Sale campaigns are crucial to delivering your business the extra sales spike you need to make strong profits or to move old stock which is sitting around and becoming less desirable by the day.
There are two over-arching aspects to making a sale campaign work really well for you:
1. External marketing strategy; and
2. Internal marketing strategy
External Marketing Strategy
External marketing includes all the communications via different media to your customers or the market generally. Typically, this is your traditional advertising techniques which may include TV, radio, print, catalogues, online advertising (display or search), social media marketing, email to your database and so on.
To make your external marketing message successful, you need:
1. A strong offer
2. Retail driven advertising – ie advertising that sells
3. A good hook – if you don’t answer the consumer’s central question of “What’s in it for me”? Then you aren’t in the game.
4. Interesting creative concept which grabs attention
5. A reason to act – for example a redeemable coupon
6. Urgency – a decision deferred, is a decision not made.
Here is an example of a recent and highly successful sales campaign we did in November.
Internal Marketing Strategy
It is one thing to successfully strategise, plan and execute both art and science of a good retail sales campaign to the market, but it is another matter to ensure your people communicate the campaign with certainty and enthusiasm. It is also important that your business feels like there is sale event on– there should be a buzz of excitement.
All too often, I see clients spending tens of thousands of dollars to stimulate customers to act, but not a dollar on stimulating their team with extra motivation. Some clients say “But that’s what I am paying them for anyway”. I say that approach is short-sighted and costs the client a better result.
So, here is what you need to do.
1. Get Your Team on Board with the Campaign
Your team must fully understand what the campaign is about, why we are doing it and what the business considers a good result from the sale campaign.
2. Staff Targets & Bonuses
Everyone must share in the extra business if you really want to create extra business.
3. Do Something Different
I recommend you get someone else in to present/coach your staff for the sale event. This could be someone from your advertising agency, marketing firm or just someone with experience who knows their way around a sales event.
They will probably bring a different ‘energy’ as they are not in your business day-in, day-out . . . They are not aware of the drudgery or politics or the difficult customers etc. They will present probably much the same content as you will but a different voice can make such a difference to leaving an impression on your team.
4. Campaign styled Point of Sale (POS)
POS reinforces the message and creates a sale atmosphere for when customers arrive at your showroom or business.
5. Create Emotion
So often we try to sell to consumers with logic and reason, and yet most people buy with emotion. Why would people buy a new car when their 5 year old car works perfectly fine?? It is an emotionally driven decision.
6. Don’t be Afraid to Have Some Fun …
Life and business are all too serious these days … Let go of the shackles and the “we can’t do that because …” approach and just do it! The world will continue and you will get a better result.
There you have the keys to creating a successful sales campaign: the right aspects of external marketing to stimulate the market, and the right aspects of internal marketing to ensure the customers turn from shoppers into buyers.
Do it Yourself or Outsource to an Adelaide Advertising Agency
If you would like to turn the challenges of today’s fast changing landscape into opportunities, then partner with us as your local Adelaide marketing agency , and together we will develop marketing content which is relevant, valued by your clients and which serves to prove you reputable business in your industry. Learn more about how you can benefit from working with an advertising agency.
Drop us a line here, call us at 1300 733 255 or email us at info@marketingcatalyst.com.au and we will happily meet for a no obligation consultation.
Author: Kain Vodic, marketing strategist, Adelaide, South Australia.
