Taking Aim

An effective marketing campaign is persuasive and clear. Two major components to achieving effectiveness are setting reasonable campaign goals, and engaging your targets. Without measurable goals or clear messaging, your efforts will be ineffective. Before you begin writing your campaign plan, you need to conquer the task of determining who your target audience is and what exactly you will say to them.


Set your target…

Identify your campaign goals. What steps need to be taken to successfully reach the objectives of your business? Strive for concise, action-oriented language. Goals may include:

  • Generate leads
  • Launch a new offer or product
  • Promote a new event or program
  • Generate referrals
  • Increase email opt-in database

Develop measurable objectives for the campaign. This will help you forecast the impact of the campaign on your business and measure the success of your marketing tactics. Measurable objectives might include:

  • Increase annual managed contract revenue by 10%
  • Obtain 3 new referrals from existing customer base
  • Grow new customer base by 10% in Q3 2006 through special offer

Zero in…

Your goals will influence who you should talk to and what you should say to them. Create a profile of the demographic or segment of a market you’d like to get replies from, as well as the characteristics you want customers to reflect. Do you want to tackle a certain industry? Is your company looking for small business clients or enterprise corporate accounts? Does annual revenue or a good credit rating enter into the equation? For hints on creating a profile of a particular type of client you’re interested in pursuing, look at successes within your existing client base to get key identifying information.

  • Who are your best clients?
  • What makes the relationship succssful?
  • What characteristics do they represent?
  • What industry or vertical are they in?
  • Who was your point of contact for getting in the door?
  • Who was the ultimate decision maker?

Next, try grouping customers into profiles using common buying behaviors or attitudes, which could include:

  • Longevity (e.g. in business less than 5 years)
  • Personas of those you hope to reach (e.g. decision-makers, gatekeepers, business owners, technology savvy, mobile user
  • Geography (e.g. in metropolitan area)

The more focused, the better! Campaigns that address a customer’s unique needs will yield the best response. Once you know who you want to reach, you’ll need to obtain a list—whether using existing records or purchasing a new list from a list broker.

Focus...

You need to be able to clearly articulate your company’s key selling points. Concentrate on the way your company is unique in the marketplace. Highlight key attributes, such as your experience, working style, and industry expertise. Interview your customers and document their perceptions about your offerings. Why did they originally select your firm? Why do they continue to do business with you? It’s valuable to know how your clients view your solutions when compared to those of your competitors. Make note of the terminology and phrases that customers use so you can incorporate these customer-friendly terms into your messages. Make sure you review your competitors’ marketing efforts, and look for ways to accentuate your strengths.

With the scene set, its time to spring into action. Learn how to define your approach to convert prospects into clients...

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