How to Make an Ad Campaign
An ad campaign requires more than distributing fliers or creating a website, it is about connecting with customers. Once you gain the trust and respect of a customer, you can expect years of loyalty. However, earning that trust and respect means creating ad campaigns that convey a company's message or reason for existence. Ad campaigns also serve to separate a company from its competition. When preparing an ad campaign, consider the reasons why you went into business and how you want people to view your company.
Identify your target customers. Target customers are groups of people with the most interest in your goods and services. Create online and offline surveys to get to know your customers, review past marketing and sales reports to see which products sold the most and in which regions, and research your industry to see which demographics regularly purchase goods and services similar to yours.
Determine the best ways to reach your target customers. Television, radio, print, direct mail, Internet and social media advertising are all ways to promote goods and services. Knowing which advertising venues to invest in can reduce your marketing costs while increasing your profits. For example, targeting teenagers may mean investing more in Internet, television and social media advertising and less in direct mail and print advertising as teenagers spend more time on the computer and watching television than other consumer groups.
Create a brand that target customers can immediately recognize and associate with your company. A brand communicates a company's message and should differentiate your company from other companies in the same industry. Create a logo and slogan to promote your business brand. For example, a green cleaning company may use a tree surrounded by animals as its logo. To consumers, the logo represents what the company stands for, which is saving the earth's precious resources by making earth-friendly cleaning products. When creating an ad campaign, always keep the company message in the back of your mind.
Conduct market research to determine which benefits appeal most to your target market and focus your advertising message around those benefits. For example, if your energy drink helps maintain a runner's energy level, running and sports enthusiasts will find this benefit appealing. Alternatively, young on-the-go urbanites might appreciate the drink's compact and trendy designer bottle. Highlight different benefits when advertising in specific markets.
Produce marketing materials to promote your company's goods and services. The type of advertising venue you choose (Internet, television, etc.) determines the types of materials to create. If you are advertising on the Internet, create a website, web content and fan page on social media sites. Advertise on other websites, communicate with target customers in online forums or create a blog. If creating a direct mail advertising campaign, design brochures, postcards and fliers featuring the company's logo, slogan, information and sales offers.
Test several target markets and advertising venues to identify those advertising campaigns that produce the most sales. You may need to tweak your marketing efforts to increase sales or exposure. Review sales and marketing reports to determine which markets to stay in and which to leave.
- Write a marketing plan that outlines each phase of your ad campaign. This allows you to stay on track and on budget.
- Marketing is not a perfect science. It may take several campaigns before you reach the most profitable markets or create a solid brand that people instantly recognize.
Based in the Washington metro area, Jessica Jones has been a freelance writer since 2006, specializing in business topics. Her fiction has also been featured in publications such as "The Jamaican Observer Sunday Literary Supplement" and at websites including HackWriters. Jones earned a Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from Lesley University.