A promotional campaign is an important step in promoting a product to let your target audience know about it, increase brand awareness, and grow your business. Even if you have spent time perfecting your flagship product, you will need to promote it in order to see your sales take off!
While there are several channels, companies need to select those that best suit their target audience and product offering. Some promotional methods are complementary and their impact will be maximised when used together.
Here are some ways to explore to optimise your promotional campaign.
Website and online shop
Nowadays, every business needs a website, no matter how simple. Around 85.5% of French internet users buy products online and almost 55% of purchases are made on the brands' own websites. If you don't want to sell online, you can still benefit from a website that gives potential customers more information about your company and your products.
Plus, unlike a shop, a website never closes - so you won't miss any questions or messages. It's an easy way to increase your visibility and is an essential step in setting yourself apart from your competitors.
Social Media
Brands without a social media presence will not only struggle to promote a product, but they will not be able to make that all-important connection with their target audience. Social media is an opportunity to share content that is relevant to you, to convey messages that are important to you and of course to promote your products.
Many organisations, especially start-ups and small businesses, opt for social media profiles instead of a website. To maximise the impact of your communication it is advisable to integrate both into your strategy: each channel will have its own communication objectives and one can pass the quid to the other.
Face-to-face sales
In an ultra-digitalised world, a paradoxical trend has emerged where consumers are asking for a "back to basics" with more human relationships and a more personal approach to marketing. Face-to-face selling is an excellent way to reach your target audience more directly and to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
This method of selling has many advantages, including an excellent return on investment and the ability - among other things - to explain complicated products and educate consumers.
E-mail marketing
Sending e-mails to your potential customers is another very effective way to promote your products and keep your audience up to date with your business.
As subscribing to mailing lists is voluntary, e-mail marketing usually achieves very good results with a high engagement rate. Overall, more than 80% of companies consider e-mailing as a major strategy to generate sales. It is therefore essential to integrate it into your promotional campaign!
Sponsor an event or an influencer
Sponsorship can take many forms. Your brand can of course become the sponsor of an event, which is a way of improving its visibility and can allow you to communicate alongside your promotional campaign. Why not hand out small gifts or samples of your product?
Sponsorship can also be the association with a personality or influencer on social networks. This is an increasingly common marketing strategy that can be particularly effective, as influencers act as a 'close' recommendation - a key factor in consumer decision-making.
Attend a trade show
Trade shows and events are a great way to meet new prospects, present new products, stand out from competitors and spot new trends. Whether B2B or B2C, there are bound to be trade shows and events that are relevant to your sector and company! Keep in mind that any trade show requires careful preparation, both in terms of communication around the event and the equipment and team, but can bring you excellent results for your investment!
So there is no shortage of options for promoting a product! The key is to choose the methods that suit your company, your products and your target audience. It is also important to make decisions based on the resources available to you, and to outsource when necessary. Keep in mind that the main objective is to maximise the impact of your promotional campaign, i.e. to find the right balance and combination of methods to form a complete and effective marketing strategy.