Strategies for developing a successful marketing campaign
Today, marketers have more choices than ever regarding how and where to promote or advertise products and services. In addition to traditional methods, such as print advertising and direct marketing, you have email marketing, Web-based advertising and multiple social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as marketing SEO Resellers that deliver results.
And as many businesses have learned the hard way, what works in, say, traditional print marketing, does not work as well (or at all) on the Web or social media sties — and vice versa.
While there is no one sure-fire formula to creating a successful integrated marketing campaign, according to Marketix there are steps that businesses and marketers can take to maximize viewership. What happens when the technology is moving so fast?
Step 1 – Have a clear understanding of who your target audience is.
It’s important to clearly identify who your target audience is by both demographic and psychographic data. Psychographic information relates to the attitudes, interests and behaviors of an individual as opposed to their physical characteristics. Relying on both of these help develop key messages as well as helping to identify the best communication channels to reach them just like experts do with Adwords for lawyers.
Parker Associates has worked off the 3 Questions for any marketing: Who, What, and How. These three are the basis of any successful marketing campaign. So, ask yourself and your marketing team some key questions:
- Who are your target customers?
- What are their motivations?
- Do you need great niche edits?
- How do they like being communicated to?
You could also ask: Which newspapers or magazines do they read and which sites do they visit regularly? Which channels are they using? And, if they’re using social media, what are they talking about? All these questions need to be answered before developing your integrated marketing strategy.
Step 2 – Pick your channels.
Not every company needs to be on Facebook, or in a magazine, learn other means at this post about funnels SEO. In addition to asking, ‘Which channels do my customers use?’ ask yourself ‘What are the channels’ strengths and weaknesses? How will they help me reach my business objectives?’ Be ruthless in selecting (and rejecting channels). It’s better to concentrate on the more effective channels than trying to be everywhere all the time.
Step 3 – Have a consistent look.
Make sure your visual identity is consistent across all platforms. Visual identity is far more than a logo. It entails having a common overarching design (look and feel), style of photography and graphics, consistent logo treatment and common colors and fonts. Everything should look as if it came from the same company. A person reading an e-newsletter or brochure should see an immediate visual connection when visiting the website.
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Step 4 – Create clear, consistent content that can easily be adapted or repurposed to suit different media or channels.
Because it can take more than five impressions for an individual to recognize a brand or specific marketing message, follow the three Cs for marketing messages:
- Communications – messaging and offers must be clear and not filled with confusing words and/or phrases readers/viewers cannot understand fully.
- Compelling – interesting and/or topical to the reader/viewer.
- Consistent – regardless of channel — Web, phone, in-store, mobile.
In addition, every piece of content you develop — a blog post, webinar, podcast, case study or video — should be able to be used in as many places as possible. For example, you should be able to take a case study and use it in your newsletter; post an excerpt on LinkedIn; Tweet a series of informational nuggets from the piece; and use it to pitch an idea — or the case study itself — to a publication.
Step 5 – Ensure that your messaging is integrated.
To do this, make sure each element of your marketing campaign is set up to drive traffic to your ultimate target, whether your target is a website for purchases, reservations, email newsletter subscriptions, blog RSS subscriptions, etc. or a social network like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. for engagement.
Include links to this online real estate in press releases and on select marketing collaterals. Simply including a client’s Twitter handle on printed materials can help influencers connect more easily with the brand and spread the word on their networks. In addition, URLs and usernames should be as uniform as possible, e.g. @ParkerAssociates, #ParkerAssociates, ParkerAssociates.com, and so forth. And, be sure to use the same keywords and phrases throughout your integrated marketing campaigns.
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Step 6 – Make sure your marketing teams/agencies are working together and in sync to convey the same message in a similar manner.
If you have multiple members of a team working on disparate projects within the same integrated marketing campaign, facilitate team meetings to ensure all members are on the same page, the message behind the campaign is consistent and to manage company brand standards across the campaign.
Similarly, if you are using different agencies to produce different aspects of your marketing campaign, designate someone in-house to monitor and coordinate their efforts to ensure your branding has a consistent look and feel across all channels.
Step 7 – Don’t forget to track your campaigns — and coupons.
The most important aspect of any campaign, and most especially integrated campaigns, is putting the proper analytics and attribution methods in place to really understand how you’re achieving conversions and/or results.
Specifically, for those looking to use digital to drive in-stores sales with coupons, using a tracking platform that generates unique barcodes with every coupon printed and then allows you to receive data back from retailers and coupon clearing houses about which corresponding campaign segments are performing best from an ROI standpoint. This is a no-brainer approach that very few brands are using, including some of the larger brands in the market.
Parker Associates and PTC Computer Solutions have worked on a plentitude of projects through the years where many benefited from our experience gained while working in 33 states and 17 foreign countries and for more than 500 developers and builders since 1982. Want to learn how we can assist your next development? Visit our website at http://www.parkerassociates.comand/or call David WB Parker at 904-607-8763.
David WB Parker is a principal of Parker Associates of Jacksonville, Florida, marketing consultants to the real estate industry; President of PTC Computer Solutions, IT Specialist, and an active real estate sales professional with Barclay’s Real Estate Group based in Jacksonville, FL. He can be reached at 904-607-8763 or via email davidp@ptccomputersolutions.com.