Why marketing campaigns work (and why winging it doesn’t)
Too many businesses treat marketing like a game of darts played in the dark, writes Lucy Lomas of Luma Marketing.
Sometimes you hit the board. Occasionally, you even hit the bullseye. But most of the time, you’re just putting holes in the plasterboard.
The reality is that ad hoc marketing rarely adds up to anything meaningful. It’s exhausting, inconsistent, and almost impossible to measure.
In contrast, planned and measurable campaigns are one of the most valuable tools in B2B marketing — especially in the built environment where projects are complex, audiences are discerning, and reputations are hard-earned. It’s like turning the lights on so you can see what you’re throwing at.
Let’s talk about campaigns and how to build one that works.
What we mean by a ‘campaign’
A campaign is simply a set of coordinated activities built around one clear idea, goal, or audience.
It’s a story told over time and multiple channels.
Here’s an example. Working with international consultancy, Hatch, we created a six-month campaign under the theme of “Shaping UK Places” to raise the profile of one of its UK teams. We built a series of events, thought leadership articles, and person-focused content that built momentum around three timely topics, positioning the Hatch team as facilitators of an important dialogue.
This structure provided a platform for success which, in this case, could be seen through increased engagement on social media, six in-person events creating opportunities for the team to build their profile, and well-timed press coverage.
Why campaigns work (and one-offs don’t)
Planning ahead
Campaigns make marketing easier. Planning out your activity helps you choose the right channels. It means you’re not relying on what’s trending or left scratching your head to fill gaps; you’re building something intentional and unique that aligns with your goals.
Sharing your story
Campaigns give you the space to develop a narrative and build an emotional connection. And we all know how powerful a story can be. This is how you show your audience not just what you do, but why it matters.
Consistency brings clarity
This, in turn, helps bring clarity, rather than a jumble of disconnected messages. If your outputs feel joined up, people trust that you know what you’re doing.
Momentum
Campaigns sustain attention. They create anticipation, reminders and natural opportunities for conversation. Done well, they feed directly into business development.
For our recent 10th anniversary of being in business, we built a campaign (creatively called Luma10…) in which we’ve planned out all the content we want to share with our network. We’re building momentum by sharing more frequent content – such as Lucy’s 10 lessons, which is both a blog and a series of LinkedIn posts – that aligns with our narrative; celebrating what’s gone before looking ahead to what’s next.
Measuring your results
When everything builds towards a single objective, you can better see what worked. Campaigns help make ROI visible and you can track cost versus impact then learn and refine for next time.
How to build a campaign that actually works
All you need is clarity, consistency, and a plan.
Start with your goal. What do you want people to think, feel, or do?
Know your audience. What do they care about?
Build a simple story. One that links every piece of activity together.
Choose your channels wisely.
Measure, learn, and iterate.
Case study spotlight – ek unlocked
Planning consultancy Euan Kellie Property Solutions has established a reputation for achieving great results on tricky sites across Greater Manchester.
Euan Kellie Unlocked was a campaign built around a single idea. We wanted to put team’s insightful stories about the sub-region’s transformation (and the planning system’s role in it all) front and centre.
Through a mix of thought leadership articles, social content, email campaigns, and project-led storytelling, we built a creative campaign that strengthened the team’s positioning along with a distinctive brand message of “Unlocking Planning”.
The campaign reached more than 30,000 people, producing industry-smashing impact stats, such as a 40% email open rate, 11% click through rate, and blog reads averaging six minutes. Beyond the numbers, it brought readers into the middle of some of Manchester’s most captivating built environment stories. Above all else, the campaign enhanced Euan Kellie as a brand that sits at the heart of Manchester’s built history.
The takeaway: planned beats ad hoc every time
A good campaign doesn’t stifle creativity but channels it. It gives your best ideas the room, rhythm, and repetition they need to stick.
So the next time you’re tempted to throw another idea at the wall, pause. Give yourself space to think creatively around it and build it into something bigger.
This article was originally published on Place North West.