Promotional Advertising

The main purpose of promotional advertising is to announce to potential buyers about a new service or product and possibly convince them to try it. Of course, this is just a simple phrase that hides a complexity of strategies and actions that must be implemented for a truly successful promotional advertising campaign. Let’s go through the most important aspects of promotional advertising and stop at the items that are decisive as far as the success of the campaign is concerned. Here are the most relevant questions you need to find answers to (with the help of your advertising agency), in order to get good results.

What is the positioning I desire for my product/service?

It is important to answer this question first, as all of your promotional advertising and other advertising campaigns will develop around this center point. Positioning is an important process in turning a product into a market success. If you are selling fine Swiss chocolate, for example, you will want to position it among the select few chocolate brands that have an exclusive audience. Such a market, if we are to stick with this example, is hard to penetrate, but once the public accepts you your results will be more than satisfactory. A promotional advertising strategy for accurate positioning is a necessity – don’t skip this step or your product will be left without a market identity.

What is the single most important characteristic of the product?

In your promotional advertising campaign you will be tempted to announce all the 100+ amazing features of your product. Don’t! The main purpose of the initial promotional advertising strategy is not to turn neutral people into clients. Your additional advertising campaigns will deal with that. For now, promotional advertising is meant to announce a new service or product, to get people’s attention and to make them aware that you exist. Try to make them remember your name rather than buy your merchandise, especially if you are a young company. In this case, promotional advertising blends with branding and the mixture might just be the best thing for your business.

How much money should I invest in promotional advertising?

Your budget will never be large enough – this is a rule that small companies and large corporations come up against every time they start a promotional advertising campaign. So make the best out of the available funds and stretch over the limit only if the advertising company strongly suggests that a certain supplementary action should be taken.

What are the most effective forms of promotional advertising?

You can attract attention towards your product in several ways. Organize a contest and give out prices consisting of your products. Work with the local community and organize public events (concerts, races, sports matches) where you will be the predominant sponsor and your product will be displayed everywhere. Another successful form of promotional advertising is to give your product (or samples) for free when a customer purchases an established elated product. This will work only with some product types (food items, detergents, cosmetics etc.) but it is one of the most effective forms of promotional advertising.