By Samuel FIANKO
Before you think I’m about to discuss political campaigns, think again. I’m talking about the broad spectrum of advertising campaigns, which includes political campaigns. When brands set out to roll out massive nationwide or global campaigns, they often have a product they intend to sell.
But before they arrive at that ultimate goal of selling, the objective has to be considered and put into writing. A series of questions need to be asked, which rest predominantly on WHO. Who are we selling to? Who is this product designed for? Who needs this product?
I will share with you three key reasons why campaigns fail, and then we will observe means by which we can remedy them:
- An unclear campaign objective
- An undefined audience
- An unclear campaign message
An unclear campaign objective
Defining your campaign objective determines the outcome of the campaign. How can you measure the success of your campaign without a clear objective? Many startups set out by creating an Instagram profile and selling the product without a clear objective, and they eventually fail, in most cases.
When you set clear objectives, it helps you to track your progress and make the necessary adjustments where necessary. Don’t say, “My objective is in my mind.” Write it down. Ensure that it is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (SMART).
What do you seek to achieve? Is it the creation of awareness? Is it for brand recall? Is it a limited-time offer to get people to buy more during Black Friday? Quantify your objective.
Teachers always start their lessons by outlining their lesson objectives. By the end of the lesson, students should be able to do so and so. It’s the same with your campaigns.
When you observe most of Amazon’s campaigns, you notice that there is a clear objective- get our loyal customers (Prime Members) to buy within a limited time. They serve up offers that are too good to refuse within a short duration. Recently, I came across the Amazon Prime Day Deals.
They were selling everything from electronics to home essentials at unbeatable discounts from July 16 – 17. The campaign grossed a record-breaking 200 million items sold. Now, that counts for a successful campaign!
Don’t be deceived- the success of your campaign is entirely based on your objective.
An undefined audience
Every campaign is aimed at someone. Think of that one person who would be delighted to receive your campaign. Whose problem does your campaign solve? That is your audience. This calls for extensive research. Understand your market segment and target your message specifically for them.
You definitely would not tailor a campaign selling reusable menstrual pads to men. Men may be secondary audiences. However, your primary audience is the female category, and even that would have to be narrowed down to a specific segment of females.
Probably, those between the ages of 12 and 50. Are you targeting a specific region or the entire nation? These analyses are vital to ensuring that you define your audience.
This means going out into the field with surveys and holding focus group discussions to get a solid understanding of who your audience is. You can also use tools like mural.co to create persona and empathy maps. These maps help you create the ideal type of person who would need your products and would respond to your campaign.
An unclear campaign message
An unclear message stems from an undefined audience. Determine who you’re addressing your campaign to. Is it young people? Is it the elderly? What channels do they often use? What are their interests? That will help you to craft a compelling campaign message that resonates with them.
Always remember that every campaign takes your audience on a journey of discovery and the ultimate goal is to get them sold! Tell a story that grabs your audience’s attention. Give calls to action that help you seal the deal.
Show that you care about what matters to your audience and that your goal is to meet their needs. Let your message be derived from insights into your target demographic based on your psychographic analysis. Messaging that is rooted in reliable insights is hard to ignore. Think about the Share-a-Coke campaign.
It was a massive success because Coca-Cola understood that the majority of people love to drink Coke in the company of the ones they love. Thus, having a Coke with your name on it sparks an emotional connection, creating a desire for more. When writing your copy, think of getting your audience’s attention, sparking interest, nurturing desire and inspiring action- that is the AIDA framework.
Most importantly, let your uniqueness shine! How different are you from your competitors? What differentiates you from them? Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) will do most of the work if you have cracked it at the initial stages of building your business. It forms the basis of the big ideas of your c ampaigns.
Building successful campaigns
To build successful campaigns, ensure that you write down a clear objective. Specify your audience through research and create a compelling campaign message based on your unique selling proposition. Someone may ask, “Where is the budget?” Your budget will be cut out by your objective. Remember to frequently review your performance against your campaign objectives.
>>>The author is a seasoned writer who specialises in telling stories of African businesses and business owners. He can be reached at [email protected]
