Our neighbouring country is leading with business promotions with mobile service providers in competition, giving away millions every day plus other items. Watching news last week, some critics say that sometimes companies go too far in wanting to attract the attention of clients thereby spending a lot of money unnecessarily. But then, can a business just decide to spend money which they cannot recover? I don’t think so; in this case we look at how business promotion can also contribute in boosting the business. In business, sales promotion strategy is an activity that is designed to help boost the sales of a product or service of a company. This can be done through an advertising campaign, public relation activities, a free sampling campaign, a free gift campaign, a trading stamps campaign, through demonstrations and exhibitions, through prize giving competitions, through temporary price cuts, and through door-to-door sales. These activities allow a company to subtly promote their product because the focus is on the event or specialty item. Your company’s name is simply associated with the event or specialty item. The importance of a sales promotion strategy cannot be underestimated. Because the community always supports businesses, it is also a good business practice to support your community. Community means more than just a location. Community can also refer to specific groups of people, such as the orphans. The great thing about participating in community events and programs is that it’s a win-win for both the company and the community. When choosing an event or program to support, set specific goals for your company’s participation that provides tangible results. For example, if you choose to sponsor a local woman’s project, your goal may be to network with other sponsors for business opportunities. You should also look for events and programs with natural tie-ins that reinforce the image you want to have. For example, sponsor a golf tournament if you run a sporting house. When developing a sales promotion strategy for a business, it is important that you keep the following points in mind. • Consumer attitudes and buying patterns • Your brand strategy • Your competitive strategy • Your advertising strategy • And other external factors that can influence your products availability and pricing. The type of promotional activities that a company choose helps to create and affirm your company image. For example, if you offer free water bottles with your company logo on them to participants in a race to raise funds for breast cancer awareness, your company will be associated with caring about health issues affecting women. For example I don’t see why I should be given free airtime to call past midnight until 5 am in the morning. It does not make any sense, this is a time when people are sleeping , how does one make a call at this hour when people are sleeping, just because there is promotion for free calls at that time. As much as sales promotion is good for a company, a lot of thinking needs to be done here. It is only fair to put a product on promotion that your clients will feel comfortable with and they will be happy to remember your company any time for many years to come. Ends
