Stretching Your Budget Through Promotion

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Thur, 10/20/2011

Most marketing budgets are set and a schedule or campaign of ads is just that-acquiring reach and frequency over a certain time frame. However, if you want to stretch your budget or are running your business or campaign on a shoestring, adding promotion to your schedule can do just that.

Whether it’s Radio, Television, Cable, Newspaper, Digital, Mobile or Direct Mail, adding promotion to your message always makes your business larger than life and allows it to stick out from the crowd. In addition to standing out, a promotion always becomes added exposure when the medium gets behind the intentions of the promotion.

For example, in my very first position out of college, at a small market radio station in Utah, I had a Honda Motorcycle dealership as an account. In fact, when I drove to Utah the first time for work, my supervisor had me meet him at this dealership. He introduced me to the owner and said this account will be yours. That day, was the big Hondaland in Monticello promotion, giving away a Honda bike, along with several other Honda items. The DJ from the station was broadcasting live, every so often announcing he was at Hondaland (more exposure.) He also was used at the event as the MC, so physical exposure with about 500 in attendance was great for the radio station as well.

Leading up to the promotion, the radio station was airing promotional announcements, saying be sure to come to Hondaland for a chance to win the bike and the other goodies. The bottom line was a week of great sales from those who attended or heard about the promotion. This became a quarterly event, minus the bike give away, and each time the event was held there was a packed house at the dealership, even in the dead of winter!

When developing a promotion for your business, keep it as simple as possible for the consumer. The fewer hoops you try to get them to jump through, the easier it becomes for them to get involved, and the bigger results you provide for your business.

What are your challenges when it comes to Promotional campaigns? I look forward to hearing your comments.

Until next time …