This might be a little early for me to give ‘gyan’ on creating a
successful online campaign, so consider this an opinion without being
judgmental on right or wrong.
So what’s new about this article? The internet is overflowing
with information on creating kick ass campaigns. All you have to do is follow
basics. In fact, while working on this
blog I came across a lot of articles on creating super campaigns but they all
looked good on paper. However, the operational side of the story gives you a
slightly different picture. So I am only going to share what I’ve had learned
in the past couple of years while executing and monitoring several campaigns.
Digital media is a lot like an on-ground
activation.
One thing that I always keep on saying is that digital is
nothing but like an on-ground activation. Unlike traditional ways of
communication like TV, print and radio, people come here with their own set of pre-defined
objectives. Like in the case of on-ground activation, you usually have your
mind already made up for shopping or just trolling around with friends when you
are going out to a mall or a market. That activation corner in the mall will be
the last thing on your mind, unless it is really awesome.
Same goes with digital. People are online usually on a look out
for something or to catch up with their buddies (not to forget stalking). You
don’t go online thinking that today you will participate in some campaign which
appears on your FB timeline.
People are generally lazy.
Even if something is really interesting, people WILL NOT WASTE
their time and energy understanding what you have to offer. That brings us down
to the following parameters that you should always take care of while deciding
a campaign.
Five steps towards a successful campaign
1. Content- the difference maker
If you want to make your mark on social media, first and
foremost you should provide quality content. Whosoever said that was absolutely
right. However, my advice here will be understand your TG and then think of an
idea. At times it does happen that you come out with great content but miss out
on the consumer connect. Do a simple research on your TG’s activeness and then
think of an idea which they can relate with. That’s it! It’s that simple.
Otherwise
you may find yourself wasting time and money on something that isn’t producing
results, when you could be allocating those resources toward something that is.
2. Design/Looks- face of your campaign
This is an absolute necessity. This is what people will look at
before getting into reading content. There is nothing better than an
uncluttered and clean design. The theme of your design should be in sync with
the theme of your campaign. This will help you communicate at least half the
story through the imagery.
3. Simplicity- ease of use
I am a firm believer of the fact that how so ever big the idea
is, it should translate into a simple words for the users. As mentioned earlier,
people will not invest their time in understanding the great idea you have to
offer. It should be as simple as 1,2 and 3….. Confusing or layered
communication should be avoided all the time.
4. User Journey- the intuitive factor
All of us have been using internet for a long time now. We know
that whenever we take our mouse over a clickable area, it turns into a hand. We
know that the brand icon will always take us to the home page. Well all I am
trying to say that we have got accustomed to some signs. Don’t try to challenge
that unless you are from apple. Another point, make sure that it’s a smooth
flow in terms of user journey. Each page/button/link/CTRs of your campaign has
to be consistent.
5. Gratification- the game changer
Last but not the least, the gratification. Simple rule- the
bigger the gratification, higher the interaction. But what I have experienced
is that nothing works like a quick gratification. Generally a campaign with gratification
should not be more than 30 days. If your campaign is longer than that then you
should make sure that there are sub winners throughout the period to sustain
the interest.
Basic Hygiene
Promotion
Make sure that you make
the best use of all the platforms available to promote your campaign. A few users
who participated in one of the campaigns that I worked on came up to me saying
that they got to know about it much later and that’s why din get the perfect
score even if they tried hard.
Viral-friendly
Even if
you know that your campaign is not going to be huge viral you should never miss
out on the option of making it viral friendly. Make sure that you have social
plug-ins inserted on your campaign wherever possible. Remember- you can never
plan a viral (unless of course you blast it with media money)
Happy Campaigning!
