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Planning |
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The old army
saying, planning prevents poor performance, applies just as much
to formulating your sales campaign.
You campaign plan should cover the following points:
The plan should take into account the importance
of timing, with proper regard to when the campaign promotion begins and
ends. We state the obvious because so many
campaigns descend into chaos because of a lack of attention to detail
over timing.
Make sure you and any third parties (i.e. advertising
agencies, printers, publishers, etc) fully understand your respective
responsibilities, and are able to meet the agreed deadlines.
Common problems that may arise include artwork and copy not being supplied
in the correct format. Changes in deadlines which are not communicated
to all parties. Receiving proofs and not checking them carefully enough.
Liaison within your own organisation, to ensure
everyone connected with the promotion understands exactly what they must
do, and when they must do it by. Avoid
the situation where you have begun the campaign only to find that your
production department can't meet the demand you have created.
Make sure that all your staff are kept fully informed
about the promotion. It has happened more
than once that a marketing department has run a new press advert, but
not properly briefed the tele-sales staff about the nature of the new
offer. The first they learn about it, is when customers start replying
to the advert.
Monitor costs. The
larger the project the easier it can be for costs to spiral out of control.
It is not only the obvious direct costs that matter. It is the hidden,
indirect costs that can sometimes catch a business unawares. It is also
always challenging the advertising rates you are first offered. Prices
are nearly always negotiable, especially if you are going to place a lot
of business with them.
Once the campaign has started, it should be regularly
reviewed to ensure it is all working as expected. If
remedial action is required, it is better to deal with a problem as soon
as it arises. It is also worth checking that the information you need
to evaluate the final outcome is being collected in a form you can use
later. Staff rarely collect or extract the required marketing codes without
constant badgering.
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