Build Your Email & SMS Program
Chapter 7: Build a Campaign Calendar With a Purpose
Start with what is happening in the business and what customers need to understand. Then choose the messages and dates.
A useful calendar gives each campaign a reason to exist.
Section 1
Start with commercial reality
Review launches, stock, seasonal relevance, customer questions, and business priorities. Make sure the message matches what the business can deliver.
- What products deserve attention?
- What is available to sell?
- What questions keep appearing?
- What has changed since the last campaign?
- What reason does the customer have to act?
Section 2
Build a mix of useful messages
- Product education: explain a material or benefit and how it helps.
- Product discovery: show customers styling a collection or introduce a relevant product.
- Founder and brand: share the thinking behind a launch or a behind-the-scenes story.
- Customer evidence: use authentic customer photos and experiences.
- Launches: introduce what is new, or offer genuine early access.
- Commercial offers: give a clear, credible reason to act; novelty need not mean a discount.
Product education
Help someone understand use, fit, care, or compatibility.
Product discovery
Introduce a relevant product or collection and explain why it matters.
Launches and restocks
Explain what is new or available again. Use only real availability.
Customer evidence
Use approved, authentic reviews or customer stories. Do not invent quotations.
Brand and product story
Explain a decision, process, or belief that adds meaning to the product.
Promotions
Present a clear offer with accurate conditions and a commercial reason.
These are options, not a required weekly formula.
Offers in practice
Section 3
Give each campaign a brief
For this example, Fieldwork is a fictional apparel brand.
| Campaign idea | Customer reason to care | Primary CTA | Channel choice | Production input needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why the fabric matters | Understand comfort and care | Explore the fabric | Email: room to explain | Material facts and care photography |
| Three ways to style the collection | Discover a useful combination | Shop the collection | Email: visual discovery | Styled product photography |
| A note from the founder | Understand the thinking behind the launch | Meet the collection | Email: story and context | Founder interview and approved copy |
| How customers wear it | See the product in real life | Explore customer favourites | Email: customer evidence | Permissioned customer photos and quotes |
| New collection early access | Explore something new | See new arrivals | Email; optional SMS for eligible interested subscribers | Confirmed stock, launch page, imagery |
| A useful bundle offer | Buy complementary pieces together | View the bundle | Email: explain value and terms | Approved pricing, margin review, offer terms |
Your campaign plan
Saved on this deviceCampaign 1
| Planning field | Response |
|---|---|
Section 4
Coordinate channels and flows
Review what the same customer could receive from campaigns and automation. Decide whether SMS adds a useful reminder or simply repeats the email.
Hypothetical example: A restock
A restock email explains the returning product. A text may be useful for subscribed customers who specifically wanted that restock. Sending both to every eligible customer is not automatically the right choice.
Section 5
Choose a sustainable cadence
Your cadence depends on audience expectations, product relevance, production capacity, and customer response. Do not fill dates with weak messages just to hit a quota.
- Is each campaign meaningfully different?
- Can the team produce it well?
- What do unsubscribes and complaints indicate?
- Are frequent buyers receiving redundant offers?
- Are results changing because the audience or offer changed?
Section 6
Review the plan before production
Saved on this device
Closing takeaway
A calendar should make good decisions easier. Plan around useful messages, then choose the timing.
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