The Advertising Campaign Process

The Advertising Campaign Process

In past publications, we reviewed some concepts and examples of advertising campaigns. But what exactly is an advertising campaign? To dive deep into this topic let me recall the Advertising definition. According to Philip Kotler (considered the father of modern Marketing) “Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, and services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor”.

An advertising campaign is part of the Marketing plan. This tool helps to better organize and plan the promotion of a product or service; and the way in which we will deliver the message to the market audience. It is a structured plan that would help you to advertise your product or service. The advertising campaign process is like a manual you have to review before to launch any ads.

To start this process, it is important to have a general idea about what do you want to accomplish with this campaign. Probably your first thought is increasing sales, and that is a good beginning, but most of the time sales will come naturally. One goal could be creating awareness on your buyer persona’s mind about your product/service. Maybe you want to connect with your current customers or offer something new to your loyal customers. Whichever the case, you must decide what do you want to achieve with this plan.

Take your time and reflect about any ideas you may have. Make notes if necessary. Then, start to analyze the steps of the advertising campaign.

Advertising campaign process/steps.

1.     Set your advertising budget. While it is not mandatory to start with this step, it will be crucial to have a general idea since the beginning. You do not want to spend time and effort planning and organizing something that will be time or money consuming.

One simple way to calculate the maximum allowable ad budget is taking 10 percent of your projected sales.

Another useful method is researching the advertisement used by your competitors. Even though this will require some time, it will give you a better idea of what your budget should be.

Remember, it is not money wasted, it is an investment.

2.     Define your objectives. What do you want to achieve, who will be your target audience, what makes you different from your competitors, what message do you want to communicate to your buyer personas? These are only a few questions you can ask yourself to start with. Defining your objectives for your ad campaign will be the foundation of your plan.

Consider time frame in this step. For example, convert leads to actual sales by 15% in two months.

Use the SMART criteria to help you with this stage.

• Specific. Be clear and specific with the objectives you want to achieve with your advertising campaign.
• Measurable. Have measurable goals. This will help you to track your progress.
• Attainable/Achievable. Are your goals realistic? Be sure it is something you can do.
• Relevant. Are your objectives relevant to the campaign?
• Timely. Do you have deadlines? Is there any time restrictions you should consider before starting?

Ask yourself all time-related questions about your project before to plan your campaign.

3.     Evaluate and create the themes and any other resources and materials you will be using for the advertising campaign such as images, videos, and texts. What are you going to say, how you are going to say it? Are you stating your benefits? Chose colors and content and try to be consistent with every design you make.

4.     Determine what strategies and media channels you are going to use. You have to be sure about who your buyer personas are, how you are going to reach them and what you want to communicate. Your objectives and the information about your target audience will help you to take the appropriate decisions about the media channels and vehicles you will use to communicate the message.

Here is a list of some of the vehicles you can use:

*Magazines. There are usually a few local magazines that can be used if you want to reach your buyer personas.

*Newspapers. Do not overestimate the power of newspapers, especially when it comes to local ads.

Direct mail. You can use this source even if you do not have a mailing list. It is more likely to be a more effective method, compared to telemarketing or emails.

*Business cards. It is a good advertising vehicle especially if you have a new/small business. Do not include just your contact information; make sure you state the purpose of your business.

*Vehicle advertising. It is a very visual and mobile way to communicate your message.

*TV advertising. There are always local channels that can be used, besides the national ones.

*Radio advertising. If you know what radio stations your target audience listens, you can use this not so expensive media.

*Social media advertising and YouTube. Nowadays people spend many hours using their social media networks and watching YouTube videos. Why not take advantage of this? 

Keep in mind time frames for any media channel or vehicle you want to use. Always remember, any decision should be made thinking about the audience you want to reach.

5.     Execute your plan. Put your plan into action.

6.    Measure results. It is important to measure your plan results. You need to know if your efforts were effective and successful. You can compare how you were doing before the ad campaign and after you implement your plan.  

This post was created with the main purpose of giving you some information about the advertising process. However, it is important for you to research on your own about everything you are not sure about before launching your advertising campaign.

The following is a list of some other articles you may find useful for your informational purposes. These articles go into more depth about specific topics we reviewed.

•  “How to budget for marketing and where to invest your marketing dollars”. It is an article with information about the trends for this 2018.

• "50 Marketing Channels to Use to Reach Customers"  You should read this very informative article about the different media channels you can use for your advertising campaign. 

•  This video it is a summary of some of the concepts mentioned in this post. “Three Critical Steps You Must Complete Before Launching ANY Advertising Campaign.”