Congratulations! You’ve created and executed an amazing marketing campaign. And, while I’d like to say that your work here is done, that is not quite the case. Now comes the time for the all- important post campaign follow-up. This means rolling up your sleeves and getting into the nitty-gritty of results.
If you’ve been following us at all these past few weeks, you know we have a thing for cooking, especially turkey dinner (and if you haven’t been, check out this page on how marketing and turkey dinners have a lot in common). When it comes to any type of cooking, you wouldn’t serve up a deliciously large meal, turkey or otherwise, without asking guests if they liked the food. Why? Their feedback will give you a better idea of what dishes you would want to make the next time. In a marketing sense, reviewing results and following-up with leads and internal teams gives you a better sense of just how successful the campaign really was, and what you should and should not repeat.
To get you started, here are four tips for following-up on your next marketing campaign:
Tip 1: Analyze all campaign data holistically
It’s tempting to look at your campaign data in silos, focusing on just one channel at a time. Instead, try looking at your data altogether. It not only allows you to better understand how different marketing channels and collateral intersected, but it also gives you insights into how to make your campaigns even stronger the next time.
For example, you might see that with certain emails, there was a spike in website visits, where as your social media campaign did a great job of driving downloads. Take time to slice and dice data, to see how results intertwined with each other. As HubSpot explains, this is an incredibly valuable step that goes beyond measuring results to giving you “direction and clarity on your audience, marketing methods, creative prowess, and more.”
Tip 2: Compare results to the original goals and ask “why?”
You likely had goals for your marketing campaign (and if you didn’t, then we’d recommend it next time). Now that you have the results, and have reviewed and analyzed the data, take a look at how it all compares to your original intentions and expectations. Did you meet your goals? If not, why?
For example, if your goal was to get 1,000 downloads of your eBook, and you only got 25, then something was definitely a-miss. But how do you figure out what or where things went wrong?
It’s time to put on your investigator hat and start looking at the details of your campaign. It could be that you were going after a technology audience, but your pieces weren’t aligned for specific verticals (learn how to create vertical specific pieces). Or maybe you were going after your target audience through the wrong social media platforms, and you need to take the time to research and get to know them a little better. Maybe it’s even time for a complete revamp of your buyer personas because your customer behavior has changed so much over the last year.
Whatever the case, taking the time to understand the reasons behind your campaign’s success (or lack thereof) will inform your approach for future campaigns.
Tip 3: Have a meeting with the marketing and sales teams (together)
Next, get the right people together in one room (or one Zoom) to talk about the campaign. Why? Because the data might show you results, but it doesn’t tell you what the sales team is hearing from prospects. Select key players from both your marketing and sales teams (along with any other teams that were involved in the campaign), to hear what they learned from and experienced throughout the campaign.
You might find that of those 25 downloads, 90% percent of them converted into a sale. Or in contrast, you may get feedback that prospects felt the content didn’t address their pain points. If that’s the case, you should probably review and update those buyer personas.
Tip 4: Repurpose those wins!
Once your campaign is complete and you’ve analyzed the results, it’s time to start planning the next one. We’ve been talking a lot about content repurposing, and there is no better time to use this strategy than with a winning campaign. If you find that a specific piece (say an eBook or whitepaper) is a clear star with prospects or customers, then now is the time to capitalize on that win and ride the wave of success. Turn that eBook into an infographic or slide deck, or break out chapters into a short email series. And if you’re still not sure about this idea, here are 10 benefits of content repurposing to persuade you. And don’t forget to check out our free eBook on content repurposing!
Need help with a marketing campaign follow-up or creating a strategy that will drive results? We’re here to help, reach out to us today and we’ll get you on the road to success.