The Following Story is from Associated Content and sponsored by SMS
Good marketing requires more than just developing a good product, pricing it attractively, and placing it to make it easily and readily available for purchase by customers. It also requires effective communication with all targeted present and potential consumers to bring about or encourage consumption / purchase of our product(s) and service(s): that is, good marketing requires good promotion as well.
And, effective and good promotion of our product and services must take place at all stages of the consumption / buying process, namely: the pre-selling, the selling, the consumption, and the post-consumption stages - and, it can take any one or a mixture (”promotional mix”) of the following main forms of communication, namely:
1. Advertising - Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of products;
2. Sales promotion - A variety of short-term incentives to encourage trial or purchase of a product;
3. Public relations and publicity - A variety of programs designed to promote a firm's product(s) or to protect its image;
4. Personal selling - Face-to-face interaction with one or more prospective buyers for the purpose of making presentations, answering questions, and procuring orders;
5. Direct (and interactive) marketing - Use of mail, flyer, telephone, fax, e-mail, SMS or Internet to communicate directly with or solicit response or dialogue from specific or potential customers
In each of the five(5) main forms/platforms of communication, there are various tools available for our creative use, namely:
Advertising
Print & broadcast
Posters, banners
Signboards
Display signs
Point-of-purchase display
Brochures, booklets
Videotapes
Audiovisual material
Motion pictures
Packaging - outer
Packaging - inserts
Symbols & logos
Slogans
Directories
Sales Promotion
Discounts. Rebates
Gifts, premiums
Contests, lucky draw
Free reno-package
Free insurance
Low-interest loan
Refreshments
Entertainments
Special Exhibits
Fairs, trade shows
Redemption coupons
Free tasting
Money-back guarantee
Trade-ins
Public Relations
Press releases
Publications
Speeches
Seminars
Annual reports
Charitable donations
Sponsorships
Scholarships
Community Relations
Lobbying
Press conferences
Company magazine
Events
Personal Selling
Sales presentations
Fairs & trade shows
Sales meetings
Incentives programs
Samples
Direct Marketing
Telemarketing
Mailings
Fax mail
E mail
SMS
Voice mail
Catalogues
Flyers
You will note that the above Table shows the availability of both the traditional communication tools (newspapers, magazines, radio, telephone, television, billboards and the likes) as well as the newer communication tools (computers, fax machine, cellular phones, SMS, other wireless applications and the likes).
Nevertheless, apart from the above “promotional mix” of the five (5) main communication means, it is important to recognize that a marketer or his marketing firm also communicates with its customers in other ways - its stationery, the mannerism and dressing of its staff, the decor and overall impression of its office, the general landscaping of the real estate development he/it is marketing, its external façade, appearance and colour choice, etc. all speak something about the marketer, his firm and the likely quality of the products and services being marketed.
To achieve optimum marketing results, the main “promotional mix” must always be integrated with these other communication signals and the other 3Ps in the marketing mix (product, price and place) as well as the 3 Psof good services (people quality, physical evidence and process). Periodic reviews / audits of all the firm's likely communication interfaces with its potential market must also be carried out to assess which interfaces (impressions and experiences) have the most influence at each stage of the consumption/buying process. This will then help us to prioritise the allocation of marketing dollars and attention to achieve optimum results and success.
By:
GT TANHALIM, Douglas
P/s: Have you visited my blog: http://moneymakingviainternet.blogspot.com? You may also want to buy online products there…cheers.
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