So what's a campaign? Basically it's any coordinated effort that projects messaging and call-to-action across disparate sources (print/web, TV/web, print/call center, email/web, social media/web). We all know what a campaign looks like (since we probably all get tons of junk mail prompting us to "act now") and we certainly know what an email campaign (and loathe the resulting SPAM).

The key to a successful campaign is to alert your customers (current or future) to some value or service that isn't readily apparent, or is under-utilized. The interesting thing about campaigns is that they tell the story in digestible chunks. Perhaps we'll use a print-piece, email or social media to launch the "bait" of the campaign, but the resulting call-to-action more than often lands on a website. (And what you do here is super-important...)

More great (starting) campaigns lead with strong messaging and fizzle on the web because there is often a disconnect between sources. You can't have a great campaign with a killer print-piece and a bad landing page on your website (or worse, no landing page -- you simply drop folks off at your website and hope they'll figure out what to do next).

So, from the house of Staney here are a few tips:

• Use connected imagery. The images you use in print should match your landing page. Look for images that strongly match your message.
• Focus on one thing. It's far better to focus on a single message than to cram a dozen in a flyer or a landing page.
• Have a clear call-to-action. Whether you are prompting the target to do something with a print-piece or a website, the theory is the same; let them clearly know what you want them to do in as few words as possible.
• Focus on killer landing pages. This is where the action happens - don't muck it up. Keep it simple.
• Use a script in a call-center. If the customer has to dial for a deal, use a script. There's nothing worse than a call-center operator that "didn't know about..." and has to research a promotion before they can deliver value or service to the customer.
• Make your employees aware of your campaigns and help them understand the social media platforms on which you advertise. Pay attention FourSquare advertisers, I'm talking to you. If you're offering a "free widget with every check-in", or a free drink for the "mayor" make sure your employees understand FourSquare and aren't looking at your customer like they have six heads.
• Make your campaigns measurable.
• Do A/B multivariate testing to see which messages work best. Be ready to make adjustments and learn from what didn't work.
• Give it time. Most campaigns aren't overnight successes that will immediately crash your web servers like Amazon.com's 99-cent, Lady Gaga, cloud "oopsie".