Questions to Ask Before Using Any Product Promotional Tools

Before you decide to use any of the promotional tools you should stop and ask the following questions:

1) What is my objective?

Be clear about what you are trying to achieve from the outset. For example, you may be advertising to stimulate sales and prompt enquiries. Alternatively, you may be advertising with the purpose of raising name awareness only amongst your target audience. This is a very different objective that will not directly stimulate enquiries in the short term, but could benefit you long term, especially if carried out consistently and in conjunction with other promotional tools.

You may be holding a seminar to increase your organization's profile in its target market. Enquiries may not come in at the seminar itself but later, when you follow up the contacts made with a direct mail letter, telemarketing call, brochure and even possibly a special offer.

You may be carrying out a direct mail campaign with the objective of increasing your database. Once you have names on your database you can then begin to communicate with these prospects on a regular basis, perhaps through telemarketing them, inviting them to a seminar or exhibition, sending them special promotions and of course keeping in touch with them on a regular basis through your newsletter.

You may be attending an exhibition, not with the primary purpose of getting orders or leads, but because if you're not there your competitors and the visitors may think you've gone out of business or that you're in financial difficulties!

These are just some examples. The main message is to know what it is you are hoping to achieve then you will be able to measure the success of it. And, of course, you must always track results.

2. Can my message be creatively different and is it the right message?

How are you going to communicate your message through this promotional tool? Don't forget you must communicate the benefits of what you are offering, in the language that the target market understands and can relate to.

You must also look at the image you are portraying, and brand values if appropriate. How are these being communicated with regard to the promotional tool you are using?

You will need to think about your target customers and how they will react to the message. How do you wish them to react? Define this and check back that you are achieving it.

3. Will using these promotional tools reach my target audience?

Have you chosen the right promotional tool to reach the right target audience? Remember back to chapter two when we looked at what markets we are in. Always ask yourself whether or not this promotional activity will reach your target market.

4. How am I going to follow this through?

The key to successful marketing is consistency - consistently putting out the right message to the right target audience. People buy what they are familiar with, so you need to keep your company name, and/or your products or services, in front of your target customers on a regular basis. It is not enough to advertise once and then say, 'well that didn't work onto the next thing!' You will need to build awareness for your products or services over a period of time, through a campaign, this could be by advertising, using direct marketing or through the press.