Promoting products is one of the most important things for business progress, because without promotion it is certain that product sales will not be maximally successful.
To be able to provide maximum results in promotional activities, here are the steps that must be taken by SMEs in promoting their products:
1. Determining the Target Market
The first stage is related to the determination of STP (Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning). To face fierce competition, we must determine a more personal segmentation to deal with increasingly diverse consumer behavior. This way our target market becomes clearer and the promotional budget becomes effective. Determining the target market will make it easier for us to determine the appropriate media selection.
2. What Mission Do You Want to Achieve in Promotion?
Determining the mission and what you want to achieve will make promotion efficient. Several promotional missions, such as gaining awareness, building brands, increasing sales and building consumer loyalty.
3. Planning the Message to be Delivered
Currently, communication is taking place in two directions so that SMEs must be able to formulate messages that can build two-way communication with consumers. Before making a message to strengthen promotion, SMEs must pay attention to who the target is. Use language appropriate to the target market to strengthen promotional messages. Create messages that have emotional, rational and moral appeal.
4. Choosing the Right Promotion Media
Choose the right media channel according to our target consumers. Digital media does enrich promotional channels but don’t use digital media because they just follow along. Focus on the intended target market, study their behavior, then choose the appropriate media. There are two media options available, namely, offline and online media. Both options relate to the target market and the funds prepared.
Offline promotional media such as advertising, sponsorship, salesperson, salespromo, print media coverage, direct selling, direct marketing and promotional events. Online promotional media such as advertising using Adwords, websites, blogs, forums or buying and selling sites and through social media.
5. Determine the amount of the budget
To determine the budget, don’t just use a percentage of the profits rationed for the promotional budget. First determine the object to be achieved, in what way we can achieve it, then the budget is budgeted. The choice of media will have a big influence on determining the promotional budget.
6. Measuring the Effectiveness of the Promotion to Be Done
Many SMEs often do not measure the promotional strategies that have been implemented. Even though this is important to find out how effective our promotional strategies are. Measuring the effectiveness of promotions can be done by measuring the impact on sales, doing simple research on brand awareness, or taking measurements in digital media when using digital marketing (for example, google analytics, social media measurement, etc.).