There are many considerations when planning an ad campaign:

First, what are your goals? It is calls, visits or clicks, spreading a message, awareness or special offer? Set your goals & then decide how best to reach them.

Will you do a print campaign, billboards, TV, radio, online, direct mail, email, or a combination? All are viable options, depending on your goals. Don’t forget the studies showing you need 7 touches before a potential client will contact you! Use as many mediums as possible to present your message.

Speaking of, what is your message? Will it make people react and take the next step? Print it and have some people give you their feedback. More importantly, gauge their reaction as they read it. Does it have the “wow” factor? Does it promote your unique selling point? Does it contain a call to action? If you have a lot to say, offer to include an article/interview with the ad.

Once you decide on a message, you can start working on materials. It will be different for each medium, but needs to be tied together, have the same look and feel and the same message, so there is no confusion. Ads, whether print, online, or broadcast need to be simple! Don’t stuff it with text, people will tune out. Make your point & present the call to action. Why should they call, click or visit? Ads also need to be pleasing to the eyes/ear. Unless you are going for shock value, create an ad with pleasing colors, complimentary to your logo and pictures as well as the site/background where it will be printed or hosted. For audio, ask, “What will make them remember my message?” Consider landing pages for online campaigns. A simple web page with one offer/message from which you can gather information, track & not confuse the user. Try some test for email messages. Which gets more response?

Now you are ready for the easy part, ad placement. Always ask print & broadcast entities about including your ad online, as well.

You can’t & won’t know if you have a successful ad campaign unless you track it. Before the ads start, make sure you can track them. Will the online vendor track impressions, clicks & leads? Can you track them from your side as well to compare (again, consider a landing page, personalized URL, etc…)? How will you track print & broadcast ads? Did you use a specific URL &/or phone # or are you going to rely on someone to ask? The first is much more reliable due to human nature on both sides. Continue tracking past ad runs, as we see leads come from very old guides! You may want to ask if there is more than one referral (back to that 7 touch rule). And don’t forget to do some investigation on your own. Do you hear & see the ad/publication? When you search, do you find the site? Is your ad in a prominent spot?

Once you have results you can start tweaking. Which media/ad is bringing in more results? What is the cost per action? Are you getting unexpected publicity/traffic/other from a campaign? Tweak your ad type, creative, placement and message until you achieve your goals!