Creating and implementing a marketing campaign is not an easy task for a small/medium business. (It is often just as hard for multi-million-dollar companies with many marketing professionals on payroll.) The good news is that everyone is IN THE SAME BOAT!

That said, here is a good place for anyone to start.

• Identify your audience. The first thing that must be done for any marketing campaigns is to figure out WHO you're advertising to. It is important to determine the TARGET audience. There are a lot of companies that plan their marketing strategy trying to advertise to EVERYONE – most likely this approach leads you to attract NO ONE. Envision your ideal customer and aim your marketing at that person.

• Ask yourself “Why”. The vision and implementation of the marketing campaign start with the answer to that question. You need to know what you expect from the marketing campaign – more customers, more sales, building customer loyalty…etc. Each goal needs a different approach to successfully achieve it.

• Determine what a successful campaign looks like and apply numbers. You must have a KPI (key performance indicator) for the marketing campaign. These KPIs must be evaluated regularly to ensure you stay on target. Try to follow the classic SMART goals system-specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.

• Test and adapt. Are your emails reaching enough people? How many people are reading your blogs and how many readers are purchasing your service? If you answered “no” or “I don’t know” then you have a problem. Use the KPIs to determine when or if you need to modify. Your marketing campaign must be flexible – you should be able to tweak it if you are not happy with the campaign’s performance.

• Embrace testimonials. Try to get as much positive feedback from your customers as possible. These testimonials are perfect for building credibility and positive rapport with the audience. You can ask your customers to share their feedback via email or personal conversation. You can also ask your customers to post their reviews on Google Business, Maps, Yelp and Facebook. Keep in mind, that the golden rule with these reviews is to always respond to feedback. Say a simple “thank you” for the positive one or ask for a second chance for a negative comment. Successful management of your customer’s feedback is crucial for the health of your business.

Let us know if we can be of assistance setting up your next campaign.