The CancerLens conference marketing campaign was very successful and the reasons for that success can be uniquely articulated in the statement – we didn’t do anything different, we just did things differently.

This simple statement is an important distillation of the campaigns key success factors. It also effectively communicates our unique approach and the virtues of our practices and methodologies. What came out in our interview for the MarketingSherpa Case Study was that every client and marketer knows about, and purports the importance of customer centricity and allowing the customer to drive the communications experience. But rarely do campaigns appear that do this effectively.

Here is a summary of the approach we use to get superior results from our campaigns. Try them.

• Be customer focused. Yeah, yeah, I know you’ve heard this before. But the ability to translate client requirements into a compelling customer experience is the core value we bring to every campaign we create. If you don’t have this skill in-house, hire it.
• Know the target audience. A campaign has to address multiple audiences effectively. Segment and address each audience uniquely.
• Define clear success metrics. A campaign must deliver ROI. Defining clear success metrics requires careful consideration of potential benefits beyond the campaigns focus. ROI is typically measured in quantitative terms, but qualitative measures are important, add value, and contribute greatly to improving the experiential aspects of a campaign.
• Don’t Sell, Tell! Nobody cares about what you are selling. They care about meeting a need they have. Great campaigns communicate how what you offer meets that need best, and make it easy for them to get it.
• Use talented and professional design and writing. Ultimately, what you say, how you say it, and when make all the difference. View and use design and writing as core strategic disciplines, not simply “creative” endeavors.

Check out the MarketingSherpa case study on our conference campaign for the American Cancer Society. It highlights how we segmented the target audiences and details the tactics that created a compelling experience and delivered amazing results. And contact me if I can help you achieve better customer connections with your next campaign.