19 June
7 Marketing Promotion Ideas to Drive Sales
When searching for marketing promotion ideas, it's important to realize you don't have to reinvent the wheel.
We live in an age of abundant data, and you have the successes and failures of millions of businesses to use as a guide.
However, the key to marketing success isn't to rigidly follow the pack. See what works for others; then, use your uniqueness to make it your own.
In the following article, we'll be discussing some tried-and-true concepts waiting for you to give them a spin. Let's begin!
1. Inspire and Reuse User Generated Content
Content creation is one of the more challenging aspects of any campaign. But one creative promotional idea is to take the challenge out of it by enlisting the help of your customers.
User-generated content like reviews and social media shares are helpful when putting together marketing campaigns and materials.
In fact, Nielsen notes that 84 percent of people globally trust word-of-mouth recommendations above all other forms of advertising and promotion.
To help steer the conversation, ask for any comments and reviews to be accompanied by a pre-established hashtag. This makes it easier to track what people are saying about you on any given social media platform.
You also can establish Google Alerts to keep track of any mentions on websites and blogs.
This form of marketing content creation is especially useful for contests, giveaways, and promotions.
2. Create Buzz
Another of our favorite promotional ideas to increase sales is to create a buzz around a special promotion or event. For these to work well, you need to make your customers offers they can't refuse.
We've already mentioned some of the best ways to do this. A contest with a special prize at the center can generate a lot of interest, provided you pick the right incentive and make it easy for everyone to enter.
Promos around one item or series of items can drive a lot of business as well. Giveaways also are great drivers. But again, the success of your giveaway is about ease of entry and the prize(s).
An effective (and often overlooked) buzz generator is an infographic with fascinating data and statistics that pertain to your business. Making it informative and targeting the right "buzz evangelists" are the keys to finding success with this method.
3. Get Charities Involved
One of the more unique promotion ideas involves partnering a sale or promotion with a favorite charity. Give some of the proceeds to a special cause, and they'll reciprocate.
Aligning with a charity will inspire existing customers to reach deeper into their wallets. It'll also help you make new customers, drive social media shares, and win some much-needed free publicity.
A word of warning, though: find something you believe in. People can smell a lack of sincerity from a mile away, and if you're backing something you don't believe in, you'll make yourself miserable.
4. Use Lead Magnets with Low Overhead
Many popular company promotion ideas involve a promotional item of some sort. But items and products, which are usually giveaways with no guarantee of revenue return, cost time and money.
They're called "lead magnets," because they transition the person from passingly interested to a qualified lead. Ask yourself what type of product or informational item is most likely to draw such interest.
Many companies use content-based lead magnets, such as the following:
- Books and ebooks
- Software and other online tools
- Online courses
- Research reports
- Templates
But another extraordinarily effective tool is any promotional item that bears your company name, logo, and perhaps a memorable message. Casual wear is particularly popular, as are writing tools and accessories.
5. Invest in Branding
On a related note, promotional products can help spread the word about your business, generating meaningful impressions without you doing any extra work.
While it's hard to track their direct sales effectiveness the way you would an online marketing campaign, you can expand your reach with a promotional item in ways you never thought possible.
And that's important because impressions do matter. You often won't hear that in the marketing world, but it's true.
Customers have to become familiar with your product or service before they consider buying it. They need exposure to what you're about and what you do.
Research suggests it takes anywhere from three to 12 impressions before you make a sale. Promotional items can help get you there without you having to do all the heavy lifting because they're an investment in your branding.
6. Be a Leader in Your Community
You don't have to own a brick-and-mortar store to have a presence in your community. The first question you have to ask is, who is my community?
Your community can be the world just outside your door. It also can be the online communities that focus on some aspect of what you're selling.
Whether you have a B&M presence or an online presence (or both), get involved. That could mean sponsoring a school yearbook, helping out with a charity drive, or sponsoring an online ad on a popular website in your niche.
7. Sweeten the Deal
So you've had some success with product promotion ideas. You've tickled the buying bone. The lead is about to become a buyer; but all the sudden, he abandons his shopping cart in the final stages.
Thankfully, the power of technology affords you a way to keep up with these customer types. By using retargeting cookies to bring them back to your website or sending an "abandoned cart discount" if they return to the site and finish their order, you can win sales that otherwise might have remained forgotten.
Get Outside Help for Your Marketing Promotion Ideas
Your marketing promotion ideas may not be as effective if you're trying to do everything yourself. After all, a business is a demanding endeavor on your time and money.
If you feel you could use a little extra help, we invite you to check out other blog articles for more suggestions and techniques. We've also got a large selection of promotional products to help add flair to current or future campaigns.
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