Starting a Business No 5 Promotional Strategy

Your notes for you business plan (see Starting a Business No 3)  will almost certainly include "advertising" or "marketing"; but they are used, perhaps, in a casual sense of "publicity to get business". In this post we shall use the term "promotion" which will include all future activities to create a more embracing concept of what you are about as a business start-up.

Scope  Your promotional strategy will enable your customers' and/or suppliers' tol gain a wider and better understanding of the following:

• your business ethos or mindset;
• your business policies; and,
• more particularly, your products and/or services.

Promotional strategy is likely to cover relevant activities like the following: a) free publicity; b) advertising;  c)  public relations; and; d)  special events.



Free Publicity:  They are purposeful activities which are not charge for and are likely to incude: a) person to person networking;  b) free Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, etc activities (see Research No2 for social media marketing SMM);  c)  press releases for editorials in newspaper and magasine, trade journals, etc.

Advertising:  Initiated by you but are promotional products and activities which are paid for and executed by third parties - might include:  a) newspaper advertising; b) "knick-knacks", pens, place mats, keyrings etc, bearing information about your products and services

Public relations:  Information you distribute about your business, products and/or services which enhances their standing to your customers, suppliers and others - maybe to counter adverse publicity.

Special Events: Events such as: a) business to business events, b) trade shows; c) exhibitions d) an awards ceremony. The intent is that your business has some objective or purpose, eg a product or service launch, an award to donate, etc.