The who, what, why, when, where of promotion

A highly successful promotional campaign is the Holy Grail of most businesses! And even if you hit on a formula which works perfectly, success will always have a limited life, as our environment and collective psyche change at an exhausting rate. This means the 'triggers' we respond to one week, may not be the same the following week.

However, there are a number of fundamental basics which are often overlooked, but can determine the success of a campaign. These are the who, what, why, when, where of promotion.

Who

Be specific. Consider the markets which are open to you and choose the one which is likely to yield the best returns. Don’t assume that every market open to you has the same needs and therefore can be targeted in the same way with a general campaign.

What

It may sound obvious, but make it clear what you are selling and what you want people to do as a result of seeing your promotion. Don’t bury the product or call to action in complicated copy.

Why

Think about why your targets should buy from you. Take time to understand their needs and create a compelling reason why they should respond to your promotion. If you don't understand why people should buy from you, then how can you sell?

When

This is all about timing. Don't expect a big response from getting in front of prospects just once. On average, you need to get in front of prospects 5 times before they retain information from your promotion.

Where

Think about which promotional activity will best suit your target market. There a literally hundreds of ways to promote your business... perhaps advertising in specific publications, outside in prominent locations or on the internet? Or direct marketing either by snail mail or email, which gives you opportunity to follow up individually with a phone call (this improves response rates dramatically). Choose the right format for your prospects.