Executing a great ad campaign can seem like a complicated algebraic equation. Who do I target? What do I include? What platform do I use? The questions are unending and can be overwhelming. How do you succeed with your upcoming ad campaign? First, you lay the right foundation. We have three tips today to help with the beginning stages of your marketing plan:
Have ONE clear call to action.
Before you begin your campaign, be sure you have ONE end game: what single action do you want the target audience to take? Once your campaign has reached your target consumer, your audience must have a “next step”, also known as a call-to-action. Here are some examples of actions you can ask them to take:
- Signup for your special offer or email newsletter
- Submit their contact information for your team member to respond to, or to start an automated drip email response
- Buy your product
- Call your 1-800 number
- “Like” your Facebook page or other social media platform.
- Post their response, comment, photo or other engagement action.
Provide links to make this seamless and test them before you run your campaign. And again, ask them to do only one thing.
Know your audience and cater to each platform you advertise on.
If you’ve decided to do your campaign across multiple social platforms, do not use the same criteria and outline for each one. On Instagram, a bold photo with a clever caption will need to suffice as adding links is tricky in that platform. You will want to notate “link in profile” or utilize Instagram’s paid business post templates. On Facebook, be sure your business page is easy to navigate, and that your potential clients can access your reviews, posts, and timeline… and before you begin your campaign, be sure to update all contact information. You can also add a call-to-action on your Facebook business page using this tutorial. If you’re using Google Analytics, you can narrow down your popular pages by demographic (age, gender, etc) and see who is utilizing your service or page the most. Then, target your Facebook ad or post to a larger market.
Understand the various ways to advertise.
Not all marketing is digital these days (Gasp… How can we say such a thing!) Though social and other digital advertising options are certainly a strong way to get your message out, other options like word-of-mouth, radio or television, event sponsorships, and print ads can be very effective to reach and convert your target audience . THIS awesome article outlines different questions and answers you may have. We suggest factoring in three important factors: BUDGET, AUDIENCE, and PURPOSE. Some examples: If your budget is very small, then online and “free” options like Facebook and Twitter and other social outlets will be a great way to stretch your meager dollars. If your audience is comprised of older, senior citizens, presentations, and traditional media might be helpful to reach them. And if your purpose is to collect digital info, like email addresses, then an online campaign with click-through forms will be most effective.
Still stumped on how to get your campaign off the ground? We would sure love to help you! We are the largest faith-based web & event network and can help launch your brand, business, and advertising to new heights. Contact us today!
Other relevant links:
FrontGate’s Target Audience Tool
FrontGate’s Media Buying Services