Order 1368007: products and services

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1. PLAN PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES 1.1 Identify and assess promotional activities to ensure compatibility with organisational requirements

1.2 Plan and schedule promotional activities according to the marketing needs of the organisation

1.3 Determine overall promotional objectives in consultation with designated individuals and groups

1.4 Ensure that timelines and costs for promotion of activities are realistic and consistent with budget resources

1.5 Develop action plans to provide details of products and services being promoted

1.1 – Identify and assess promotional activities to ensure compatibility with organisational requirements

Promotional activities may include advertisements, client functions, employee functions, media announcements, product launches, web pages etc

Advertisements Acceptable definition: Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action with respect to products, ideas or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behaviour

advertising is also common.

Advertising reaches almost every person on earth and comes in various mediums, such as print, TV and websites. The challenge is to put this end user result into a context that matches compatibility with organisational requirements.

An organisation will likely have a marketing plan, though this session is not designed to discuss this.

Part of the marketing plan is advertising in its many forms and options.

From within the marketing plan, look for these or similar elements to focus on advertising:

advertising and promotional plan costs allocated for advertising and promotions advertising and promotional materials list of advertising media to be used and an estimate of costs for each

medium.

If these items or similar are present, then there is a good chance the organisation is prepared to ensure there is compatibility with the stated organisational requirements.

Usually, costs are at the forefront of most marketing plan’s focus. Advertising can constitute a major portion of that expense.

Define your advertising budget:

How you go about advertising or choosing a medium will require a careful assessment of need to ensure that you understand the cost implications. Each medium has a different cost structure, especially TV.

Decisions on allocations can also influence your budget so don’t spend the entire amount on two or three highly expensive TV ads.

If you are planning your own advertising and not using an agency hunt for affordable opportunities:

weekly newspapers metropolitan papers national magazines handbills and flyers bargain broadcasting good deals on radio or just local TV stations or cable networks combine with several local businesses by advertising together.

Conducting client functions:

It is suggested that “it costs five times as much to attract a new client as it does to keep an existing one.”

Most marketing plans focus on the new customer/client/consumer, rather than address the benefits of improving the relationship with the current ones.

Another ‘mystery’ adage is “80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers”. This has been proven by data analysis but it doesn’t just happen. You need to work on it and conducting client functions is a great way of hitting two main markers: 1. Show your appreciation to existing customers. 2. Captured audience for promotions.

Client appreciation functions are the most common campaigns advertisers use to market their products and services.

How to conduct a client function

Some organisations who have used the client function process claim that these types of events are expensive for the return achieved, while others conduct them on a regular basis.

Benefits:

They build stronger relationships.

They can produce a referral process or recommendation.

If successful, they will create a positive word-of-mouth outcome with your customers or clients.

It demonstrates a positive advantage against your competitors if they do not conduct these events

Some disadvantages:

Some event locations can be expensive, especially when you add food and beverage costs.

Requires careful planning and is not a job for the office junior. Needs professional organising.

Must have a clear purpose and objective; especially if promoting a new product or service.

Must have a follow up process, which takes more time and expense.

It might end up being just a good drink and a feed with regular customers, rather than a direct result in terms of sales.

Both small and large events can be successful if you follow the steps below 1. Choose a reason for doing it. Sales, product launch or just a thank you 2. Choose a venue, time and date. Be careful not to clash with holidays or other

special events that customers would likely attend. 3. Create a budget for:

Venue rental Food and beverage Marketing the event costs Artwork design fees Printing costs

• Brochure • Stationery printing • Printing

Name tags Staff costs AV Costs for any paid guest speaker Entertainment if any Gifts Courier costs.

Compare this budget to what you have in the organisation’s overall marketing budget to see if it’s in line or out of place.

Timing in market terms

If the budget is acceptable and the date/time options are workable, the only other initial consideration is the type in accordance with your objective.

For example, if it’s just a “thank you” you may wish to do this in a downturn market environment as it may be difficult to expect additional sales in such a climate. An event like thank you for staying with us for the past X years and in this economic downturn, their custom and loyalty is much appreciated.

If you haven’t hosted a thank-you event in recent times, even in a buoyant market climate, it may be a good decision to do it now, before the competition does.

In summary Define your objectives. What do you hope to accomplish? Select the right event. What type of event will draw your customers? Can I afford it? Is the overall budget impacted? Invite the right customers/clients. Who should be invited and how will you get

them there? Pay attention to details. Hire a PCO (Professional Conference Organiser), not

the office junior. Execute the event professionally. Be careful when using Audio/Visuals

as if anything is going to be a problem, it will invariably be the AV. Hire a professional AV company to do it for you.

Convey your appreciation to the attendees. Make sure your CEO is present. Make sure your customers feel important and valued.

Follow up. How do you plan on following up with those who attend? Create a follow up or feedback sheet to be completed at the event or online

at a later stage.

Employee functions

We are not talking the Christmas party or Melbourne Cup race day! Employee functions are more likely to be slotted into Public Relations.

Public Relations is used to improve the relationship between the customer/ client/consumer and an organisation to provide positive messages about its products and / or services to those customers/clients/consumers.

Public Relations can be also used to promote/enhance or change its overall image to employees and shareholders/investors.

The point of holding employee functions may stem from a range of occurrences such as:

positive outcomes need reinforcement. negative outcomes need fixing or motivating to change directions. management direction shift that impacts all forms of strategies currently in

place. sales and marketing changes or new plans that need addressing.

Public relations also include methods such as: news releases. press conferences. speaking engagements. community service programs.

An employee event can incorporate all of these.

Staff promotional activities

These assist in increasing the lists of potential customers. It may be a sales and marketing function that is held on a regular basis and conducted when there is a need to re-evaluate the client/customer data base or actions to make contact with them. It may be a practical function held in association with new operating systems such as sales forecasting and order management which coupled with a positive ‘function’ environment will be more productive. It may be a function to develop new or old product knowledge.

There are other staff promotional activities held in both a social environment and an office/meeting setting:

brainstorming meeting team-building creativity discussions or planning management staff decision-making and problem-solving meetings

A staff function, using any of the areas discussed, or more, provides a positive environment opportunity to achieve your organisational goals. Staff and support people, such as contractors, should be in-line with your corporate aims and objectives and a function or promotional environment is a good way to develop this.

Media announcements

As part of planning promotional activities, media announcements also fall under the Public Relations sub-heading.

Originally, press releases were designed as a communication tool between the organisation’s public relations staff or the marketing department and the chief editor or production manager of a media outlet. Dealing with the media was considered a sacred area, where only the most experienced staff member or CEO was permitted to ever have dialogue.

Things are now different! There are news sites, emails, blogs and tweets creating a plethora of opportunities to get a message out instantly!

Press releases can also be directed to the customer, without ever needing to engage the media as the vehicle.

Some of the rules for releasing an announcement are: Keep it simple Grab the reader in the first paragraph Make words matter.

Many media outlets will not release your words simply because you have sent it. Another reason why many organisations use direct contact to get a message to their customers! Customers can also review releases exactly like a media outlet and, if you have not told your story in the first paragraph, it is likely to be binned.

Remember you have about 400 words max to tell your story. Australian media and consumers do not like the hard-sell technique. You need to communicate your release without making it appear as a sales brochure or a TV ad script. Get across the issues, features and benefits clearly without too much pitch.

If you are hellbent on getting a release to a media outlet, here are a few areas to consider:

Follow up your press release by contacting the recipient personally. Include a photo or graphic in your release but make sure it is high to

extremely high resolution as otherwise it will be dumped. If you are expecting a call-back, make sure you, or the nominated contact

person, are fully briefed on the release and what to say, with company approval to do so. Write down and practise your responses.

Consider the competition and don’t announce something that has already hit the streets.

Assuming your company receives electronic press clippings, ensure that whoever is monitoring this gives you leads to maybe respond to other announcement son the same subject tor product/service.

Product launches

See: How to conduct a client function.

There is much similarity in planning and conducting a product launch in the details provided in holding a client function.

In terms of reflection or some added areas to note, the following areas need to be considered:

Competitive analysis – again, ensuring that competition has not beaten you to the punch.

Web design or launch a new website in conjunction with your product launch. AV presentation showing product graphics/ screen shots of the web site.

Most of the planning and areas to consider for the event itself is covered in conducting a client function as the principles are much the same. Although the principles are similar, don’t try to conduct one event for all circumstances.

A product launch may have a similar organisational structure to other functions; it must be held on its own, otherwise you will waste the contact time and the brief “moments of truth” you will have to capture the attention of your customers.

As its unlikely you will be launching the new iPhone 10; the reason your clients/ customers will come is for your product alone and there is every possibility the numbers will be small.

Narrowing your event goal and objective will result in a corresponding targeted audience and this uniqueness will also help you design you marketing message to sell the event.

Product launches are great vehicles, so conduct them in unique or different lo- cations:

zoo boats outdoor parks on a beach.

Web pages, as part of a promotional mix

Web design, its subsequent marketing advantages and use is an entire Diploma on its own. However bear in mind that as part of a promotional activity it can allow you to do many things, such as:

advertise announce client functions detail employee functions announce and release media announcements announce product launches.

Your website is likely to be your most important promotional tool.

Customers in today’s marketplace expect to be able to directly research and find out important buying decisions, prior to actually committing to the sale. Don’t make them search Google for the competition; provide them with all the answers on your website.

Although most companies would likely have an IT department or an external contractor to design their websites, you don’t have to be a web designer to create your own site. CMS (Content Management Software) is freely available.

To use the website in terms of promotional activities, ensure it’s clean and easy to navigate the site with minimum Flash included and you will be on the right path. It can also allow you to:

list testimonials of events or other promotional activities. list current and previous press releases of products and services. detail special awards or staff achievements. create message boards, blogs and news groups to promote promotional

activities. promotional activities such as free offers, coupons or links to other company

activity. release price lists or important promotional offer information

Online Promotional Tools your website can provide include feedback forms, daily give-away/coupons/contests, surveys, online chat and sponsorships.

Activity 1.1

1. DETAIL the organisational requirements that would likely guide you to using any or all of the promotional activities discussed. Use at least THREE examples of promotional activities.

Examples of organisational requirements (use your own or these examples)

Access and equity principles and practices

Confidentiality and security requirements

Defined resource parameters Ethical standards Filing and documentation storage

processes Goals, objectives, plans, systems

and processes Legal and organisational policies,

guidelines and requirements

WHS policies, procedures and programs

Payment and delivery options Pricing and discount policies Quality and continuous

improvement processes and standards

Quality assurance and/or procedures manuals

Replacement and refund policy and procedures

who is responsible for products or services

Organisational requirement

(provide detail, not just headings)

Suggested promotional mix

Select from Advertisements Client functions Employee functions Media announcements Product launches Web pages

Notes:

Activity 1.2

1. From the information you have completed in 1.1 , select ONE (1) PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY and complete the schedule of promotional activities in accordance with the organisational MARKETING requirements you have also listed.

My Promotional Selection

Schedule Of Promotional Activity

Purpose and Objective

Intended Results/Outcome

Method

Key Message

Follow-up method

Notes: