Many marketers don’t think about the campaign plan until everything else is finalised. We will help you build the plan upfront, so what we deliver will deliver you the best return on your marketing investment. Whether it’s an advertisement, direct mail, e-zine, telemarketing or a highly integrated campaign with many elements, planning the campaign up-front will improve your results, lower cost and reduce waste.

There’s also more than meets the eye to optimising your campaign, so build a detailed plan. Here’s a few of the things to consider for the typical advertising campaign.

• Make sure you assess where you will get the highest return on your marketing investment.

- Identify the publications that reach your target audience.

- Get a copy of their BPA statement, or if they haven’t got one their ABC statement.

- Use the results from your previous advertising campaigns, if available, to identify the publications that offer the best value.

- Always negotiate a good position and don’t accept less.

- Book high traffic areas and a right-hand page. Make sure your ad is facing matter not other advertising.

- Negotiate hard for deep discounts on published rates.

- Make block bookings, with cancellation options if possible.

- Make sure that all the details you have agreed with the publication are written on the purchase order.

- Review the ad when published to make sure you got what you agreed. If you didn’t then ask for a refund, credit or free ad.

- Make sure you negotiate all magazines with the same publisher at the same time. Sometimes additional benefits can be gained.

- Evaluate the editorial integrity of the publication and look for editorial opportunities at the same time.

- Look for other areas where you can cooperate with the publication. 

- Remember marketing effects are cumulative – make sure you have the funds to generate enough impressions. Optimize your campaign by selecting fewer, more focussed publications with a higher number of insertions.

• Keep the campaign focussed to maximise your ROI. Don’t waste money on publications that don’t reach your target audience or aren’t quite right. Use that money elsewhere.

• Have a clear idea of the total cost to execute the campaign before you begin. We have seen it many times. A company develops an ad only to find out later they don’t have the money to run it sufficiently.

• Make sure the organisation is geared-up for the customer response.

• If there is a fulfilment piece, make sure it’s ready before your advertisement appears in the magazines.

• When building the media schedule consider the other activities that are happening, such as tradeshows and new product introductions.

• Set up a measurement system to monitor the campaign effectiveness over time.

• Decide when you will assess how the campaign is performing and make a decision on how to proceed from there.

• If it is not working, STOP! It might sound obvious but all too often companies will continue to advertise just because they haven’t thought through any alternatives or because it’s what they have always done.

• Remember, advertising is only one option. Many marketing alternatives could give you a better return on your investment.

Precis Marketing. An agency that will understand your products, your markets, your customers, your purpose. From one-off graphic designs to international product launches, call Andy on 08456 444567 to discuss your requirements.