Selecting Your Promotional Mix

Here are a few guidelines for finding a marketing mix that brings you the most business for the least money.

The measure of a successful marketing campaign is the extent to which it reaches at the lowest possible cost the greatest number of people who can and will buy your product or service. 

1. Choose methods that you will look forward to trying out.  Don’t force yourself to use methods that will be excessively stressful.  You will probably just end up abandoning them. You need to enjoy the tasks involved.  For example:  if you hate speaking to groups of people, don’t put seminars or workshops into your marketing mix.  If you look carefully, there are likely several workable methods which will suit your talents.

2. Choose the marketing methods that will provide you access to the people you want to reach the easiest and the least costly way. Investigate to discover what ways you could use that will most likely reach the people you want to contact with the least amount of effort.  Research and find out what your target market reads.  Where do they gather?  What would likely catch their attention?  Where do they shop?  Which radio stations do they listen to?

For me, I get in front of a lot of my target market by attending networking meetings and leads groups.  Check with your chamber of commerce and see if they sponsor networking meetings.  There are a lot of free or very cheap networking groups and lead groups  around.  You don’t necessarily have to pay hundreds of dollars a year.  On the other hand, many find the leads groups that cost more to be more effective.  If it costs hundreds of dollars a year, a more serious business person will usually be there. 

Also those groups that cost more will usually only allow one member from each industry.  This makes it so that if anyone has a lead in your field, you will be the one to get it.  Cheap or free groups usually allow anyone to attend.  This will mean you may have your competition showing up to the meetings.

Tomorrow we will look at more guidelines.  Until then, have a profitable day.