Promotion of a brand is done mainly through advertising and publicity. It is done to make the customer aware and educated about a brand. Another reason for promotion is to highlight the USP, advantages and benefits of the product. But the most important reason is brand recalling. We use multiple mediums to promote the brand like events, outdoor, print, electronic or online medium. The objective of doing all the activities is to communicate a message to the customers. Communication plays a major role in promotion of a brand. Whether it is to make the customer aware, to highlight the USP or to do brand recalling, it is again the message that has to be framed after understanding the customers. We psychology of the customers. We generally follow conservative ways of marketing while ignoring psychology of the customers and end up wasting resources without getting desired results. We usually follow the marketing activities of others without thinking about it. All the marketing activities should be done keeping the fact in mind that whatever we are doing it for the customers who are people.
Catching the right attention
In our daily routine we meet many people, some of them show interest in our conversation while others don’t and then there are some who become close to us and we develop a long term relation with them. In a conversation the person will listen to us only if they have interest in what we are saying. If we talk about something that they are not interested in, they would try to close the conversation immediately. So when we want to convince the other person, we try to understand their nature, temperament and psychology. Then, we say those words which the other person is interested in listening to. This approach applies in marketing as well. First we must try to understand the psychology of our customers and then we need to understand what they want to listen to. According to the way they understand we must communicate our message to them. It is not only what we are going to say but what is equally important is how we are going to say it.
In general conversation, to say a few things we elaborate the conversation so much that we lose the focus and dilute the message. We also miss out on where to put the message in the conversation. It is always the opening statement that creates the interest of the listener and takes the conversation further. Therefore, in our promotional messages we must be focused on the content of the message. It must be brief and should generate the interest of the customers. The message and the visual of the communication should be such that the customer themselves are interested to see it again. It should make the customer curious to know more about the product. We could also use the teaser campaigns to generate the interest of the customer.
Understanding Customer Segments
After studying the psychology of the individual customer we should also study the psychology of the entire customer segment. The factors which segment the customers are age group, gender, income, lifestyle and educational background etc. After studying the segment we should communicate the message in such a way that they feel that the message is for them. So the content of the message, language, color scheme, the visuals, sounds and of course the medium should be chosen carefully. It is not only about the message but also the promotional activities conducted to leave an impact. If a company wants to target only the elite class of the society, they issue privilege cards and coupons which are exclusively offered to people from this segment only. Thus they differentiate themselves from other groups. So, that group would also want to be a part of the organization because the company created an elite group of privileged customers. It satisfies their ego and makes them feel honored. Through this activity the product becomes a status symbol. Therefore, the people who are not part of this group of privileged customers would want to join in by buying the product.
Rejection brings more options of Selection
One of the ways of building a brand is to have selection criteria. In this we reject some of the customers on the basis of the criteria. This way we hit the psychology of the person and indirectly tell them that the product is available only for a chosen few. It also reflects positively on the quality of the product and the organization that we do not compromise. When the customers get rejected they would want the product more and strive for it.
Selecting the right Medium
The medium of promotion should not be focused on one but should be mix of all the mediums. If we target only the electronic medium we would be missing out on the potential customers whom we could reach through the print medium. Using a mix of multiple medium ensures that brand reaches out to a wide range of customers. Also while promoting we must keep in mind that we do not annoy the customer by excessive promotion. Another psychological factor of the customer that makes them buy a product is value addition to the product like free gifts or value added services. Promotional schemes and offers like discounts should be for a limited period and not a standard practice to promote the product.
Presentation of a product like the packaging or display makes the customer interested in the product and creates value for the brand. Promotion is not always about getting new customers it is also about changing the brand loyalty and getting the customer of the competition. By making the packaging attractive we can lure the customer to try our brand. Once the customer tries our brand it is totally on the quality of our product and service that will make the customer to buy our product. Promotion can only bring the customer to our brand and try it. How we will make the customer to change their loyalty and retain them is our skills of selling. Packaging also establishes brand identity.
Promotions through Customers
It is the customer who leads the market not the companies. All companies have marketing budget, which is mostly used for advertising. One of the drawbacks of advertising is that it does not have any customer involvement and it does not benefit the customers in any way. So we should come up with promotional campaigns which are led by the customer. Through these campaigns the customer gets involved and they also benefit out of it. Customer driven campaigns are the ones where the customers are involved and promoting the campaign. They also become a part of the activity. The customers get involved if it interests them or when they enjoy it or if they get some recognition out of it.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Other promotional activity is for the benefit of the society, where we are spending a part of our budget for it. Social activities highlight company as socially responsible and it builds a good image of the company. These activities also show the customer that we care for them and are not only concerned about selling the product. It builds good relationship and trust between the company and the customers. These customer driven activities gets promoted through word of mouth and need no promotion.
Promotion through Launch
Whenever an entrepreneur starts a new business or introduces a new product, it should always enter into the market with a proper launch campaign, so that the market becomes aware of it. Promotion and campaigns should be a continuous process. It ensures your existence in the market and keeps your brand alive. This way the customer will not forget the brand and it will also have a recall value. However it should be kept it mind that it is not always the same message being repeated. It is human psychology that monotony comes very fast and we always seek something new. So we should always have new messages and campaigns to promote our product and brand.
Whatever medium of communication we choose or we carry out any activity to promote the brand or product, the message should not be misleading or confusing, after all it is a matter of trust and long term relationship with the customer. Remember, it is better to be not informed than misinformed.