Creating effective marketing campaigns for your business can be challenging. As you begin developing your next marketing campaign, use these valuable tips to increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts:

1. Stay fresh. Having a website with updated content is critical. Too often I visit websites that have been neglected. How can I tell? Some signs include a copyright notice that is one or more years old, no new press releases on their news page for over six months, or an events section with information on events that have already passed. Your website is a virtual business card. You can be assured that if someone is interested in doing business with you, they will check you out online.

2. Clear branding and messaging. Create a consistent branding message that your entire organization uses. Establish basic guidelines for logo identity, company color pallet and messaging/branding is critical to ensuring that outbound marketing efforts look unified.

3. When you start, don’t stop. If you are going to make a commitment to do activities like social marketing (think corporate LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts) make sure you follow through and regularly update your organizations’ social media outlets. After all, your corporate social marketing sites are extensions of your existing website.

4. Show some variety. Different people prefer to be touched in different ways. Some people prefer receiving emails while others prefer direct mail or engaging with an organization through social media. Have well-rounded marketing campaigns that reach out to prospects or customers through a variety of mediums.

5. Be consistent. The average prospect does not make a purchase until after the fifth contact. Develop drip marketing campaigns that nurture prospects until they are ready to buy. Keep your organization top of mind by marketing on a regular basis through email, social marketing, direct mail and follow up phone calls.

6. Communication is critical. Smart companies invest sales resources in emerging markets. Make sure your sales and marketing teams effectively communicate so that marketing activities are aligned with and support the goals for your sales force. Forward leads to your sales team in a timely fashion. Have an internal process outlined that holds sales accountable for following up on leads that have been handed off and provide feedback to marketing.

7. Pay attention to metrics. It’s amazing how often organizations spend time and energy marketing to their target audience, but after the campaign is completed have no idea if it was effective. Set goals and benchmarks for your marketing campaigns before they start to measure effectiveness.