Last Updated on 30 May 2013
POINT: John Moore
Absolutely everything. For marketing to be effective, that is making the cash register ring, a business must promote its products and services.
Promotion isn’t limited to hard sell activities like widespread couponing, aggressive discounting, and over-the-top marketing stunts.
Promotion is any marketing activity that seeks to increase awareness & appreciation, make an customer emotional connection, and sustain top-of-mind consideration. (Sound familiar? It should.)
A website is promotion. Maintaining a Facebook page is promotion. Customer service is promotion. Radio advertising is promotion. A brochure is a promotion. Discounting is promotion.
Absolutely every marketing activity a business does to increase awareness & appreciation, make an emotional customer connection, and sustain top-of-mind consideration is promotion. It’s best to make the most out of every promotion for a business to achieve success.
COUNTERPOINT: Paul Williams
We define promotion as marketing activity that is used to build awareness of something. It isn’t limited to ‘limited time offerings’ or gimmicks. Effective marketing is a result of effective promotion. You have got to plan, build, and execute promotions properly to make them effective.
So many times, we have seen promotions that are only half-baked, being launched, and product and marketing teams scratching their heads why customers aren’t doing what they want them to do.
Here are few filters you may use to ensure your promotions are effective:
Simple | Have you eliminated any potential hoops customers would need to jump through to be aware of, or take advantage of your promotion? Have you reduced any complexity to a minimum for your front-line employees and sales people?
Appropriate | Are you trying to reach the right customers, with the right message, with the right vehicle, at the right time and place?
Realistic | Your promotion has to be realistic. Are sales expectations set too high? Or, are they appropriate for the scope and duration of the promotion.
Newsworthy | Does anyone care that you’ve changed the flavor? Adjusted the size? Added a new feature?
The most successful promotions we have built have each been a cross-departmental project and have been simple, appropriate, realistic, and newsworthy.
