Hello again, dear readers! Last time that we caught up, I was giving y’all the rundown on my foray into a major social media campaign, and the actions I was taking to ensure that I was thoroughly covering all of my social media bases. I’m happy to report that things are going well, and we have increased our client’s Facebook following by over 200 people! It ain’t easy, but it’s possible—and sidenote: Facebook advertising DOES work, so be sure to make that investment!
Today, I am drawing inspiration from a full-fledged, short-term integrated marketing initiative that we are currently running for one of our largest clients that revolves around a national holiday that is meaningful to them. The entire campaign is taking place over the course of three weeks, and I have learned a lot in the midst of the process that I wish I had known beforehand! In order to save you from the unexpected obstacles I have run into, I’ll share some of the lessons I’ve learned:
1) Not to harp on the planning process, but make sure you give yourself a very healthy planning period before kick-starting your campaign. Conceptualizing a large-scale integrated campaign takes a great deal of brainstorming, researching, and gathering information from various vendors, so it is vital that you give yourself enough time to get everything in place well before you start the campaign. It’s hard to determine how much time to allow yourself to receive all the various approvals, confirmations, and answers you need, and you have to keep in mind that you will naturally be set back by other people’s schedules and timelines, so the earlier you can begin planning, the better! If you want to avoid scrambling, plan ahead!
2) Keep an updated document detailing every aspect of the planning and execution process. Besides holding you accountable to deadlines and ensuring that you won’t forget the minor details, it also gives you a step-by-step guide that you can use to aid in implementing all of your future campaigns. The first major campaign is always the hardest, and providing yourself a playbook for the future ensures a smoother, easier process from there on out.
3) Check, check, and CHECK AGAIN! In a campaign with several moving parts (advertisements, webpages, social media, etc.), consistency and accuracy is key. It may sound simple, but you really must stay vigilant in order to ensure that all your facts are correct, all materials are up-to-date, and there are no grammatical or spelling errors in any of your collateral, especially when there are multiple people working on the campaign. Even one small mistake reflects badly on your brand, particularly when you are drawing attention to it through a campaign, so compulsively checking and reviewing all campaign materials helps you maintain a professional and impressive appearance.
I hope you find these tips helpful, and remember, if you need help with your own integrated marketing campaign, you know the company to call—Design the Planet, where we design it and plan it for you!
