5 Tips for a Simple Yet Significant Marketing Campaign

Fussy design is out. Excessive words are over. Complicated Marketing is so last year. Simplicity is in.

With 3,000 tweets per second, more than 1.5 million photos uploaded to Flickr everyday and an average 81 days per year spent checking emails, it’s no wonder consumers are being drawn to easily digestible bite-sized information wherever it can be found.

Apple’s legacy was built on Steve Jobs’ devotion to simplicity, “The way we’re running the company, the product design, the advertising, it all comes down to this: Let’s make it simple. Really simple.” (Smithsonian Mag) And let’s face it – it works.

So when it comes to your business, adopting simplicity in your marketing strategy can behold powerful results.

1. Have a simple USP

Effective marketing campaigns are built on a clear, strong unique selling proposition (USP). What are you offering your consumers? How do you differ from your competitors? Perhaps it’s your service that sets you apart, your experience, or your product selection. Whatever your proposition, it must be simple; it must be clear; and it must shine through everything you do.

2. Develop a clear strategy

Lack of planning is the number one reason marketing campaigns fail. Sitting down every month to decide the content, approach and aims of your marketing in the weeks and months ahead, and ensuring it is aligned to your business strategy, is crucial to its success. Simple planning techniques, such as a spreadsheet with upcoming feature opportunities; a list of useful resources for social media content are all useful in ensuring your marketing stays on track and hits the mark.

3. Tailor your message for different platforms

There is a reason why Twitter is growing and Facebook is experiencing a backlash from consumers. Twitter is simple: say what you have to say in 140 characters or less – no messing around. Facebook on the other hand, is becoming cluttered with sponsored posts, brand messages and overly complicated pages. That is not to say your company shouldn’t have a Facebook page, but just because you can say more, and do more advertising etc., doesn’t mean you should. Remember your USP, your message, and your audience – who is using Facebook, why are they using it, why would they want to engage with your brand? Then communicate as simply and clearly as possible.

4. Simplify marketing execution

There is no good launching into a marketing campaign only to realise you can’t keep up with the various platforms or you’ve take on too big a challenge. When executing a digital campaign, for example, you need to be realistic about what your company can do with social media; how many times a day realistically you can tweet and which platforms are right for your business. Then decide who is in charge of what platform, the content that will be used to populate each one and how you can utilise digital tools to make your digital marketing execution as simple as possible. i.e. tools like TweetDeck to schedule Tweets at certain times; or a content managed website to update your content quickly and simply.

5. Integrate marketing collateral

Finally, simplify your company image. You are more likely to be remembered with a clear attractive logo, consistent visual style and collateral. From stationery set to website, brochures to advertising, creating a brand that you can be proud of and that people will instantly recognise is a sure way to make your marketing more effective.

As Leonardo de Vinci said, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” so keep these five things in mind and you can create a marketing campaign and brand that is simple, yet significant.

Read more: Having a Lifeless Marketing Campaign? Give your Lead Generation a Soul with these Blogging Tips