Creating marketing campaigns that truly connect with your audience is both an art and a science. At the recent Digital Women event, Ayo Abbas shared her insights into building digitally led marketing campaigns that amplify your message and drive real impact.

Ayo’s approach to marketing is built on the principle of combining the best of traditional and digital methods. In her session, she broke down the key elements of impactful campaigns and offered practical advice for anyone looking to stand out in today’s crowded digital landscape.

What Is a Digitally Led Marketing Campaign?

Ayo defines a digitally led marketing campaign as a strategic series of steps designed to promote a product, service, or idea by leveraging the power of digital channels. The goal is to amplify your message, making sure it reaches the right audience, repeatedly, until it sticks.

Campaigns aren’t about one-off actions; they’re about consistency. Ayo reminded us that it takes an average of eight to ten touchpoints before someone even notices your message, let alone takes action. Digitally led campaigns are a way to create those touchpoints efficiently while making your marketing efforts more impactful.

The Framework for Success

Ayo’s framework for a successful campaign focuses on six key elements:

• A Clear Goal: Know what you want to achieve. Whether it’s generating leads, increasing sales, or raising awareness, a clear goal provides direction.
• A Defined Audience: Understanding who you’re trying to reach is essential. This includes knowing their job titles, where they hang out online, and what challenges they face.
• A Compelling Message: Crafting a simple, specific message is one of the hardest but most important tasks. The clearer your message, the more likely it will resonate.
• An Offer: Whether it’s a product, service, or call-to-action, you need to define what you’re asking your audience to engage with or buy.
• A Campaign Plan: Develop a detailed plan, outlining what you’ll do, when, and how. Ayo swears by spreadsheets for mapping this out.
• Metrics for Success: Decide how you’ll measure the impact of your campaign, from website clicks to social media engagement and anecdotal feedback.

Bringing Campaigns to Life

One of Ayo’s standout points was the importance of repurposing and amplifying content. A successful campaign isn’t just about one post or one email—it’s about creating a suite of content that can be used across multiple platforms and extended over time.

For example, she shared how a research report could be launched with a roundtable event, followed by additional content pieces like blogs, infographics, and interviews. By reimagining and reusing content, you get more value from your efforts while keeping your message consistent.

Digital Tools to Enhance Campaigns

Ayo highlighted some of her favourite tools for tracking and enhancing campaigns:

• CRM Systems: Essential for managing relationships and tracking interactions with your audience.
• Analytics Tools: Platforms like Google Analytics (or alternatives like Plausible) help you measure the performance of your campaigns.
• Website Insights: Tools like Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity allow you to see how users interact with your website, offering valuable feedback for optimisation.
• Email Marketing Platforms: Options like MailerLite, Flowdesk, and LinkedIn newsletters are great for delivering your message directly to your audience.

The Power of Planning and Consistency

Ayo’s passion for planning shone through as she explained how mapping out a campaign helps you identify opportunities to amplify your message. Whether it’s deciding on the right mix of channels (video, blogs, audio) or ensuring your content has a consistent look and feel, a well-thought-out plan makes all the difference.

She also shared a personal example of rebranding her podcast. By running a week-long campaign on LinkedIn with live sessions, updated graphics, and refreshed messaging, she successfully transitioned her audience while keeping them engaged.

The Role of Metrics and Feedback

While digital metrics are essential, Ayo emphasised the importance of anecdotal feedback. A comment from a client, a mention in a conversation, or someone recognising your brand voice can all be indicators of campaign success. Tracking both quantitative and qualitative feedback gives you a more holistic view of your impact.

Final Thoughts

Digitally led campaigns are not just about technology; they’re about using the right tools to enhance what you do best. By setting clear goals, understanding your audience, and amplifying your message across the right channels, you can create campaigns that cut through the noise and deliver real results.

This article is based on Ayo Abbas’ session at the recent Digital Women event.