How to plan an advertising campaign in six steps
A campaign is a planned burst of advertising aimed at one goal. Most failures come from skipping the first steps and jumping straight to making ads. Work through these six in order.
1. Set one goal
Pick the single result you want: people knowing your name, inquiries, store visits or online sales. A campaign with three goals usually reaches none. Write it as a number and a date, such as 20 inquiries in 60 days.
2. Know your audience
Describe who you want to reach: where they live, what they need, how they search or browse and what makes them hesitate. The more specific you are, the easier the later choices become.
3. Choose the channel
Match the channel to how your audience decides. People searching for a service are reached well by search ads. People who browse and discover respond to social ads and video. Local reach may call for maps listings and local services ads. Start with one channel and learn it before adding more. See types of online ads explained.
4. Set the budget
Work backward from the goal. Decide what a customer is worth, how many customers you need, and estimate how many leads and visits that takes. Then choose a budget you can afford to lose while you learn, and a test period of two to three months.
5. Make the message and the page
Write an ad that says what you offer, who it is for and what to do next. Send people to a page that delivers on that promise and makes the next step obvious on a phone. A strong ad pointing to a weak page wastes the click.
6. Measure and adjust
Set up tracking before the campaign starts so every call and form is recorded. Review results on a regular schedule. Judge by leads and cost per customer, not clicks. Change one thing at a time so you can tell what worked.
A simple checklist
- One written goal with a number and a date
- A clear description of the audience
- One channel chosen on purpose
- A budget and a test period agreed in advance
- An ad and a landing page that match
- Tracking tested before launch