No matter what medium you use, you’ll need five ingredients to make any marketing campaign successful.
Marketing comes in many forms—outbound, inbound, direct mail, digital ads—the sky’s the limit for any business with a decent budget and a good idea. But there are certain things fundamental to all forms of marketing, and without those ingredients, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Before you start any marketing campaign, run down this checklist and make sure you have everything you need to succeed:
- Brand stability. Before you do anything, consider the qualities of your brand. You should be well versed in your brand’s values, image, character, voice, and personality before you even choose a medium. Make sure all your messages and choices are well aligned with that brand. Any inconsistency could wreck your campaign’s potential (and the potential of future campaigns).
- Market research. Your target market can’t be “everyone.” Find a niche target market for your campaign, and do some thorough research about that niche’s needs and wants. Tailor your messages and mediums to that audience specifically.
- A central goal. What do you want to get out of this campaign? Are you looking for web visitors? Direct conversions? Or just greater brand awareness. There’s no right or wrong answer, but you do need a focus.
- A reasonable budget. Skimping on your marketing campaign isn’t a good idea. You need at least a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to have a reasonable impact, depending on your medium of choice.
- Tracking and analytics. Finally, but perhaps most importantly, you need mechanisms in place to track how people respond to your marketing (and learn, to make improvements in the future).
If you’re missing one or more of these ingredients, take a step back before you go any further. Take your time, gather the information you need, and really invest in making your marketing strategy as complete and developed as possible.
