Small Business Marketing Kit For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Building Sales through Promotions

The purpose of a promotion is to create a desired consumer action over a short period. Businesses stage promotions to attract new customers, to win back lapsed customers, to alter customer buying patterns (for example, by prompting larger or more frequent purchases), to develop business during slow seasons or hours, or — increasingly — to attract customers into social media networks for easy and ongoing interaction.

Regardless of the promotion purpose, the objective is accomplished by offering one of the following types of action incentives:

Price savings: Incentives include percentage discounts, two-for-one deals, and other appealing reductions. The bigger the incentive, the more attractive it is to the consumer, of course. But be careful to come up with an offer that can inspire customers without giving away your store or attracting interest only from those who want the deal, with no interest in a long-term relationship.

Samples: Businesses introducing new products or trying to win over competitors’ customers offer samples or free trials to prove their advantage and get their products into circulation. First, be sure that your product shows well in comparative tests. Second, accompany the sample with a bounce-back offer that prompts the customer ...