Seven Steps to a Successful Promotional Campaign
Successful promotion campaigns don't happen by chance. To realise goals, promotional products programs must be carefully planned, taking into consideration the audience, budget and, of course, the ultimate result to be gained.
Are you ready to plan your next promotion? Give your Black Dog Promotions consultant a call on 1300 784 420, email us or use our enquiry form, and we will contact you. You and your consultant will discuss these seven important elements to help you plan the best promotion for reaching your objective:
1. Define a specific objective.
Whether the goal is to increase traffic at a trade show exhibit or to boost sales with current clients, the first step in any campaign is to clarify the purpose of the program.
Who? – Who is the target market?
Why? – Why should they contact you? What can you your company do for the target market? What is unique about you and your service? What problem do you solve?
When? – When does your target market need you the most?
Where? – Where are they when they need you the most?
What? – What do you want the target market to do? Call you? Visit your website? Visit your trade show booth? Refer someone to you? Complete a survey?
Without a specific objective in mind, a promotional product is just “stuff”.
2. Determine a workable distribution plan to a targeted audience.
Distribution of a promotional product is as important as the item itself. Research shows that a carefully executed distribution plan significantly increases the effectiveness of promotional products. For example, a pre-show mailing to a select audience delivers more trade show traffic and qualified leads than simply distributing items to passerby at the show.
Consideration should also be given to the costs involved for distribution.
Will the items be hand delivered? Posted? Courier?
Do they need to be wrapped? Bundled? Safe packaging?
Do the good have an expiry date?
3. Create a central theme.
Linking a recognizable logo and color to all aspects of a campaign, from promotional products to sales sheets to product packaging, helps create an instantly recognizable image.
Your Black Dog Promotions consultant can recommend products and decoration techniques that fit best with your theme and colours.
4. Develop a message to support the theme.
Supporting a campaign's theme with a message helps to solidify a company's name, service or products in the target audience's mind. For instance, to promote its services to small businesses, a bank created the theme "Are you tired of being treated like a small fish?" and sent fish-related products to its prospects along with promotional literature.
Remember your prospects are interested in what you can do for them, so your message and theme should relate to the problem that you solve for them.
5. Select a promotional product that bears a natural relationship to your profession or communications theme.
A good example is a company that developed a magic motif for its conference at Disney World. Attendees received magic-related products to tie in with the theme "Experience the magic at Disney®."
A stress shape hose would be appropriate for a Bank’s “Your money is safe as houses”, or a key tag for a “Key to your success” campaign.
You can be creative with the objects that still tie in with your theme or message, but beware of step # 6!
6. Don't pick an item based solely on uniqueness, price or perceived value.
Don't fall prey to the latest trends or fads. The most effective promotional products are used in a cohesive, well-planned campaign.
An object does not necessarily have to be “different” or “funky” to be effective. Even the most ordinary objects can be an effective promotional product if it bears the right message to the right people.
The message, theme, and correct distribution can be more important than having “something different”.
7. Use a qualified promotional products consultant.
A good promotional products consultant will help you answer all of these questions as well as offer a variety of value-added services, including unique product ideas, creative distribution solutions and insight on the different imprinting methods just to name a few.
We are members of both PPAI and APPA, the International and Australian Promotional Products Association. This means we keep up to date with the latest industry education, products, decoration techniques, and the bet supplier partners available.
A professional promotions consultant will ask you questions related to all the points above. If you have approached other suppliers and they have not ask you questions related to the points above, you have to ask yourself if your success it the most important thing to them, or simply putting another sale through is most important.
“Your success is our business” is not just a random tagline at Black Dog Promotions; it is more like a mission. If your promotions are successful you will come back again and again, which mean your success is good for our business.
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