Selling when the consumer wants to buy is a fundamental factor in the marketing concept. Promotional efforts, whether in-store or through mass media advertising, should be timed to coincide with maximum seasonal or cyclical demand.

Advertising

The major portion of a business’s promotional budget is advertising. Some advertising media, such as the Yellow Pages, where a specific amount is charged each month, can be budgeted as fixed advertising expenditures. The mass media-newspapers, radio, TV, direct mail, internet and magazines-should be individually budgeted to achieve sales goals, improve your image and expand your customer base.

Promotion

Many businesses classify promotion as a separate budget category. In this case, promotional efforts include in-store displays, sampling, specialty advertising, giveaways and other nontraditional media efforts including online freebies such as ecourses and ebooks.

Publicity

This is the no-cost element, meaning there is no charge by the newspaper or other medium for carrying a news release or feature. There will be an internal cost, however, for the preparation of publicity releases and photography. Many businesses miss publicity opportunities because they do not have a written marketing plan. Every promotion or addition of personnel is an opportunity for free publicity, but only if the news release is prepared and sent to the media. Business expansion, remodeling, automation or changes in product name all deserve a publicity program.

Promotion Strategy

All advertising and other promotional activities should be in tune with the company’s stated position in the marketplace. This suggests that not only advertising themes but also media selection must be based on building and strengthening that position.

Benefit Approach

Regardless of your media, to make your marketing concept work in advertising messages you must analyze each product and service in relation to these two elements: Product Point and Benefit.

Product Point

Those features built into the product or service. Product points are usually highly touted in advertising messages, but they are relatively ineffective unless they are integrated with the second ingredient.

Benefit

The advantage a customer receives after purchasing the product. Your advertising should promise benefits and make those promises believable by naming the product points that will produce the benefits. For example, “You’ll feel better about your family’s safety (benefit) when they are riding on the new steel-belted radials from Goodyear, thanks to the interwoven blankets of steel embedded deep in the tread (product point).”

Media

Consider many types of media in your promotional campaigns.

• Newspapers
• Shoppers
• Television
• Radio
• Billboards
• Direct Mail
• Magazines
• Internet

In conclusion, the importance of promotion in the overall marketing strategy suggests you devote time to its written plan and constantly monitor the plan’s performance. Be creative but avoid cuteness. Stick to the benefit approach, and your customers will respond.

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