Marketing Campaign Kick-off Meeting Overview

“By definition, remarkable things get remarked upon.” — Seth Godin

The kick-off of any marketing campaign is a huge deal and calls for a meeting between various company teams to ensure everyone is aligned and ready to take on whatever the next marketing round will entail. New marketing campaigns mean new materials, new verbiage, new products, and sometimes, a rebranding. Holding a meeting is the only way to be sure that all teams involved know what’s happening next.

You should hold a marketing campaign kick-off meeting at the start of any new marketing campaign, even if it’s similar to one in the past. While it’s recommended to have every member from the sales, marketing, development, design, and customer service team attend, you can send team leads if you’re underprepared to host that many people.

Of course, this depends on your company size, and you can always meet virtually if many people need access to the information you plan to present. You should review your metrics and APIs and what you plan to achieve with this campaign. When you convey your goals to all involved, they’ll better understand how to play their part. However, they’ll need to ask questions, so leave plenty of time for that!

How to Run an Effective Marketing Campaign Kickoff Meeting

“As a brand marketer, I’m a big believer in ‘branding the customer experience,’ not just selling the service.” — John Sculley

Templates are one of the most valuable tools available for getting through a meeting that involves the communication of a large amount of information. If you follow this kick-off campaign template, your meeting will run smoothly with little distraction.

First and foremost, you’ve got to come to the plate prepared. The marketing kick-off meeting agenda should include a checklist of what you want to cover and notes surrounding the talking points on each topic.

Be as straightforward as possible regarding what the marketing team had in mind when creating the campaign, and don’t be afraid to ask for honest feedback from all teams. While it might be too late to make significant changes, you must see the campaign from varying perspectives.

Ask yourself what the goals are of this campaign. Are you trying to gain new customers or increase sales? These are two different goals, and if all teams understand the goal, they can redirect themselves to do their jobs in a way that helps meet that goal. As always, the key to a successful company meeting is communication.

If you own a large business, and it’s impossible for most people that need to attend to actually do so, try streaming the meeting for them or asking them to join virtually. Many meetings with a large number of people are held remotely anyway. Overall, be clear with your intentions, and listen to what your employees have to say.

What’s inside this Marketing Campaign Kick-Off Meeting Template:

1 📝 Campaign Overview

It’s time to tell everyone what to expect from the new marketing campaign. Talk to them about what the campaign means, how it pertains to your product, and what goals you hope to accomplish by running this campaign. Give the marketing team time to speak, so they can adequately reiterate the creative process and why they chose the path they did. Thoroughly outline the campaign objectives, and provide paper and pens to take notes.

Provide details about the new campaign including purpose, goals, and desired outcomes.

2 ⚽ Campaign Goals

This section is where you want to dig into the goals of this new marketing campaign without neglecting to dive into the numbers and analytics you expect as a result of the new ad set. When everyone has a clear vision of the desired goals, it is easier for them to come together and help reach them. Every marketing goal has a campaign, and while it seems as straightforward as “making more money,” it’s not. Detail to your team if you want more leads, a higher ROI, or to collect an email list of 10,000 subscribers. Be honest and direct about the goal of your new campaign.

What do we hope to achieve with this new campaign?

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time-Bound

3💪 Roles and Responsibilities

The employees you’ve called to the kick-off meeting have specific roles and responsibilities within the campaign, or else they wouldn’t be there. You don’t have to be in marketing to play a significant role in a marketing campaign. Consider the importance of customer service and sales teams. Go over your expectations for each employee or team, so everyone is mentally refreshed regarding what they need to do to contribute before and during the launch.

Discuss your team’s role and responsibilities. Assign tasks to all members necessary.

4 ✅ Next Steps

Now is the time to talk about what’s next. You’re about to launch a major campaign that should bring new (and old) business to your company. Tell team members what they might expect to avoid overwhelm and keep everyone on the same page.

It’s vital to have an aligned vision before a marketing campaign kick-off because everyone will be answering questions that pertain to it. You must ensure they’re providing the correct answers to internally and externally asked questions.

Summarize what was discussed and talk about what needs to be completed for the next touchpoint.