So, the time has come to start promoting your product/service through paid campaigns. You’ve crafted a precise digital strategy, selected relevant channels, defined and approved a budget, and even created ads and banners. Fantastic! However, before hitting the road, there are a few more things to consider to ensure maximum effectiveness—things that are sometimes overlooked or not given enough attention and can become significant obstacles on the way to results.
As a growth marketer with over 15 years in the game, I’ve created more campaigns than I can count – enough to fill a virtual anthology. Along the way, I’ve witnessed every mistake in the book, and, yes, sometimes made them myself.
Drawing from this experience, here are my 4 must-haves for a successful digital campaign.
#1 Create a journey, not just a funnel
A sales funnel is more than a linear sequence of actions. Early in my career, I saw a beautiful set of ads and an appealing landing page fail to convert. The culprit? Inconsistency in messaging and a complex contact form. This hiccup emphasized the pivotal role each touchpoint plays in creating an unbreakable buyer’s journey.
What to do:
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Create a consistent look, feel, and messaging across every asset in your campaign
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For each touchpoint, focus on one clear, frictionless action that moves prospects to the next step
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Double-check that interactive elements like lead-capturing forms and CTA buttons are clear, user-friendly, and fully operational
#2 A test campaign can save your campaign
Campaigns have lives of their own. Their true strengths and weaknesses tend to (sadly) reveal themselves only once they’ve already aired. That’s why checking for critical bugs and usability kinks before you launch can be a life-saver.
What to do:
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Create a test campaign to catch and address any sneaky bugs that might haunt your main campaign
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Test your campaign on a small pilot group to get additional perspectives before launching for a wider audience
#3 For the love of G-d, automate lead processing
Too many times, I’ve seen potentially promising campaigns fall apart, all because of one critical misstep: processing leads manually. It’s like pulling out a Jenga block from the bottom and witnessing the aftermath – emails disappear, contact details get mixed up, and hot leads slip through the cracks.
What to do:
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Use automated lead processing tools to avoid bottlenecks that could leave prospects hanging
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Implement smart flags to group leads into predefined categories. This will help you trigger targeted follow-ups that make each interaction more meaningful
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If you’re using different marketing tools, make sure they all play nicely together. To echo the sentiment from my second point: test, test, test.
#4 Align your sales and marketing teams
Anyone who’s ever dabbled in growth marketing is familiar with the tango of miscommunication between marketing and sales. Despite having a shared goal, these professionals often struggle to work effectively together. For your campaign to be a success, it has to be a shared Smarketing (Sales + Marketing) effort.
What to do:
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Involve the sales team in the campaign-building and goal-setting process early on to align efforts
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Establish a system for regular feedback from sales on leads received, whether within the CRM or during daily/weekly syncs
