Sunday, August 15, 2010

Checklist for a marketing campaign

When starting a new marketing campaign, the following checklist helps you asking a few questions to focus your mind. Answering these questions will make it much easier to plan and implement a campaign. Difficulty to answer them may lead you to conduct further research prior to committing to the campaign.

This list of questions has been based on Bob Bly's excellent book on copywriting. It can be used at the start, middle or end of a campaign, respectively for planning, evaluation or impact assessment.

The Copywriter's Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells1. Get (previous) campaign materials
  •  Brochures, leaflets, ads, catalogs, white papers, case studies, ...
  • If possible, get these from the competition as well
2. Questions about the campaign, product, opportunity, …
  • Features and benefits
  • Drivers and anti-drivers
  • Most important benefit
  • Difference from competition or alternatives / exclusive features / better performance
  • If commodity product, what attributes can be emphasized that haven’t been before?
  • Competing technologies
  • Applications
  • What problems in the market does the product, service, technology, … solve?
  • Positioning
  • How does it work?
  • How much does it cost (more, less)
  • How reliable or efficient is it?
  • Is it user-friendly? Easy to maintain?
  • User testimonial
3. Questions about the target audience
  • Who buys?
  • Why? Why now?
  • For what purpose?
  • Customer / user main concern?
  • User profit, character, motivation
  • Where do users get their information?
  • Who do they trust?
  • How many potential customers? Are they all of equal size, or do 20% of customers represent 80% of the market?
  • How much can you afford to spend to reach them?
4. Possible objectives of your campaign
  • Generate enquiries
  • Generate sales
  • Answer enquiries
  • Qualify prospects
  • Generate traffic
  • Introduce product or service
  • Keep in touch
  • Transfer news, information
  • Build brand recognition / preference
  • Build company image
  • Provide tools for sales people
  • Market intelligence
5. Tools for investigation
  • Interviews
  • Surveys
  • Case studies
  • Expert opinion
  • Mindmapping
For a list of available campaign tools, see 40 online marketing methods.
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    2 comments:

    1. Julian GrattonAugust 15, 2010 at 2:26 PM

      Really useful information that. Take a look what might happen if you don't use such tips:

      http://www.redcmarketing.net/blog/marketing/when-marketing-campaigns-go-wrong/

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    2. Michael ThimmeschApril 10, 2011 at 6:45 AM

      Thanks, Hans, for sharing the overview of Robert Bly's excellent book. I have been reading his great advice for over 20 years.

      One thing to consider is when you are writing copy is where is it going to be used? In a brochure, or a web page? In an ad, or on a trade show display? On a blog, or a press release? Each medium requires a different length, feel, and tone.

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