Promotional Tools

Promotional Tools 

Promotional tools are just one of the four basic marketing tactics that should be included in every marketing strategy. Promotional tools are just one of the four basic marketing tactics that should be included in every marketing strategy. Promotions consist of all marketing communications used to distribute information about the product to consumers. These include advertising and sales promotions, direct selling, public relations, sponsorship and trade shows. These promotional tools must be strategically placed so they will be seen by your targeted market and should be combined with strategic pricing so those particular consumers will be likely to purchase the product.

The 4 Ps of marketing are product, price, place and promotion. All four of these elements combine to make a successful marketing strategy. Promotion looks to communicate the company’s message across to the consumer. The four main tools of promotion are advertising, sales promotion, public relation and direct marketing.

Advertising

Advertising is defined as any form of paid communication or promotion for product, service and idea. Advertisement is not only used by companies but in many cases by museum, government and charitable organizations. However, the treatment meted out to advertisement defers from an organization to an organization.

Sales Promotion

Promotion is an incentive tool used to drive up short term sales. Promotion can be launched directed at consumer or trade. The focus of advertising to create reason for purchase the focus of promotion is to create an incentive to buy. Consumer incentives could be samples, coupons, free trial and demonstration. Trade incentive could be price off, free goods and allowances. Sales force incentive could be convention, trade shows, competition among sales people.

Sales promotion activity can have many objectives, for example, to grab attention of new customer, reward the existing customer, increase consumption of occasional users. Sales promotion is usually targeted at the fence sitters and brand switchers.

Public Relations

Companies cannot survive in isolation they need to have a constant interaction with customers, employees and different stakeholders. This servicing of relation is done by the public relation office. The major function of the public relation office is to handle press releases, support product publicity, create and maintain the corporate image, handle matters with lawmakers, guide management with respect to public issues.

Direct Marketing

The communication establishes through a direct channel without using any intermediaries is referred to as direct marketing. Direct marketing can be used to deliver message or service. Direct marketing has shown tremendous growth in recent years. The internet has played major part in this growth story. Direct marketing saves time, makes an experience personal and pleasant. Direct marketing reduces cost for companies. Face to face selling, direct mail, catalog marketing, telemarketing, TV and kiosks are media for direct marketing. 

Advertisement, Promotional activity, Public relation and direct marketing play an essential role in helping companies reaches their marketing goals.