The Message Makes a Promotion Sizzle or Fizzle

Today’s technology has broadened the scope of marketing, making promotional efforts, which were formerly cost-prohibitive, far more feasible for independent business owners and professionals to implement. Websites, brochures, newsletters and direct mail are among the numerous promotional tools that are fairly easily created without a major investment.  Nevertheless, the single most crucial facet of any marketing campaign is the message, the one area in which do-it-yourself marketers tend to fall short.

The following tips are provided to help you structure a results-driven communication:   

It tastes like chicken. Avoid misleading language. If free “gift wrap” translates to “a brown bag with Scotch tape”, then be straightforward. Even better, delivering service beyond expectations (providing a surprise decorative bag and bow rather than supplying the minimum) is a time-tested way to build repeat and referral business.

Nobody does it better. Avoid puffy adjectives and open-ended claims that boast a better offer without substance. However, do express unique qualities of your product or service in terms of real benefits to the potential buyer, or as ideal solutions to the target audience’s problem.  A former FBI agent, for example, could promote his years of experience as critical to his success as a private detective and, therefore, to solving your case.

Try it, you’ll like it. Avoid promotional tactics that don’t match your overall objectives.  If you want to entice new customers, a buy-twelve-for-the-price-of-six offer will rarely work. Stock-up specials tend to build loyalty among previously satisfied customers, but a minimal risk offer appeals to those who have never bought from you.

Slippery when wet. Avoid touting the obvious. We expect the shoe store to sell stylish shoes that fit, so the often heard, “We have all the latest styles in your size,” gets lost in the clutter of every other promotion in town. On the other hand, revealing a substantive assurance of satisfaction, such as a guarantee that your money will be refunded if you return the shoes within seven days, is more likely to grab a shopper’s attention.

Life is tough. Avoid any verbiage or action that makes either the prospect or the fact of doing business with you an effort. Your language and your promotional promise should be clear and, if applicable, specify easy-to-follow requirements. Doing business with you, and especially responding to an initial offer, should be simple and, in the end, make your clients’ lives easier.

With countless advertising and promotional outlets available to all sizes and types of businesses at affordable costs, progressive decision makers take advantage, promoting their products and services to the masses without overspending. Even more critical than choosing the ideal promotional tool, however, is establishing a clear-cut message that aims to fulfill clearly defined objectives.

If your promotion fizzled rather than sizzled, scrutinize the communication to uncover the root of the problem.

For more ideas about successful communication techniques and marketing strategies, contact Sallie Boyles, Write Lady, Inc., at www.writelady.com, or call 404.217.3236.