Product promotion is the foremost criterion for the success of a new project or a business that you long to flourish. Most popular promotional strategies like television advertisements and radio promotions might suit big brands with hyped product launches but there are many small time strategies that every entrepreneur should know of. Some of these subtle and not so subtle promotional strategies help you project the product in a favourable position irrespective of the company’s brand value and prior establishment in the market.
Starting with the popular saying of ‘What they see is what sells’, the first agenda is to increase your visibility and presence among the target consumers. So if you intend to sell a commodity to college goers, camp on campus, visit these colleges, take part in their fests and carnivals as sponsors or organise activities that attract the students. A very popular method at that would be organising contests and games on campus. Here the company may just have to invest instead of gaining but this strategy helps project your product in the market and gain visibility. As you amplify your company’s recognition, the product sells better and gains loyal customers.
Another instance of direct marketing would be through Social networking sites like Facebook and twitter. A great chunk of target consumers are likely to be connecting to their favourite brands through these sites. If your company or product wants to announce their arrival, social networking sites are the best way to directly connect to customers and face their adversaries that are already thriving in the market. The platform allows you to showcase your product in a personal manner which makes it easier for people to like it and prompt them to buy it.
However the best gains are a result of opulent giveaways. The company therefore has to indulge in charity causes, make donations to increase its acceptance in the market, distribute promotional freebies and announce frequent promotional sales. The idea is to get the customer to try the product once. From there on a lot depends on its performance and quality as opposed to the expectations it may have raised. A first good experience can ensure that the customer will come back for a refill and thus buy the product multiple times consequently.
Once you win over the loyalty of some customers, through the consumer referencing benefit scheme you may get the ball rolling. In this scheme, an existing consumer is expected to get their acquaintances to try the product. Award your loyal customer through discounts and gifts for every new customer they get. Such incentives would encourage the flow of more customers.
And the point of promotional sales is completely moot if they are not widely promoted. Associate with coupon sites like ChameleonJohn.com which are popular for stacking the best coupon deals and are associated with top notch retailers. Getting the brands name on sites like Chameleonjohn gets the product exposed to many new customers who might just be surfing around to get a good deal.
And finally, always offer customer feedback forms as the only long term way your company/product can exist in the market is through customer satisfaction alone.