Ever do this? Craft a killer landing page for your website, get everything loaded and running, and then sit back, waiting for the sale to pour in.
But you wait and wait… and wait. No results. You can’t help but wonder: Did Google release a new update? Did you choose the wrong headline?
The truth is, it takes more than a landing page, email or social media post to sell your wares on the internet.
Your best return on investment comes from multiple touches across multiple channels. For real success, you need to think campaign, not promotion.
Why you shouldn’t run promotions
In marketing, promotion has two meanings. It could refer to all the tactics you use to get the word out about your products, or a single sales pitch.
The first is Promotion with a capital P. It’s one of the four Ps of marketing, along with People, Price and Place. It encompasses your core message and all ongoing activities that stimulate demand. (Key words: stimulate demand.)
To be honest, though, when we talk about promotion, we aren’t talking about one of the four Ps. In most cases, we mean promotion with a lower-case P, a one-off sales pitch such as a landing page, sales letter or advertisement.
The trouble is, we usually stop there. Once the sales pitch is crafted, we think there’s nothing left to do but tweak the offer for better results.
The problem with most promotions
A one-off sales pitch doesn’t have much power. Rarely can it achieve the objectives of Promotion with a capital P, which, if you remember, is to stimulate demand.
Why? Because people are bombarded by too many messages to notice it. If it’s a landing page, they won’t know it’s there. If it’s an email, it may never get opened. If it’s a Twitter post, it will fly past them, possibly never being seen.
Promotional success is most likely when you take an integrated approach, building a campaign rather than a single promotion.
What’s the difference between a campaign and a one-off promotion? A campaign is your promotion plus support messaging that gets it noticed. As a result, it doesn’t hit your target once, but multiple times.
Think of it as a blitz, a coordinated effort to get your message out in as many channels and as many touches as possible. Because your message shows up everywhere, it can increase your chances of connecting with your target.
Key components of a marketing campaign
There are four key elements in a strong campaign. These aren’t your only options, of course, but they’re the basic framework:
Sales pitch. In online marketing, this is your landing page. You may go old-school and create a direct mail package, but it’s more of a challenge to integrate your online elements into a physical promotion.
Editorial that points to the sales pitch. No one is looking for another landing page to read. When they have a problem, they look for useful content. So your campaign should include blog posts, guest blog posts, webinars, teleseminars, video, special reports and other content that can generate interest. In them, you’ll discuss the problems and issues related to your product, then link to your landing page.
Announcements to your followers. Your email list and social media followers expect to get announcements from you. Send emails linking to your sales page or content. Post in your social media platforms about your promotion. But don’t always push a sale. Consider offering a free report or other high-value content to generate interest.
Follow-up after the sale. Build customer loyalty by continuing to support people after they buy. Create content to help them get the most from your products. Give tips and tricks. Focus on developing long-term relationship.
How to plan your campaign
When you’re ready to draft a landing page, take time to plan your support messaging as well, so you’ll have a fully integrated campaign rather than a one-off promotion.
Start with a high-level overview. What are your objectives? Who is your target? What message will resonate with them? Even the best-written, most-strategic promotion won’t get noticed if it isn’t part of a bigger message. This big idea will help you connect with your target audience.
Next, select the channels that will allow you to connect with your target audience. Plan to use email and social media. You may also use guest blogging, video, webinars, live events and more.
Craft your sales pitch (the landing page). Find your unique selling proposition. Hook them with a strong headline and lead. Then make an offer they can’t refuse.
Finally, write the emails, content, and social media posts to direct people to your landing page. Plan release dates of your content in your editorial calendar. Then stay on top of your schedule.
The idea is to put your message in front of people enough times and in enough different ways that you break through the clutter and get their attention. With a campaign, you’re much more likely to do that.