A Post Is Not a Campaign: Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy Arizona Businesses Can Actually Use

“Can you put this on social?”

It sounds like a simple marketing request. Create a graphic, write some copy, publish the post and check it off the list.

But what if the goal isn’t simply to tell people something? What if you actually need them to take action?

That’s a very different assignment.

I’m working on a campaign right now for a nonprofit organization that needs to recruit volunteers for leadership positions. The initial request could easily have become a social media post and an email.

Done.

Except the real objective isn’t to announce that leadership positions are available. It’s to get people interested enough to step forward.

One post isn’t going to accomplish that.

A Post Is a Tactic. A Campaign Is a Plan.

This is something I run into frequently in marketing. An organization has something important to communicate, so the immediate reaction is, “We need a social post.”

Maybe you do. But that’s not the first question I want answered.

I want to know: What are we trying to make happen?

If you’re announcing a meeting time, one post might be perfectly adequate.

If you’re trying to recruit volunteers, increase registrations, sell sponsorships, drive memberships or get people to make another meaningful commitment, you’re asking for behavior. That requires more thought.

For this particular project, I’m planning approximately eight weeks of communication. That doesn’t mean publishing essentially the same message eight times.

Nobody wants to see that.

It means developing a sequence of messages that gives the audience different reasons to pay attention and eventually act.

How to Build a Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign That Drives Action

A good multi-channel marketing campaign starts with the objective, not the platform.

In this case, the objective is recruitment.

That means the campaign needs to answer several questions over time:

What is the opportunity?

Why does it matter?

What does the commitment actually involve?

Why would someone want to participate?

What impact could they have?

What might be keeping someone interested from volunteering?

And eventually: What happens if they keep thinking about it and never act?

Those questions give me far more to work with than simply saying, “We still need volunteers.”

Early in the campaign, the messaging can focus on awareness. Later communications can explain individual positions, show the value of getting involved or address common concerns. As the deadline approaches, the messaging can become more direct and create legitimate urgency.

The objective stays the same.

The reason to pay attention changes.

Repetition and Reinforcement Aren’t the Same Thing

There’s nothing wrong with repeating an important message. In fact, you usually have to.

People are busy. They miss emails. Algorithms don’t show everyone every social post. Someone might notice your message today but not be ready to do anything about it until three weeks from now.

The problem comes when repetition becomes duplication.

Posting the same graphic with slightly different copy every week isn't much of a campaign. Sending essentially the same email four times isn't a drip strategy.

Reinforcement works differently.

You keep bringing the audience back to the same objective, but you approach it from another angle.

That gives someone another reason to stop, think and potentially take the next step.

Email, Social and the Website Need to Work Together

This is also where a multi-channel marketing campaign becomes important.

An email campaign shouldn't exist in one universe while social media exists in another.

The email might provide more context. Social can capture attention quickly or introduce another part of the story. Both can drive people to a landing page where they can get the information they need and take action.

The landing page matters, too.

If I've spent weeks getting someone interested and then send that person to a confusing webpage without a clear next step, I've created unnecessary friction at the exact moment I don't want it.

I think about the entire path.

What did someone see?

What are they likely wondering now?

Where am I sending them?

What do I want them to do when they get there?

That's the campaign.

Sometimes the Real Assignment Is Bigger Than the Request

I think this is one of the most important parts of being a good marketer.

You have to look beyond the deliverable you've been asked to create.

If someone asks me for a social media post, I'll create the post. But I'm also going to look at the reason they need it.

Sometimes a post really is all they need.

Other times, the request for a post reveals a much larger marketing problem that needs to be solved.

That's when the work gets interesting.

Because marketing isn't about how many emails you sent, graphics you designed or social posts you published.

It's about whether all those pieces worked together to accomplish what you were trying to do in the first place.