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Tips on How To Develop An Effective Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign

Posted by John Foley, Jr. on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 3:59 PM in Business, Marketing

Tips on How To Develop An Effective Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign

John P. Foley, Jr. President and CEO – interlinkONE, Inc

In order to compete in today’s economy, you need to get your products and services in front of your target market. And the best way to do that is to use a multi-channel marketing campaign that integrates consistent messages with different channels to reach your desired prospects and customers. By reaching out in different directions, you have a greater chance to get your message to these people and provide an experience that is relevant to their needs…which in turn will get them to act and purchase your products and services.

Need some tips on how to develop that effective marketing campaign using multiple channels? Here they are:

• Focus on the end goal – reaching your target market. You can’t be all things to all people. Nor do you want to be! So stay on target and keep the laser beam focused on the people who matter.
• Work closely with your sales department. You want to make sure that the sales end is aligned with the marketing department so that everyone is aware of what is going on and what everyone can anticipate with the upcoming marketing campaign. Plus, your sales people may have some really good ideas on how to get to your target market or how to position your message.
• Bring the customer service department up to speed on your multi-channel marketing efforts. The customer service experience should be just as consistent for the target market as any other interaction with your company. So it’s vital that the customer service department be kept in the loop.
• Don’t shy away from new technology. Sure, some things may seem like a flash in the pan. But don’t let fear or ignorance of the latest and greatest in technology scare you away from possible marketing channels. Learn about the technology, or work with someone who knows it and then make the decision what to use (or not to use) to get your marketing messages out to your target market.
• Don’t discount direct mail. Many consumers are influenced by direct mail pieces and while it’s easy to concentrate on more modern technology such as social networking via the internet, direct mail shouldn’t be tossed by the wayside. Direct mail is oftentimes less “in your face” than other mediums and consumers prefer the chance to look over, read the piece and have time to take the message in.
• Develop measurement standards before you implement your campaign. You won’t know how effective parts of your campaign were unless you have measurement standards in place. But you can’t decide how to actually measure results after the fact. You need to have the plan set and the metrics created before campaign implementation.
• Test your campaign on a smaller scale. You’ve got lofty goals. And it’s easy to get excited and rush to get the word out to consumers. But you want to make sure that the message is personalized and sent to the correct people, through the correct channel and at the correct time. To do this, you test and then use those measurement standards to evaluate the effectiveness of your campaign. This is your chance to tweak and make adjustments before you go gung-ho and release your big campaign.
• Brainstorm on how you can launch an effective campaign that integrates both online and offline efforts. Your prospects and current customers can be found through many channels and you want to reach them through both, if possible. As long as you keep that message consistent, and personalized to your audience, you’re on the right track!

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