When you start your first marketing campaigns for your business, whether those marketing campaigns are traditional or digital, most of us want one thing: results. What success looks like depends on the nature of your campaign, and no one can say exactly what the end product of a campaign will be when you start – if we could promise you that a + b will always equal c, we’d be mathematicians, not marketers!
However, what a good digital marketing agency will do is take the time to learn your business and industry, work with you to make a plan for how to reach your audience, and not be afraid to try different creative approaches until you find the right one. So, what are the keys to giving your marketing campaign the best possible chance of success?
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WANT FROM YOUR CAMPAIGN
Why are you looking to work with a digital marketing agency, and what are you hoping to get from your campaign over time?
You may be looking for an agency to be a long-term digital partner, someone who can act as ongoing support for your day-to-day marketing needs as well as for big launches and announcements. Or you may simply be looking for a one-off campaign: perhaps for a re-brand, a new product line, or a big sale event.
Either way, make sure you and your agency are on the same page about what your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will be!
If you’re launching a new product or a new look, you may be looking to generate awareness of your brand or your offerings. In this case, you might be focused on how many people have seen your ads, or how many visited your website.
On the other hand, you might be looking to send a targeted message to your loyal customers about a one-time special offer or an exclusive package, in which case your KPI may be online sales. The more specific your goals are, the better your agency can work with you to meet them.
If your goal is simply generally more customers and more sales, your agency can work with you to break that down into different campaigns and stages. Whatever your campaign, knowing your goals and communicating them clearly is the first step to success.
PLANNING YOUR CAMPAIGN: AUDIENCE, CHANNEL & MORE
So you know what you want – how do you get it? A good digital marketing agency will be able to work with you to make a plan.
Who are your key audiences? Your agency should be able to tell you where your audience is likely to spend their time online, if you’re not sure, and how best to reach them at important moments of their journey. For example, if you sell gardening tools, channels like popular local gardening blogs, landscape inspiration Instagram accounts and home & garden supply websites are probably a great start.
On Instagram, your gardeners may be looking more to browse photos than purchase tools, but you can catch their attention and keep yourself front of mind, as well as snagging a few sales. Then, when they see your ads later on a home and garden supply site – where they are likely in a buying mindset – they will ideally remember you and make a purchase!
Knowing where your audience lives online is the second step to a great campaign. The third step of a successful campaign is finding out how to talk to them.
CAMPAIGN CREATIVES: TESTING, TESTING
If you haven’t done extensive marketing in the past, or you’re not sure what approach works best with your audience, we always recommend testing lots of different campaign messages.
Is your product professional? Bright and funny? Street-smart? Relaxed and healthy? Depending on the tone you want to set with your ad language and visuals, your agency can create a variety of campaign creatives for you to choose from.
Beyond the aesthetics, what language works best for your audience? Do they like being told to ‘buy now’, or simply encouraged to ‘explore’? What’s the most important part of your message to them – is it your international accreditation, your years in the industry, or that you offer free shipping?
Finding out which messages and imagery turns browsers into buyers is a key part of creating a successful campaign.
WRAPPING IT UP
Finally, make sure you pick a digital partner that provides solid reporting and communication. Your account manager should review campaign results with you, talk to you regularly about any recommendations, and generally keep you informed about your campaign’s progress.
Your report should tell you which channels got the best results and which creative messages drove the most traffic to your website. When you know what led to success and what didn’t, your campaigns are set up for even better results in the future!
If you are looking for a digital marketing partner, get in touch with us below. We guarantee that we will work with you to develop the best possible plan for your campaign.
