Promotion strategies
Businesses use promotion to:
- inform consumers of a new product or service
- persuade consumers to buy a product or service
- remind consumers about the benefits of a product or service
To do this, a business will use a range of promotional methods.
Promotional methods
The common methods of promotion are:
Advertising
An advert is a paid-for message designed to influence consumer purchases. Adverts do this using Language that makes the reader experience a certain emotional response to the writing. language, which is designed to make people feel a certain emotion, including excitement, sadness or fear. For example, âbuy it now before itâs too lateâ creates a fear of missing out.
Types of media for advertising include:
- television
- radio
- print, eg newspapers and leaflets
- social media
- websites
- billboards and posters, eg on buses and trains
Sponsorships
Sponsorships provide financial support to an event, person or organisation, either through free products or services, or through a financial payment. In return, the business, product or service is prominently displayed.
Sponsorship is commonly used at sporting events, conferences, exhibitions and charity events.
Product trials
Product trials are designed to encourage consumers to try a product either for free or at a reduced cost.
A product trial may involve offering:
- free samples, eg food products
- free trials, eg movie streaming services
- trial offers, eg money back on a purchase
Special offers
Special offers are a type of The use of incentives to persuade a potential buyer to make a purchase.. They offer An encouragement or reason to do something. to persuade consumers to make a purchase. Examples include:
- discounts
- competitions
- buy-one-get-one-free offers
- free gifts
- money-off vouchers
- loyalty cards
Branding
A How a business or product is perceived by others, including consumers. can be used as promotion, so businesses often want to establish a positive brand image. When a new product is launched under an established A brand is a name, design or logo that identifies a business' goods or services and helps distinguish it from other businessâ goods or services. name, consumers may be more likely to purchase it because of their knowledge of the existing brand.
Building a promotional strategy
A Planned promotional activities designed to increase awareness of a product or service by appealing to a target audience. combines some or all of the above promotional methods to reach the The group of users a website is aimed at. Different design considerations will be made depending upon the group in question..
The promotional strategy will depend on the size of the business, how much the business has to spend on promotion, and the market segments that it is aiming to reach.
A good promotional strategy for a small local gardening business might involve advertising using printed leaflets combined with an introductory discount for new customers. This strategy would target people living in the local area, who would be the most likely to become customers.
A poor promotional strategy for a small local gardening business might involve advertising on national TV combined with sponsorship of a local gardening competition. TV advertising is very expensive so it is rarely used by small businesses, and there would be little point in a small local business advertising nationally.
