Signal or Symptom? Make Your Next Campaign Count

As entrepreneurs, we treat our business like our baby. We notice every spike in web traffic, decline in sales, and uptick in open rates. Naturally, when we see something change, especially if it’s not for the best, we want to immediately spring into action.

But if we act before understanding what caused the shift, we could spend valuable time, money, and energy responding to what we see instead of what our business actually needs.

Knowing whether what we’re experiencing is a signal or a symptom can be the difference between a successful campaign and one that falls flat.

Signal or symptom?

Think about it like this: If your baby is crying, that is a symptom that something is wrong. Without further investigation, you’re unsure if they’re crying because they’re hungry, need to be changed, or maybe they’re getting their first tooth. Same symptom, very different solutions.

The same goes for your business. Imagine you’re building a community, and you notice that membership has steadily slowed over the past few months. That’s a symptom that something has changed, but it’s not enough information for action. The signal is what gives us direction.

So let’s continue with this scenario. Membership is down; now what? You may begin to ask yourself:

• Has there been a change in new member signups?
• Are current members renewing?
• How is engagement in the community?

Now, it’s important to understand that none of these questions are your solution, but they are signals that guide you towards your solution. So, if there’s no real change in acquisition, but current members aren’t renewing, and community engagement is trending down, you now know where to focus your attention.

That’s a valuable distinction. Instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on new leads and traffic ads, you can focus your efforts on the experience of the members you already have.

Follow the signal

Now that you’ve identified the signals, I’m sure you’re ready to jump into campaign development…but wait, it’s not time just yet. The signal is guiding you towards uncovering exactly what your business needs, so we can’t rush this step.

We’ve established that renewals and engagement are trending down. What can we do with this information? Figure out why, of course.

This is where your data shines, and I’m not just talking about the numbers. What are your members saying about their experience? Are they getting the value they expected? Is the interface user-friendly?

Oftentimes, following the signal requires you to look at multiple sources of information. Fellow Entreprenista Jess Gleim said it best in her article, Why a Post-Purchase Survey Might Be the Most Important Metric in Your Marketing Strategy.

She explains that ad analytics may tell one story, making it seem like your ads weren’t effective, but customer surveys may show they were highly effective. The point is this: Don't rely on one data source as the Holy Grail of truth. I know it takes time to get to the why, but trust it’s time well invested. This is the difference between pray and spray, and intentionally investing your capital where it will be most effective.

Build a campaign that responds

Congrats, now you’re ready to build! You’ve uncovered the membership decline and can implement a solution. The money that you were going to spend on leads can now go to adding more value to the community you built.

Your campaign has shifted from acquisition to showing your current members that you heard their needs, and something new and exciting is on the horizon. You can reignite their desire to be in the community and build a campaign around what’s coming next.

Essentially, your process has become:

• Notice the change in your business.
• Follow the signals that will guide you to the true need.
• Understand how to solve the need.
• Build a campaign tailored for that need.

But Jamin, how do I build the campaign? I’m glad you asked!

1. Identify what specifically needs to change. Improve customer experience (CX) to re-engage existing members.
2. Identify who needs to respond. What audience’s behavior are you trying to influence?
3. Determine what your audience needs from you. Position your messaging around the value or experience you can provide, tied to what you uncovered.
4. Define success. Choose metrics that tell whether your campaign is creating the intended change.

Once you’ve satisfied these four things, you’re ready to dive into the fun marketing stuff like creative, channels, budget, etc.

When it’s time for your next campaign, skip the guesswork. Use Peach Fuzz Strategy Group’s Campaign Think Map as your guide. This helpful tool will lead you in identifying the symptoms and signals, understanding what they mean, and building a campaign that responds.

Get your free Campaign Think Map.