A successful marketing campaign needs a team and resources aligned to a common strategy with unified goals and shared objectives. Communications across the team must be crystal clear with the right information flowing to the right people at the right stage of campaign design and delivery.
A solid communications framework unites everyone involved in campaign execution so they are in sync with each other and focused on key priorities. It also ensures insights and lessons are shared so performance can be refined to deliver maximum ROI.
Let’s look at the different dimensions of a communications framework geared to success.
Who (needs to know)?
Make sure that key stakeholders are involved in the project from the start. Develop a feedback loop that keeps them informed and gathers input from those best placed to add value.
Strategic input from senior management is vital to ensure the campaign strategy is in line with overall business goals. Depending on the size of the programme, assigning a Project Manager to coordinate and track activities makes good sense. In addition to a core team and, depending on campaign tactics, domain specialists such as graphic designers, digital and content experts, or product/industry specialists need to be kept in the loop.
If the goal is lead generation, the sales team must be involved to provide valuable insight to define the target audience and align messaging to customer needs. And - it isn’t just about hitting lead targets - consider also what resources are needed to deal with the outcomes. Generating hundreds of leads feels good but with no one to handle them, that backlog will eat into your investment.
What (do they need to know)?
Consider also what information those team members need. A briefing document will bring together all the key pieces of information to execute the campaign well including:
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Company background and target audience
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Campaign objectives and measures of success
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Tone of voice and target media
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Defined outcomes and qualification criteria
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Key messages
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Constraints – budgets and timescales
Providing a comprehensive brief to the whole team creates a shared understanding and clarity of objectives.
When? (stages of communication)
Once the brief is issued and the campaign kicked off, this doesn’t mean communication grinds to a halt. Ongoing communication will keep things on track, smooth execution and avert issues that might scupper success.
Some phases of a campaign require more intense levels of communication such as:
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Design – possibly the most important stage when ideas need to be brought together, clarified and strategy agreed.
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Launch – in the early stages of any campaign, there is increased risk and greater opportunity to hone performance, so regular communications are essential.
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Post-mortem - a post-campaign review consolidates insights to inform future campaigns and is vital to present results and celebrate success so the team stays motivated for future projects.
Whilst there are peaks and troughs in the flow of communication there must be mechanisms for ongoing updates across the whole team with a feedback loop to build learning and optimise future performance.
Where/How? (forms of communication)
There are many ways to communicate and share information but it is important to choose the right approach in different scenarios. The campaign team might, for example, meet face-to-face on a regular basis but use email or instant messaging for more frequent interim communications.
Whilst written briefs are fantastic for outlining overall goals and capturing key information, face-to-face interactions can bring the concept to life and create a buzz around the campaign. They can also boost motivation and create a fertile environment to spark ideas and foster creativity, particularly in the design phase.
In other contexts, more technical formats such as detailed reports and analytics are needed to track KPIs and performance status. For those involved in the detail, these might be available in self-serve format through an online portal but then presented in summary form at a meeting with the wider team or the whole business, creating visibility across all groups.
The extended team
Throughout every part of the campaign process, your communications can have a huge impact on the quality of work you deliver. In creating your communications framework, it is vital to consider not only your internal team and the information they need but which external parties also have a stake.
An agency working on behalf of their client, for example, needs to establish a solid feedback loop that encompasses the client’s own team. As experts on their proposition, their brand and their sector, the client is best placed to provide valuable insights to make the campaign successful. Similarly, if you have outsourced elements of delivery to external specialists, they must be included in all relevant communications so they stay in tune with the brief.
Whatever form of campaign you are working on, from email, to advertising, to telemarketing, a good brief provides the foundation for successful communication. Download our guide ‘How to create a campaign brief’ including our campaign brief template.
How to create a campaign brief