“Marketing campaigns don’t work.” – me two years ago.
I was drinking too much Gary Vee juice. I was drunk on hype marketing.
I’ve come to now see the immense value in an intentional campaign that drives strategic outcomes.
When done right and within an overarching marketing strategy, campaigns can be incredibly beneficial.
Christopher Lochhead, author of Play Bigger, calls them lightning strikes.
“A strike is an event or coordinated series of events in a small window of time. It can take many forms. It can be tied to a product unveiling or a new round of funding. It could be a manufactured industry summit for the sole purpose of the strike.”
I would argue campaigns can be longer than a few weeks, at max a quarter, but they have the same concept as the lightning strike.
To draw attention and focus to a specific thing you’re doing.
My recommendation for campaigns is that you do 1-2 per quarter. Even two during one quarter (3 months) could be too much to drive enough value to make the ROI positive.
If you are going to invest in doing a marketing campaign, here are some things to focus on:
- Get clear on which customer segment this campaign is for (everyone does not count)
- Define the channels you will execute the campaign in
- Put measurements in place to know if it’s working or not
One note about the final bullet: Pulling the plug on a campaign is not a failure.
Shifts happen, and continuing to push a message that isn’t hitting will do more harm than good.
That’s why it’s critical to define before starting the campaign how you will know if it worked.
Figuring out if the plane is working once you’re in the air is too late.
I hope those quick tips can help you position your next campaign for success.
If you’ve had success with running campaigns or believe like I did before they are old school, share your experience with me!
🧠 // JO