I’ve been helping a business owner to launch his debut book in the past few weeks and have covered questions to run a successful promotion campaign that I thought I will share with you today some of the key aspects we’ve touched on.
First of all why should you run a campaign? To launch a new product, a new service, celebrate a milestone in your organisation like the 30th anniversary, for a crowdfunding project or to make a special offer.
It’s about creating an experience for your customers and prospects and to build up some excitement.
This is not the core marketing activities you do daily or weekly to promote your business. And it should have a specific goal, a start and an end date.
Here are the 10 steps to maximise the success of your campaign
1. Clarify the objectives of the campaign
Start with the end in mind. Clarify what you want to achieve with the campaign. Which metrics you need to see to know that the campaign has been successful? How many downloads? which number of sales, number of opt-in, how much revenue?
Let’s say you want to get 200 people to download your latest report in the next four weeks. You have to figure out how many people should visit your website.
Let’s assume that the conversion rate is 5% that means that for every 100 people who visit your site 5 people will download your report. To get 200 people downloads you need 4,000 visitors (200×100/5).
The conversion rate can be higher or lower depending on three key factors: targeting the right audience, the ad copy is and the landing page.
Now that you have an idea of the traffic you need to drive to your website, you can plan for the budget and the effort you’ll need to achieve your objectives.
2. Build the case for your offer
Which pain/interest are you addressing in this specific campaign? Why now? Create some urgency. How topical is your promotion with the current trends, news, etc.
There is no point promoting a bikini in the winter unless you are offering a trip in Barbados!
If possible make your campaign coincide with a key moment in the year when your audience will be more receptive to it. Think holidays, back to school period, Xmas, New Year, Valentines, but also the seasons, key industry events, major life events, career transitions, etc.
3. Define your desired audience and their problem
Which specific problem are you addressing in this offer? Who will resonate the most with it? New prospects? A particular segment of your clients?
The more precise you are, the better your promotion will perform. Create an avatar of your ideal customer persona for this campaign.
Estimate the size of the population. Don’t be afraid to define specific criteria and narrow your target to ensure the best impact.
4. Tell a story based on your topic/audience and the problem you are solving
What will help to create an immediate relationship with the prospects? Tell them why you are providing this solution, what you stand for, who you are, …
See how Proper corn tell their story.
5. Reveal your offer
Now that you know your audience’s problem, you need to demonstrate how your solution is just the right fit to solve it. Describe the benefits of the solution and its features.
Tell them how you will move them from point A where they are dissatisfied to point B and how well off they will be when they use your solution.
Provide differentiators. What is unique about your solution and how different it is from the competition?
This step only comes at the end of the campaign.
6. Website that delivers great value
Create a dedicated microsite for the campaign. Don’t use your main site homepage but a sequence of pages to offer great value to the prospects throughout the campaign.
Design a landing page with an opt-in form to collect details in exchange of a high value free report, article, video, etc. You can create beautiful landing pages without any expertise using Optimizepress or Leadpages.
Follow up by sending to your list another great value item (sample product, eBook, video, free ticket, etc.) and engage the prospect in a two-way conversation. Ask to comment, share or like your page.
Keep sending great value until you reveal your offer.
7. Promote your website
The odds are that no one will discover your page by chance so you have to promote it across digital channels especially the ones that your target audience uses the most like social media.
But don’t forget emails, offline events and other traditional channels to spread the word.
Another way to achieve fast results with your goals is paid advertising. Facebook ad or boosting posts are great ways to reach a very targeted audience.
Google ad will produce good results if it’s something that people are searching for. You can check with Google planner how many people are looking for your keywords.
Optimise the campaign by using videos, which convert even better.
Build anticipation for your campaign. Tell your audience in advance what is coming up and get them excited with a countdown. Choose a rhythm. If you set up to send out each piece of the puzzle daily, every two days or weekly stick to it.
8. Find partners
Get all your staff involved. Target potential partners to spread your campaign wider.
If you have partnered with another company to write a report or interviewed an expert send your campaign to both your audiences.
9. Have everything ready before the launch starts
Have your front end freebees and back end products ready before you start the launch.
Some launches fail because some pieces of the puzzle are missing and the distribution rhythm of the content becomes inconsistent.
10. Measure your campaign
Have a system of tracking in place to see how your campaign is performing on a daily basis.
Check where most people seem to come from by using Google Analytics and other social media in-built analytics. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Slidesare, Youtube all have great ways to track activities.
Tweak your promotional plan in light of your findings and do more of what is working well.
Running a successful campaign requires planning, commitment and adjustment. It’s not something you start and hope for the best. But when properly managed it can yield the best results.
Do you have other tips to run a successful online campaign? Like the post and share your experience below.