As a multi-channel/cross media technology provider, we have witnessed many great and successful campaigns launched by our customers … and then there were some that… I wouldn’t call a complete failure, but are not really a success.

“Then HOW do I launch a successful multi-channel campaign?” you may ask. Well, quite frankly, there is no single correct answer to the “how” question. It is rather a series of answers to a series of other questions that will give you the answer to the “how” question.

More than often, multi-channel campaigns don’t achieve successful results, because not enough questions were answered before answering the “how” question.

Here is a list of questions I have compiled from some of the customers who have launched multiple successful campaigns.

What is the objective?
Success can’t really be achieved if you don’t even know what defines it. Don’t be surprised that campaigns don’t always have a clear objective.

Which channels are effective?
Know which channels are more effective in reaching your targets. Email may not be the most effective in reaching someone who spends most of their time in the field and not at their desk.

Is the message personalized?
Does the message communicate to the target at a personal level? Meaning with relevant wording, images and offers. Majority of people, like you, are too busy to respond to anything that is not relevant.

Are responses/non-responses tracked?
Do you have a system that tracks response? Do you know who opened, clicked, tagged etc…

Is there a follow up plan in place?
Based on responses or non responses, is there a follow up action that takes place? Is the action automated or manually executed? For example, does a visit to the landing page trigger a follow up email?

How is captured data managed?
Is your CRM or data lists updated with data captured from the campaign? It is important to understand trends and behaviors in response to achieve even better results for future campaigns.

Do you TRULY believe the campaign will work?
There is no point in pursuing something that you don’t truly believe will work. If you have any doubts, simply don’t do it. It is quite annoying hearing people claim “I didn’t think it was going to work.” Then why did you do it?!?!?
Every campaign has a slightly different set of questions that must be answered. These are the general ones that some of our successful customers keep in mind when launching multi-channel campaigns. As you can see, there are multiple levels to answering each question, so spend some time on it.

Hope this list of questions helps.

-Willv