Up ‘till now, most of our articles have described marketing principles. Today, we want to talk about how to put those principles into action by creating and running a marketing campaign.

In our experience, marketing campaigns can be a lot of fun . . but they’re also a lot of work. Keep reading and we’ll tell you how to do the work and lean into the fun.

First, What Is a Marketing Campaign?

In marketing, a “campaign” is a strategic marketing plan with a specific goal. In our opinion, campaigns are a lot of fun because there are hundreds of different strategies, tactics, and platforms to choose from. The creative possibilities are endless.

Here are a few types of marketing campaigns to consider:

1. Traditional Media Campaigns

Generally, it’s better to spend your marketing capital online because it’s more cost-effective and it’s easier to target a specific audience. But sometimes it’s helpful to run a short campaign via traditional media as well.

You could, for example, run a few ads in your local newspaper to broadcast an upcoming sale. Keep in mind that the success of a traditional media campaign will likely depend on your industry and the demographics of your target audience.

2. Seasonal Campaigns

Depending on your industry, people may be more likely to buy your product/service at a specific time of year. For example, if you sell backpacks, you might want to run a special campaign right before the school year starts.

You might also consider running a campaign during the holiday season. It’s a great time to speak to the emotions of your customers and make your brand more personable.

3. New Product/Location Launch Campaigns

If you are about to launch a new product or open a new location, you probably want to advertise that fact. This will help existing customers become aware of the change and can even entice new customers to your business as well.

4. Brand Awareness Campaigns

Technically, most marketing campaigns are brand awareness campaigns because they help to spread awareness of your business. But it’s never a bad idea to run a campaign with this being the one and only goal.

People are more likely to buy from a brand they recognize. So if you want to stand out from the crowd, you should run the occasional brand awareness campaign and get your name out there. (But before you run an awareness campaign, make sure your brand guidelines are already defined.)

5. Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing campaigns are ones that take place via—you guessed it—email. When you’re targeting your email list for a campaign, the goals are usually a little different.

That’s because your email list is full of people who already know all about you. This allows you to bypass the need for explaining who you are and what you do. Instead, you can get right to the point of what you’re trying to accomplish. (Does this sound familiar? We’ve written about email marketing campaigns before.)

This is really just the tip of the iceberg regarding the many different types of campaigns you can choose to run. If you have an idea of something that might help you achieve your marketing goals, we think it’s always worth a try. Above all, marketing campaigns give you the chance to get creative and think outside the box.

How Do I Create a Successful Marketing Campaign?

Ultimately, the goal of every marketing campaign is to sell more products and/or services. You can’t do that spontaneously.

To run a successful marketing campaign, you need to be thoughtful and strategic in your preparation. Here are the steps we recommend:

First – Start Early

Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm ideas and create a strategy. For example, we held our first meeting for our Christmas 2024 campaign in July of 2023. We used this time to brainstorm ideas and discuss what did/didn’t work for past campaigns.

Second – Define Your Goals

There are a lot of different goals you might try to accomplish with your campaign. Here are a few:

• Increase your social media following
• Reach a new audience in a different market
• Build brand awareness
• Demonstrate the effectiveness of a product or service
• Increase traffic to your website
• Establish your business as a thought leader

Once you know what you want to accomplish, you’ll be able to direct your thoughts and strategies in a more effective direction.

Third – Identify Your Target Audience

Are you advertising to your existing customers or trying to reach a new audience? The answer to this question will determine which platforms and strategies you use to deploy the campaign. You can learn more about identifying your target audience here.

Fourth – Select a Platform (Or Platforms)

Now that you know your target audience, you’ll be able to choose the best platform for your campaign. When you’re speaking to existing clients, your social media accounts and/or email list are great places to start. If you want to reach new audiences, it might be time to try paying for ads on Google or social media.

Fifth – Craft Your Message

At this point, you should have most of the logistics of your campaign figured out. That means it’s time to sit down and craft your message.

Consider your target audience and the goal of your campaign. Then, brainstorm different ideas to achieve that purpose . . . and ask for feedback from your team. If you need a refresher on how to create good content, we recommend this article. Or, you can make the process even easier on yourself and hire a copywriter.

Sixth – Deploy the Campaign

With all of your ducks in a row, you’re finally ready to deploy the campaign!

Seventh – Monitor the Results

Monitor the results of the campaign and take note of what works and what doesn’t. Then, use this information to get a leg up on your next campaign. (If you don’t know how to monitor your marketing results, we recommend this article on Key Performance Indicators.)