Many people already know the 4 “P”s of marketing (that’s product, price, placement, and promotion), but not many know the 5 “F”s of a fantastic marketing campaign.
Either way, we at Curve love to share what we know with others, so here’s our secret list to running a fantastic marketing campaign.
1. Focus on goals and objectives
The very first thing you need to do is to establish your focus. What are your goals for this marketing campaign? Are you trying to build your brand? Are you trying to increase foot traffic at your store? Everyone on your team needs to be on the same page when it comes to common goals and objectives.
Instead of just reading the goals out loud to your team, run through some specific scenarios. For example, talk about the different types of Facebook ads you would need to run or the types of commercials you would need to shoot in detail. Making sure everyone has the same expectations of the project will save many headaches in the future.
It’s also important to maintain that focus throughout the project. We recommend short weekly meetings so everyone can compare notes and make sure everything falls within the scope of the project. The worst thing that can happen is “feature creep,” where the project begins filling up with extra features, events, and initiatives until success becomes impossible.
2. Flavour – What is your secret ingredient?
With advertising clutter at an all-time high, your campaign needs to have something eye-catching and extraordinary for people to even notice. Relying on the same old traditional channels over and over again will get you mediocre results. However, this isn’t a licence to do whatever you want. No matter how crazy your advertising or publicity stunt is, make sure it is strongly tied in to your goals and objectives.
3. Foresight – Plan for the worst
One of the most important things you can do when preparing your campaign is to have a sense of foresight. This doesn’t mean you have to see the future, but you should have a solid set of “Plan B”s. Take some time to brainstorm a list of all the possible things that could go wrong with your campaign and rank them in terms of severity and likelihood. Make sure you explain how you would avoid (or at worst, mitigate) the damage. It may seem like a waste of time, but having a plan in place when a crisis hits is invaluable.
Here’s an example of a risk analysis for a hypothetical outdoor BBQ event.
Risk Name Severity (5) Likelihood (5) Risk Score Avoidance We have a food shortage. 2/5 3/5 5/10
- Buy more food beforehand
- Have someone with a car
ready to get more food
It starts to rain that day. 4/5 2/5 6/10
- Keep an eye on the
weather channel - Prepare tents and
umbrellas
Our only grill has broken down. 5/5 1/5 6/10
- Try to get extra grills
- Make sure a staff member
is knowledgable about
fixing grills.
This is a very simple risk analysis chart, but hopefully you get the idea. As a rule of thumb, we recommend aiming for at least seven to eight potential risks per event.
4. Flexibility to change
While we can’t emphasize the importance of Focus and Foresight enough, it’s equally crucial to be flexible as well. Sometimes, things will happen that you just can’t plan for, and it’s up to your business to react. At that point, the success of your entire campaign will depend on quick thinking and a speedy response.
5. Have Fun!
Although this definitely sounds trite and cliché, you need to have FUN! It will undoubtedly be stressful and time-consuming, but when you’re honestly having fun with your campaign, whether it is an event or just writing blog posts, it will improve the quality of your work.
If you’re not having any fun at all, you should try to find ways to make it more interesting. If you’re bored on the marketing side, there’s a good chance your target audience feels the same way.