Campaigns for your small business can take many forms depending on your goal. But many people are easily daunted by the idea of starting their own campaigns. It sounds like a lot of planning and work, but in reality, a campaign can be quite simple and well worth your effort. Here are 5 steps to get the ball rolling.
1. Set Your Goal
A campaign can start with any goal and run for any length of time. The more specific your goal is, the easier it is to stick with it, reach it, and be able to track your progress. Whether it is spending the month of September increasing your Facebook Likes or getting a certain number of new customers in six months, pin down what exactly you want to attain. You can not go anywhere with a campaign without a clear goal first.
2. Decide What to Offer
Offering something special for your campaign is key to getting people interested. Whether you are offering discounts, downloads, or business-to-business services, be specific in promoting the unique value you are offering. Include a call-to-action that clearly tells potential customers to sign up, download, or join. Whatever you offer, do not give too much away, but make it worth the status of a “limited time offer.”
3. Schedule It
It is hard to get your campaign off the ground if you do not have a plan from start to finish. Create a calendar of clear to-do’s from your start date through to your end date. Scheduling when to send out every email, Facebook post, and reminder will mean smooth sailing for the duration of your campaign. Be strategic about when and how often to offer and remind.
4. Integrate
Your campaign’s focus might be on emails. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get the word out on Facebook and your website too. Whatever you are doing, be sure to integrate all your marketing resources to promote your new campaign. Broadcast your offers wisely through social media, emails, blog posts, etc. to reach the widest audience and make the most out of the time you are devoting to the campaign.
5. Track Your Success
Like any business venture, you want to determine your ROI (return on investment). Depending on your campaign’s goal and type of offer, it may be possible to use tracking codes to measure the campaign’s progress. If you design your campaign through a professional email or social marketing system such as Constant Contact, you can often have access to analytics that show you just how well you are doing over time.
The bottom line is to determine if you have met your goal at the end of the campaign. The results of a well-planned campaign are the best reward for all your time and effort.
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