what they would like to see included in the project. For example, when I’m preparing for a new campaign or project, I usually gather my ideas in a shareable document or a PowerPoint presentation. This allows me to make live changes and notes as I’m speaking to the client, showing them the value in incorporating their ideas, wants, and needs into the project prior to creating a full plan. Understanding their goals will help you begin crafting a campaign that not only meets their expectations but exceeds them and saves some time.  

Create a campaign plan. 

  • Think of your campaign plan as a map. This document should be a clear, concise guide that allows you to organize the details of the campaign for you and your client from beginning to end. This should include an introduction to briefly explain the overall concept of the campaign, goals, measurable objectives, timeline, budget, marketing and communication strategies, events plans and anything else that may be relevant to your specific campaign. Once this is complete, you should take time to review the plan with the client. This allows them to share feedback and ask questions before starting the campaign. In almost all cases, your client and key stakeholders should always review the campaign plan and provide approvals prior to starting a project. 

Engage your target audience. 

  • We’ve talked about your client’s needs and thinking through the lens of the brand or company that you represent, but now it’s time to talk about your audience. Engaging your audience is a major part of any campaign. Who does the client aim to serve? How will you reach them? These are some important questions you will need to answer prior to rolling out the marketing piece of your campaign. If you are aiming to target elderly bus riders, perhaps an interactive social media campaign isn’t the best way to reach them. You could consider using traditional in-bus or bus shelter advertising signage that will effectively communicate the information they need. If you’re interested in adding a digital component, consider QR codes. This way, you get the best of traditional and digital advertising for those who are a little more tech-savvy. 

Execute the plan and follow through. 

  • Now that your plan has been reviewed and approved, it’s time to set it in motion. This piece of the process can be both exciting and nerve-wracking, but it’s where you get to see your campaign come to life. Follow your campaign plan. It should contain everything you need to begin the campaign and execute those sections you worked so hard on. Pay attention to your timeline and budget. Are you still on schedule? If not, how can you adjust to make up time or receive an extension?  

Analyze, evaluate, and reflect. 

  • While you should complete a formal evaluation or recap of your campaign once it concludes, you don’t need to wait until the end of the campaign to complete this step entirely. Consider ways to conduct analyses and evaluations throughout the campaign. This will allow you to understand if the campaign is going in the right direction or help you determine whether you need to adjust to get back on track. Remember, it’s okay if your campaign doesn’t go exactly as planned. Adapt to changes as quickly as possible and adjust as necessary. I’ve found that the best way to create a formal recap for your client is to use your original campaign plan as a guide. Go back to your goals and objectives. Did you meet them? This is your chance to dissect the campaign. If you weren’t successful in a certain target, figure out why. The more you analyze this, the better, as it will help you in future campaigns. 

Now that you have the steps, you can start to create your own marketing campaign. Challenge yourself to think outside of the box and create a foundation that will set your campaign up for success!