The implementation of effective promotion tactics is vital to achieving any business’ online and offline sales goals. Regardless of whether you have just opened a new business, or whether you’ve added a new service or product, you will want to create a promotional campaign to spread the word to both current and potential customers. However, the art of promotions is by no means simple: there are many things you have to consider, from the scale and length of the promotional campaign to the best outlets and methods to use to get your message to your target audience.

Your Target Audience

Before you can think about either the type of promotion you will use or the media outlets you might choose to utilize, you must first define your target audience, because the scope and nature of your target audience will have a major impact on the choices you will make. For example, if you are promoting a new product designed to help with graying hair, the promotion should be aimed at media outlets that older people are more likely to seek out or frequent. Similarly, a product intended for teens would require a very different, yet targeted, focus.

Local or National

Another factor that will affect the nature of your promotional campaign is the scale of your business. If you are a small local business, then you can choose to use less expensive ads in local papers, as well as more cost-effective local TV and radio stations; if, on the other hand, you are a large regional or national business, your promotion will probably be better-served by using national publications and broadcast stations, as well as cable TV.

The Methods to be Used

While many promotions concentrate on the advertising aspects of the process, some of the best promotions are not ads, but events that the company arranges or sponsors. For example, if you are promoting a new line of summer swimwear, you can sponsor local swim-related events, such as children’s swim camps or swim meets. If your company sells baking products, you can sponsor a bake off contest. Virtually any product or service you might offer can be incorporated into a community event of some kind.

In-House Versus Contracting with a Professional

While many large businesses have their own marketing department to handle their promotions, smaller to medium-sized companies often choose to hire an outside agency for this work. This saves them the overhead and costs associated with maintaining a full time marketing staff. Even some larger companies recognize the benefits of hiring skilled outside professionals.

If you need to create a promotional campaign, there are a surprising number of factors you must consider, and if any one component is done badly, the result can be a failed campaign and wasted money. This is why it is best to hire professionals such as Marden-Kane to help you with this process. If you do not have trained and experienced personnel capable of doing this for you, you will be well-served by turning  to a firm like ours that does.

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