How to Plan any Campaign, Promotion or Event

The word 'campaign' can seem really confusing and vague to many new business owners or organizational leaders. Below we'll talk about what a campaign is and the most important elements within all campaigns.

A campaign essentially starts with a single important objective, for example 'Sell our chocolate boxes for Valentine's Day.' You would likely call such a 'campaign' something like 'Valentine's Day Chocolate Box Campaign 2020.'

The above is simple enough to understand but where do you go from there? It is important to realize that every well-planned out campaign, event, or promotion is comprised of the same common elements. That's great news if you're working on learning marketing for your business or organization.  Once you get to know the elements everything has in common, you'll know how to plan, talk about and promote pretty much anything.

You can think of campaigns like books. Every book might hold a different set of details... but each can be broken down into the same 'literary elements'. The same goes for all campaigns, special sales events, special offers and promotions.

​When an author is planning a story, they can start with a list of elements like main idea, characters and plot etc. and jot down notes on each to have a good idea of the most important pieces of the story going in. It's very helpful to do the same to start your marketing. Try it for anything you want to promote whether it's a product, service or event.

The elements all campaigns will have in common are: an objective and or title, a brief description (of what it is), details (like location and how-to-pay details etc.), a 'why' to attend, a 'why now' attend (element of relevancy), credibility details, social proof, call to action, who should attend (audience), and sometimes a 'hook.'

Now that you know the above elements of a campaign you'll start to notice them within just about every piece of marketing you see from fliers, to billboards, etc. ​​Learning these key components can make you more of an 'expert marketer.'. It's so helpful to learn them whether you're going into full-fledged business or simply promoting a one-off event as a volunteer for a charity.

Also remember that many promotions and events themselves can fall under the category of a single 'campaign' objective.

Check out the Free Resource to Help Plan your Campaigns below: ​​

Campaign & Promo Planning Sheet
Objective or title of event / campaign:
What: Briefly describe the event. If needed, use these helpful prompts:
Who should attend? (If a campaign, include your ad segments / audiences here) 
Details & Logistics: Location / Payment details etc:
Why attend / opt in / participate:
Why ‘Now’:
Credibility Details (optional / important for courses etc. – degrees, awards):
Social Proof: 
Call to Action (*what should people do next after knowing the other details?)
"Hook” or associated hashtag (optional – a snazzy tagline that pulls attention in):


EXAMPLE: Special Event / Campaign Questionnaire
Objective or title of event / campaign:
Awesome Club’s 10th Annual Bake Sale
What: Briefly describe the event. If needed, use these helpful prompts:
Come and enjoy a variety of home baked cupcakes, cakes, and pastries!
Details: Location / Payment details etc:
Awesome club will be holding the annual (well-loved) sale at the local Awesomeville community auditorium at 5 Awesome St. on Saturday Nov. 5th from 10 am to 2 pm. Gluten free and vegan options will be available. All items are $10 or less. Bring cash or credit.
Why attend: Each pastry is delicious and helps to support Awesome Club and the free activities they offer to the community.
Why Now: Get there early and earn an extra raffle ticket for a free home baked bread basket!!
Credibility Details (optional / important for courses etc.): Each baker has been hand selected and qualified to offer pastries in our 10 year running award-winning bakesale!
Social Proof: “I look forward to attending the event every year and supporting awesome club. I always stock up on cookie doughs for the fridge at the edible cookie dough table!”
Call to Action (*what should people do next after reading the flyer?): Arrive early. Call us at 1-555-awesome with questions. Visit awesome club’s website for more details.
Who should attend? (If a campaign, include your ad segments / audiences here) Anyone in the community for has a sweet tooth, loves home baked goods.
“Hook” (optional): Add a little home baked sweetness into your holiday…without baking for hours!