C2 Promotion
Promotional methods are the techniques used to communicate an organisations brand and products to potential and existing consumers. Promotion can be used to inform consumers about a brand or product, persuade them to buy it and remind existing customers about products to encourage repeat purchases.
Advertising is promotion using paid for media. This may include on TV, cinemas, billboards and website pop ups. Advertising is generally used to reach a wide market and as a result can be expensive.
Public relations (PR) refers to the activities an organisation does to communicate a positive brand image to the public. This may include hosting events, involvement with charities, giving press releases and creating a positive presence on social media.
Sponsorship is a method where a business pays to have their branding associated with a particular event. The event managers can use the money to help pay for the event in exchange for displaying brand logos on team shirts, flyers, posters, advertising or by verbally thanking sponsors.
Social media can be used by businesses to communicate with their customers, gain familiarity and drive traffic to websites or social media sales platforms. Firms can target their advertising to specific customers on social media based on their profiles.
Guerilla marketing uses interesting or surprising images, objects or performances to grab attention of the people who come across it. The aim is for those people to share their experiences on social media and for it to become ‘viral’.
Personal Selling is a strategy where a salesperson speaks to a customer face-to-face to try and convince them to buy a product. This may include door-to-door sales and in-store conversations. This method is very common in business-2-business (B2B) marketing where bulk sales are made.
Product Placement is a strategy where a business pays for their products to be displayed by another business in their work. For example, a soft drinks company may pay a film company to have their actors drink their products in a film.
Digital marketing refers to any online marketing activity. For promotion, this may include social media advertising, website pop ups and email marketing.
Developing a positive corporate image can encourage trust in the quality of products and positive word of mouth which should increase sales. This can be achieved by having high quality products, dealing with issues effectively, having good customer service, having a strong ethical focus and being involved in the community.
