No matter what type of business you run, promotions are always a great way to drive more traffic to your business. Whether you are offering a typical BOGO (buy one, get one) deal, hosting a contest, or running a major sweepstakes, promotions are designed to get people so excited about something that they will come into your business to participate. So, when you don’t get the turn out you wanted, what went wrong?
Oftentimes, promotions fall flat because they weren’t well advertised. There are many different options you have when it comes to marketing your promotion to the appropriate target audience. Just be sure to check with your local municipality (and reach out to your Relationship Manager) to make sure you’re complying with local laws. In order to help you understand your options, below are 5 basic ways you can promote your promotion:
Direct Mail
Direct mail advertising is by far the most expensive way to advertise your promotion on this list. However, there are a few unique benefits of using this method. First, you can target specific locations and household types by address to receive the mailer. Once the mailer has been sent out, the recipients will have to look at it and interact with it before they decide what to do with it, which already makes this type of advertising more engaging than any other on this list.
The key to a great direct mail piece is to make it appealing to the recipient. Adding elements such as different color schemes, raised graphics/text, and unique card stock all help shape the perception of your business to the consumer, and whether or not they want to interact with your business. Including a code on the offer or a directive to “bring this mailer in to receive X” will also help your business measure a return on your investment for the direct mail campaign.
Social Media
Social media is the only form of advertising on this list that can be done for relatively little to no cost to you. There are tons of different platforms your business can join, with several different types of ads you can run. Facebook is by far the best place to start since it is the largest social media platform worldwide. With Facebook, you can post anything you want about your business and its promotions on your business’s page for free!
If you want to reach a new audience though, you can promote your posts, your page, or even take out an ad that will be featured on your target audience’s newsfeed. There is a cost to doing something like this, but you can set whatever budget you want for these campaigns (the minimum is $1 a day). In addition, Facebook will tell you how many people you can reach in the location you want to target for any budget amount that you set. For more information about how to use Facebook for your business, click here.
OOH
Out-of-home (OOH) marketing is a type of marketing you probably see every day. OOH refers to any type of outdoor marketing such as billboards, posters, bus stop displays, benches, etc. Depending on what type of medium you would like to use, along with how long you would like to advertise, OOH can be a very practical and affordable option that will get your business and its promotions in front of many people.
Depending on where you are located, there are more offerings than just traditional print OOH ads. Digital posters, billboards, etc. are popping up everywhere and offer your business the opportunity to run unique, digital ads at a much lower cost than print ads. Instead of a static image, you can incorporate GIFs or full range motion to your ads in order to gain the attention of your audience while simultaneously having them remember who you are and what your promotion offers. Contact an OOH provider in your area to see what your options are.
Radio
Some have said radio is a dying industry, but it is more alive than ever! Radio has stayed a relevant medium by adapting to the increasing popularity of online media. Radio ads are often integrated with social campaigns, digital display and text ads, and various other forms of online marketing in order to maximize exposure and overall effectiveness. This will help you expand the reach of your promotion not only to your current customer base, but more importantly to new customers who may be going to your competitors.
With the exception of a Facebook live event or an interactive OOH campaign, radio ads are the only medium on this list that can add a live voice to your business and your promotions. Ad effectiveness is often times based on how well a consumer can relate to the message you are trying to communicate. A $1,000 promo prize is great, but if you can add a voice that explains that money can be used towards paying off bills or buying something the winner has always wanted, your radio ad will be that much more relevant to your audience.
Mobile
These days, nearly everyone has a smartphone and a plethora of apps that help them get through their day. With faster phones and more intuitive apps hitting the market, it is no wonder why mobile device use time has increased over the past decade. Small businesses can use this to their advantage. While there are many different mobile strategies you can use, one of the easiest and most effective strategies is geofencing.
Geofencing is when a business targets a certain radius around themselves and pushes mobile marketing campaigns to people who cross into that area. While a lot of social media providers have some sort of geotargeting capabilities, there are specific companies who work with various app creators in order to push geofenced ads through as many apps as possible to reach as many people as possible. The best geofencing strategies are to keep your messaging short and sweet and to create a geofence radius that is no more than a 5-10-minute drive to your business.
This list is just a small snapshot of ways you can promote your promotions to your target audience. Even if you don’t run a lot of promotions on your own, Accel can help you promote other events.
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