Your company is important to you; therefore, being able to promote it properly is critical. Successful promotion of your company can take it to the next level while poor promotion can have disastrous effects. Having the appropriate printed materials including business cards, flyers, banners, business stationery, and other related products can give your company a professional image. More often than most realise, becoming a trusted name in your industry can start with having a high-quality business card. The “Five Ws” can help you determine how to promote your company in the most appropriate way.
Who Is Your Clientele?
Perhaps the most important question to ask prior to promoting your company is who is your audience? In other words, who are your ideal clientele? The more specific you can get with your answer, the better the promotional materials will be. Often, companies have broad audiences which limit the effectiveness of their promotions.
Clientele wants to feel like he or she is special and that your company is tailoring to their needs. As such, becoming clear about from whom you want to buy your product or service is the first step to developing a promotion. Determining your clientele will impact your promotional products when you promote them, where and why.
What Are You Promoting?
After you have determined who your ideal clientele is, the next step is to determine what you are attempting to promote on your materials. Specifically, what is the product or service you would like to highlight? The particular product or service influences the type of promotional item you will choose. For example, if you simply want to provide an overview of the services that you offer, a business card or leaflet is sufficient. On the other hand, if you would like to promote a specific event, a flyer is a more appropriate product to select.
Companies often combine promotions in ways that are ineffective. For example, they may mention a specific event while also attempting to promote services and products that are unrelated. This is confusing to clientele. Being clear about what you want to promote for each promotional product is the best way to ensure that your promotion will be effective and successful. If you decide to combine promotions or have your promotional material serve multiple purposes, be sure that the content is all related and easy to understand.
When Are You Going to Promote?
The timing of promotions is important to maximise their success. Most events need to be promoted far in advance. Flyers and leaflets should be distributed at least three weeks ahead of time. This will give clientele time to schedule and attend the event. On the other hand, sales and promotional offers can be offered without much advance notice. Typically, stores may use banners to indicate a sale or promotion. They may also use postcards and flyers for sales as well. One important factor to consider is how long it will take to print the promotional material. Waiting until the last minute to get items printed may place you in a bind. Having a reliable and quick printing company like Brunel One is a helpful way to prevent any hassles or additional stress.
In addition to knowing how much time you should allow for the creation of your promotional materials, it’s also important to know when you are actually going to give the material to your clientele. This is true for printed and online materials. What time is your clientele likely to visit your website? Posting an offer or sale during down times may set your company up for failure.
Where Are You Promoting?
Similar to when you are going to promote, it’s important to consider where you are going to promote. Knowing who your clientele is will help you determine where to place your promotional materials. Consider what type of places your clientele visit, where they spend most of their time, and where they are most likely to notice your promotion. Placing posters and banners near shopping centres can be a perfect way to capture the attention of customers. Additionally, placing promotional materials by transportation centres can also be helpful; however, it is most dependent on the potential customer. Making sure that your promotional materials are in a place that your ideal clientele will see is critical to the success of the promotion.
Why Are You Promoting?
The most obvious answer to this question is because you want to sell your product or service, but the idea is to find a deeper answer. What is the purpose of your company and its mission? Is the promotion in alignment with that mission and purpose? Many companies design their promotional materials based on sales needs. While there is nothing wrong with this per se, it can be limiting because customers do not feel like you are connecting with them. The best promotional materials can get the customers emotionally involved. They feel loyal to your brand and company. They will also fill a need for your particular product or service. Promotions that fail to do this tend to have short lived success.
Even items as simple as business cards can stir emotion within clientele. A business card that has an inspirational quote or quote related to your clientele can go a long way. They will look at the card longer and be more likely to keep it with them. The longer the business card is in their hand, the more likely they will buy your product or service.
All promotional items should be a reflection and an expression of your company and its values. If customers can see transparency in the values that your company espouses, they will feel more connected to your brand. Moreover, they will be more likely to share with their family and friends and provide free advertising for you. Promotional materials are more than pieces of paper and cards; they are an invitation to explore your company and see what it’s all about.