Marketing Campaign Planning

Overview

Marketing campaign planning is a systematic process for creating and executing social media strategies, content calendars, and influencer partnerships. This skill helps plan product launches, build brand awareness, and create engaging content across multiple platforms. Backed by real research and best practices from 2025 marketing frameworks.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

• Planning a software product launch campaign
• Creating social media strategy for a tech startup
• Developing content calendars and posting schedules
• Planning influencer partnerships and outreach
• Creating platform-specific content strategies
• Developing marketing budgets and KPI frameworks
• Building brand awareness campaigns

Visual Enhancement with Project Diagrams

When documenting marketing campaigns, always include visualizations.

Use the project-diagrams skill to generate:

• Campaign timeline diagrams
• Content calendar visualizations
• Funnel and conversion flow diagrams
• Platform strategy comparison charts
• Influencer tier pyramids
• Budget allocation pie charts

python .claude/skills/project-diagrams/scripts/generate_schematic.py "diagram description" -o diagrams/output.png

Use the generate-image skill for:

• Social media post mockups
• Brand visual concepts
• Campaign creative examples

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Campaign Planning Framework

Campaign Components

Component	Purpose	Key Deliverables
Strategy Foundation	Define goals and audience	Campaign brief, personas, positioning
Content Calendar	Plan and schedule content	30/60/90 day content plan
Platform Playbooks	Platform-specific tactics	LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok guides
Influencer Strategy	Partnership planning	Outreach list, collaboration framework
Creative Assets	Visual content creation	Post templates, graphics, videos
Metrics & Tracking	Measure success	KPI dashboard, reporting templates

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Phase 1: Strategy Foundation

Campaign Brief Template

# Campaign Brief: [Campaign Name]

## Campaign Overview
- **Campaign Name**:
- **Product/Service**:
- **Campaign Duration**: [Start Date] - [End Date]
- **Budget**: $[Total Budget]

## Goals & Objectives
### Primary Goal
[One clear, measurable goal]

### SMART Objectives
1. **Specific**: [What exactly?]
2. **Measurable**: [Target metric: X% increase / X new followers]
3. **Achievable**: [Why is this realistic?]
4. **Relevant**: [How does this support business goals?]
5. **Time-bound**: [By when?]

## Target Audience

### Primary Persona
- **Name**: [Persona name]
- **Role/Title**: [Job title or demographic]
- **Pain Points**: [3-5 key challenges]
- **Goals**: [What they want to achieve]
- **Platforms**: [Where they spend time online]
- **Content Preferences**: [What content resonates]

### Secondary Persona
[Repeat structure]

## Key Messages
1. **Primary Message**: [Core value proposition]
2. **Supporting Message 1**: [Feature/benefit]
3. **Supporting Message 2**: [Differentiator]
4. **Call to Action**: [What you want them to do]

## Competitive Positioning
[Use competitive-analysis skill for detailed research]
- **Key Competitors**:
- **Our Differentiation**:
- **Market Gap We Fill**:

Audience Research Process

Use research-lookup to understand your audience:

1. Platform demographics

   • Where does your target audience spend time?
   • What content formats perform best per platform?

2. Competitor audience analysis

   • Who follows your competitors?
   • What content gets engagement?

3. Industry trends

   • What topics are trending in your space?
   • What hashtags are relevant?

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Phase 2: Content Calendar

Content Calendar Structure

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Weekend
Theme	Educational	Engagement	Value	Social Proof	CTA	Community
LinkedIn	Article/Carousel	Poll/Question	Tips Thread	Case Study	Product Feature	-
X/Twitter	Thread	Engagement	Quick Tips	Testimonial	Announcement	Curated
Instagram	Carousel	Story Poll	Reel	Customer Story	Product Shot	Behind Scenes

Content Pillars (60-30-10 Rule)

Pillar	Percentage	Content Types
Value Content	60%	Educational, how-to, tips, insights, tutorials
Engagement Content	30%	Polls, questions, memes, trends, community
Promotional Content	10%	Product features, CTAs, launches, offers

Product Launch Timeline

Pre-Launch (4-6 weeks before)

• Week 1-2: Teaser content, building anticipation
• Week 3-4: Behind-the-scenes, sneak peeks
• Week 5-6: Countdown, influencer seeding

Launch Week

• Day -1: Final teaser, "coming tomorrow"
• Day 0: Launch announcement across all platforms
• Day 1-3: Feature highlights, tutorials
• Day 4-7: User testimonials, FAQs

Post-Launch (ongoing)

• Week 1-2: Customer stories, results
• Week 3-4: Tips and tricks content
• Ongoing: Community building, updates

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Phase 3: Platform Playbooks

LinkedIn Strategy

Best For: B2B, professional audience, thought leadership

Content Types:

Type	Frequency	Best Practices
Text Posts	Daily	Hook in first line, 1300-1500 chars, 3-5 hashtags
Carousels	2-3x/week	8-12 slides, educational, strong CTA on last slide
Articles	Weekly	1500-2000 words, SEO-optimized
Video	1-2x/week	30-90 seconds, captions required
Polls	Weekly	2-4 options, engagement driver

Posting Times: Tuesday-Thursday, 7-8 AM or 12 PM (audience timezone)

LinkedIn Post Template:

[Hook - Problem or Question] ← First line is crucial

[3-5 short paragraphs with insights]

• Bullet point 1
• Bullet point 2
• Bullet point 3

[CTA - Comment, Follow, or Visit]

#hashtag1 #hashtag2 #hashtag3

X/Twitter Strategy

Best For: Real-time engagement, tech community, announcements

Content Types:

Type	Frequency	Best Practices
Threads	2-3x/week	5-15 tweets, numbered, hook in tweet 1
Single Tweets	3-5x/day	240-280 chars, one clear idea
Replies	Ongoing	Engage with industry conversations
Spaces	Weekly	Live audio for community building

Thread Template:

1/ [Hook - Bold claim or question]

2/ [Context - Why this matters]

3/ [Point 1]

4/ [Point 2]

5/ [Point 3]

6/ [Summary + CTA]

Follow @handle for more [topic]

Instagram Strategy

Best For: Visual brands, younger audience, lifestyle content

Content Types:

Type	Frequency	Best Practices
Reels	4-7x/week	15-30 seconds, trending audio, text overlays
Carousels	3-4x/week	5-10 slides, swipe-worthy, save-worthy
Stories	Daily	Polls, quizzes, behind-scenes
Feed Posts	3-5x/week	High-quality visuals, cohesive grid

Posting Times: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 11 AM or 7-9 PM

TikTok Strategy

Best For: Gen Z, viral potential, authentic content

Content Types:

Type	Best Practices
Educational	Quick tips, tutorials, hacks
Trending	Participate in trends with brand spin
Behind-the-Scenes	Day in the life, team content
Product Demos	Show don't tell, problem → solution

Best Practices:

• First 1-2 seconds must hook
• Use trending sounds
• Text overlays for silent viewing
• Post 1-3x daily for growth

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Phase 4: Influencer Strategy

Influencer Tier Framework

Tier	Followers	Use Case	Cost Range	Engagement
Nano	1K-10K	Authentic testimonials	$50-500	5-10%
Micro	10K-100K	Niche authority	$500-5K	3-8%
Mid-Tier	100K-500K	Broader reach	$5K-20K	2-5%
Macro	500K-1M	Awareness campaigns	$20K-100K	1-3%
Mega	1M+	Mass awareness	$100K+	0.5-2%

Influencer Selection Criteria

Research each potential influencer:

Criteria	Weight	How to Evaluate
Audience Fit	30%	Demographics match your target persona
Engagement Rate	25%	Comments/likes ratio, authentic engagement
Content Quality	20%	Production value, brand alignment
Authenticity	15%	Genuine voice, not over-sponsored
Past Performance	10%	Results from similar campaigns

Outreach Template

Subject: Partnership Opportunity - [Your Brand] x [Creator Name]

Hi [Name],

I've been following your content on [platform] and loved your recent post about [specific post]. Your perspective on [topic] really resonates with our mission at [Brand].

We're launching [product/campaign] and think your audience would genuinely benefit from it. Here's what we're thinking:

**The Opportunity:**
- [Brief description of collaboration]
- [What they'd create/share]
- [Timeline]

**What We Offer:**
- [Compensation/product]
- [Creative freedom level]
- [Additional perks]

Would you be open to a quick call this week to explore this?

Best,
[Your name]
[Your role]

Collaboration Types

Type	Description	Best For
Sponsored Post	Paid content featuring product	Quick awareness
Product Review	Authentic review/unboxing	Trust building
Affiliate	Commission-based partnership	Ongoing sales
Brand Ambassador	Long-term partnership	Sustained presence
Co-Creation	Joint product/content	Deep collaboration
Takeover	Creator manages brand account	Fresh perspective

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Phase 5: Budget Framework

Budget Allocation (60-30-10)

Category	%	Use
Paid Promotion	60%	Ads, boosted posts, sponsored content
Content & Creators	30%	Influencers, content creation, design
Tools & Analytics	10%	Scheduling tools, analytics, AI tools

Sample Budget Breakdown

$10,000 Monthly Budget:

Paid Advertising:        $6,000 (60%)
├── LinkedIn Ads:        $2,000
├── Meta Ads:            $2,500
├── Twitter/X Ads:       $1,000
└── TikTok Ads:          $500

Content & Creators:      $3,000 (30%)
├── Influencer Posts:    $2,000
├── Graphic Design:      $500
└── Video Production:    $500

Tools & Analytics:       $1,000 (10%)
├── Scheduling Tool:     $300
├── Analytics Platform:  $400
└── AI Content Tools:    $300

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Phase 6: Metrics & KPIs

Key Metrics by Goal

Goal	Primary Metrics	Secondary Metrics
Awareness	Reach, Impressions	Follower growth, Brand mentions
Engagement	Engagement rate, Comments	Saves, Shares, DMs
Traffic	Link clicks, CTR	Landing page visits, Bounce rate
Leads	Sign-ups, Downloads	Email captures, Demo requests
Sales	Conversions, Revenue	ROAS, CAC, LTV

Platform Benchmarks (2025)

Platform	Good Engagement Rate	Great Engagement Rate
LinkedIn	2-4%	5%+
Instagram	1-3%	4%+
X/Twitter	0.5-1%	2%+
TikTok	3-6%	10%+

Reporting Template

# Weekly Marketing Report: [Date Range]

## Summary
- **Total Reach**: [X]
- **Total Engagement**: [X]
- **Top Performing Post**: [Link]
- **Follower Growth**: +[X]

## Platform Performance

### LinkedIn
| Metric | This Week | Last Week | Change |
|--------|-----------|-----------|--------|
| Impressions | | | |
| Engagement Rate | | | |
| Followers | | | |

### [Repeat for each platform]

## Top Content
1. [Post title/link] - [Engagement]
2. [Post title/link] - [Engagement]
3. [Post title/link] - [Engagement]

## Insights & Learnings
- [What worked]
- [What didn't work]
- [Adjustments for next week]

## Next Week Focus
- [Priority 1]
- [Priority 2]
- [Priority 3]

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Output Structure

When creating marketing campaign deliverables, organize outputs:

planning_outputs/[project]/
├── marketing/
│   ├── campaign_brief.md           # Strategy foundation
│   ├── content_calendar.md         # 30/60/90 day plan
│   ├── platform_strategies/
│   │   ├── linkedin_playbook.md
│   │   ├── twitter_playbook.md
│   │   ├── instagram_playbook.md
│   │   └── tiktok_playbook.md
│   ├── influencer_strategy.md      # Influencer framework
│   ├── influencer_list.csv         # Target influencers
│   ├── budget_breakdown.md         # Budget allocation
│   ├── kpi_dashboard.md            # Metrics tracking
│   └── content_templates/
│       ├── post_templates.md
│       └── outreach_templates.md
└── diagrams/
    ├── campaign_timeline.png
    ├── content_calendar_visual.png
    └── funnel_diagram.png

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Integration with Other Skills

This skill works best when combined with:

Skill	Integration
competitive-analysis	Research competitor marketing strategies
market-research-reports	Comprehensive market and audience research
project-diagrams	Visualize campaign timelines and funnels
generate-image	Create social media post mockups and visuals
research-lookup	Research trends, platform algorithms, best practices

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Quick Start Checklist

When planning a marketing campaign, ensure:

• Campaign brief completed with SMART goals
• Target personas defined with platform preferences
• Competitive marketing analysis done
• Content calendar created (minimum 30 days)
• Platform playbooks customized for your brand
• Influencer list compiled with outreach templates
• Budget allocated across channels
• KPIs defined with tracking system
• Visual assets planned (diagrams, mockups)
• Launch timeline finalized

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Resources

• Hootsuite Social Media Strategy Template
• ClickUp Tech Startup Social Media Plan
• Sprout Social 30-Day Plan
• Zapier Social Media Strategy Guide 2025