In a difficult economic environment, SMEs are struggling to find leads or sell more to their own customers, and promotions are one of my best marketing tools to increase sales.
The advantage of promotions is that they can both attract prospects, but also buy more existing customers.
And most often, a good promotion will concern above all the existing customer base (she has more, she has your confidence …) than to seek to convince again and again new prospects.
Experience shows that it is far more profitable to sell more to its customers than to try to attract even more prospects, because there is a double effort: to convince a prospect and make a commercial effort.
For that it is not enough to launch a promo, it is necessary to set up effective and profitable promotions.
But it is not so simple:
– Do not make promotions “price”.
This destroys the margins and it damages the image of the product.
For example, if the customer knows that you are making promotions at the end of each quarter, he will postpone the purchase on that date.
But in addition, by promotions promotions, it will “anchor” a price “promo” and ensure that the customer is not ready to pay the price “normal”.
Do not be disappointed.
If the promotions are deceptive (difficult to obtain, a crazy price reduction for a product in the end not terrible …), it can turn to the feeling of being ripped off as it happened to me a short time ago when I bought at 17 euros a training which was theoretically worth 197 € but which in the end was not worth 17 euro …
The disappointment can also be done because of too limited volumes as for the “riots” with promotions “Nutella” in some supermarkets.
We must therefore estimate the aspect perceived value of the promotion to meet the minimum expectations, and if possible offer a “whoua” that will encourage the first customers to talk about your product.
We can represent the customer experience via this equation:
The promotion must be profitable …
This may seem obvious, but some merchants and service providers have bitten their fingers when starting bulk shopping sites like Groupon.
This was for example the case of masseurs who offered services of 30 minutes at discounted prices, hoping that people would come back then.
Except that on the one hand they had a schedule so loaded by the services “low cost” that they could not manage everything quickly (hence a dissatisfaction of customers), but in addition they could no longer provide benefits at normal prices because they were overwhelmed, and finally the customers did not return to be massaged while they counted on the second order to make their expenses profitable …
To help you succeed in your promotional offers, I wrote this file where you will see:
The checklist to check before choosing and launching a special promotion
A list of more than 40 ideas for special promotions, from the simplest (eg price reductions, more products …) to more expensive as the TV ad.
An example of immediate action to increase your sales through a promotion at the end of each paragraph.
Launching a promotion is easy … Starting a profitable promotion is something else!
I worked for 13 years at a major management software company, and we used to launch promotions every quarter.
It was the “promo” permanently, with each time different names according to themes, events … (ex: irresistible, palm …).
However we had seen at the end of the years limits to this system:
Resellers and distributors were “fridge”, that is, they were waiting for promotions to order.
Most promotions yielded nothing, at best they were used to talk about ranges of products not very visible.
As we were in “permanent” promotion with often renewals, the dealers did not believe us anymore when we said “buy, it’s the end of the promo in 1 week …”
The public prices were systematically not applied with the promotions, which made the tariffs lose credibility. Resellers had learned that they could always have a discount when negotiating.
The distributors had also understood our imperatives this commercial fences, with promotions always more important at the end of the semester to achieve the objectives
…
That’s why we decided to rationalize the management of special promotions: if there were still promotions, they had to be the subject of a profitability study upstream, with a more drastic selection.
Here is a checklist with some essential elements to validate before you start:
Define the goals and target of the promotion
It is essential to know what you want to do before you launch your promotion.
This can be to put forward a new product, give visibility to a product that has difficulties to go out, it can be to sell stocks before the availability of a new offer, quickly generate cash to achieve goals of sale, propose a special offer to a distributor …
You can also target the recruitment of new prospects, go hunting on the land of competitors (offers of recovery), sell more to existing customers, push a new offer to customers and prospects …
Identify which business deposits or “nuggets” you can use for your promotions
You can study your portfolio of products and services to find out what you can exploit.
This can be bonuses, services, offers to finance, the product and more, products to destock …
It is also very interesting to go to their sales representatives for feedback because they have direct feedback from customers on what has been asked for, and what works or does not work in terms of incentives.
Define the mechanics of the promotion, with its limits
If in your head a promotion is simple, it is not obvious that it is for everyone. The phrase “it goes without saying it, but it’s better by saying it” is even more true.
That is why it is essential to write and detail the promotion with: the target, the duration (beginning and end), the conditions of application, the type of products, the exclusion elements, the discounts applied, the calculation method, the process to take it into account, the realization of discount codes …
This will also allow you to validate a bit early that your promotion can be managed by your information system … which is sometimes not the case (ex: apply a discount on old products with a different marketing …) .
Make a mini business plan to make sure the promotion will be profitable
This phase is essential to validate that the promotion is really worthwhile.
For example, if you make a 25% discount on the selling price of a product, your promotion must generate at least 25% more turnover, which is not easy without having an assurance that the promotional device will be effective enough to generate more sales.
For that you make a simple calculation: the turnover currently realized by the product, the cost of the promotion mechanics, and finally the sales simulations with the impact on the result.
It is often an opportunity to realize that “price reduction” type promotions are generally not very profitable, and that it is better to add product, offer service, make communication …
Make a mini “brief” to explain your promotion, the target, the conditions the deployment and the mechanism, the sales support, the validation and the proofreading …
This brief will be used internally (eg to train sales people), as well as marketing (promotional materials) as for distributors.
In addition to the brief (the internal document), you will have to provide promotional material that will be distributed externally (eg PDF with the regulations, terms of promos …).
Take stock of the promotion to calculate profitability
The goal is to check the impact of your promotion (eg list the number of promo codes generated and the turnover achieved, minus the cost of the promotion) to extend, stop or modify it.
80 simple promotion ideas to increase sales
To find the right promotion, it is also possible to start from the idea of the promotion, then to check that this idea can be applied to your activity.
Here is the first part with the 80 ideas of promotions from the simplest to the most complex to help you develop your sales, find new customers …
Part 1 – Promotional Offers
Promotional offers are techniques with short-term and limited impact, which aim to make the product or service more accessible or more affordable, or simply bring more value to the prospect or make an “irresistible” offer.
The goal is to reduce the brakes on the purchase by playing on the various brakes or accelerators of the purchase, putting urgency or simplifying the order procedure:
1 – Make a direct price reduction
You can offer a price reduction over a limited period.
This discount can be:
an amount (if it is important, for example 10 € for 100 €)
a percentage (if it is more significant, for example 25% for a product of € 5).
All customers can benefit from the same discounts, so you can play on other levers like:
– Competitive recovery, for example against a given competing product (objective of eliminating a competitor from the market), or any product (objective of recovering old dormant customers).
– The discount on your premium products (more expensive), in the end to achieve the same turnover by proposing it at the price of the standard product. This is for example selling at a reduced price a complete Pack.
– More products for the same price (giraffe product or X% more), which allows to sell at the same price and play on production costs. For example is selling a video training with a module, an ebook, an hour of free coaching … and more.
– Fewer products or services for a lower price, this is called Down-Sell. This is to offer a smaller offer in price and with fewer features or services. This is often the case when selling video courses, we offer a full price product with coaching & training videos & a private group at a very high price, and for those who have not ordered, we offer a version without coaching and without private group (that the videos) but at a much cheaper price because there is more help personalized.
On the other hand, when you promote “price”, you have to be careful not to overdo price promotions too often, otherwise your customers will wait for promotions to make purchases, and those who bought at the “normal” price. “Will be furious.
To avoid this, it is better not just to lower prices, but to bring more added value (bundle, special offer …).
You can also stage your various offers and promotions to promote sales.
In the example below, adding a more expensive product (a beer at $ 3.40) allows you to sell more beer at $ 2.5 (and even sell beer at $ 3.40), while at Conversely, selling a $ 1.60 beer lowers the market:
Here is another example with a price promotion ending with a 5 and the other with a 9:
The version ending at 49.95 offers 14% conversion instead of 11%!
Therefore, always pay attention to price promotions, and not lower prices, but instead bring more value
What you need to do: identify how you can add more value to a product (premium offer, product or extra services, bundle) and make a special promotion.
2 – Organize a game or contest
The purpose of the game or contest is to either create an “event” to decide the undecided, or you will gain visibility with new customers through your competition.
You can offer a game or a contest with your product, in order to have visibility on sales points, as a pretext for a communication, to negotiate a visibility with a partner or a distributor …
This is often seen in supermarkets, with labels on packaging.
It is important to know that usually very few people participate in this kind of contest, and if you put 2000 € endowments for example, not everyone will come to claim the prizes.
With the evolution of the law, you are no longer obliged to deposit the rules of your competition to a bailiff, which makes it easy to launch small competitions.
For example, I regularly organized contests to win my Growth Hacking book with just tips to send me via a form or email. This allows to create a dynamic around a product (here my book) and encourage the undecided to order.
Attention, if your competition offers interesting prizes (eg TV, vouchers …), you may have concourists … In this case, you must file a settlement with a bailiff to fight against fraud and secure the results of the contest.
Note: the contest may be for your sales, in this context it is a competition to the best commercial, a goal reached …
What you need to do: Identify how you create a mini event via a contest, especially on social media, in order to benefit from a visibility relay.
3 – Give something as a gift
The goal is to give samples (of your products or via a partnership that is to say a third party that offers a product to your customers to gain visibility), to offer a gadget (eg the famous gift bonux!) , add a “discovery” version of one of your new products (eg a sample of a complementary product to the main product as perfumers do in beauty stores) …
The gift can be given either directly with the product, or via a collector system (have X proofs of purchases), or via a number of purchases …
These gifts can be in the image of your brand (eg Pasquier buns, pitchs … with magnets), with collectors, or “neutral” gifts without marking (eg a refill offered with a product).
In the field of training, it is proposing to discover its other products via extracts from the complete video training. For example in my guide “285 tips for success on the internet”, I offer excerpts from my main courses to make customers want to buy the other formations.
4 – Offer coupons on the second purchase and offer loyalty cards
Prospecting is good, but often the key to success is to remake order a customer … the second order is often the one that pays for prospecting efforts.
The lack of profitability of the first customer is linked either to a significant acquisition cost, or it is linked to a first product sold very inexpensive).
To encourage a customer to order again there are several tips:
encourage re-purchase by offering a voucher usable directly after the purchase on the next checkout, on a range of complementary products or accessories, on a particular day of visiting the store …
offer a loyalty card to have an immediate discount on the purchase (ex: 5 € in exchange for phone number or email to then launch promotions), either on a future purchase (ex: next time you have an extra service, after 50 € of purchases you have 10% discount …).
offer a discount after the purchase on a specific product (ex: an accessory, an offer of refund …)
give directly a discount on the product if you subscribe to a card (even if it has just been bought) to reduce the price difference with the competition (ex: an immediate reduction of 0.50 € on the price of ‘a branded product to fight against private labels).
grant loyalty discounts to your customers so that they feel “thanked” for trusting you. This is for example what is the case with Picard, who has for a long time refused to set up a loyalty card, and who finally set it up because all the brands did the same and the customers did not not feel rewarded for their loyalty.
…
Regarding the loyalty card, for it to be profitable, it is necessary that the customer has an interest (and that he can benefit quickly) and that the brand also makes more profits (eg: offer a product or service and more) . The goal is not to distribute gifts, but to increase turnover or reduce the attribution rate (= CHURN = customers who leave you).
Here again pay attention to the way to present the promotion: you can for example indicate 2 bought = 1 offered, the second offered, 50% discount … But for the customer it is not the same thing.
Here is an example with 1 bought = 50% on the second or Buy 2 and you will have a third free.
5 – Target a typology of prospects, and realize a product or a “tailor-made” offer
If you want to convince a prospect to buy, he must be convinced that the product or service that you propose to him matches EXACTLY his expectations and needs.
If you offer a generic product you will certainly try to adapt to the larger market, but often in marketing they say that “sell to everyone is sell to anyone”.
Hence the importance of segmentation, ie to offer products for a sufficiently profitable part, while being sufficiently targeted to your prospects and customers.
This is the mistake often made by new bloggers: they choose a theme (eg marketing …) instead of addressing a target who has a problem.
For promotions, it is possible to create an offer:
Limited in time: for example a special edition “Accountant” / “Entrepreneur” / … which will be sold for a limited period. This can be a product with just a “bonus” (ex: service, coaching …).
Definitive: this consists in creating a new product that will last in time. This product can be developed specifically for this target with specific functions, or with the standard product, but functions that are more watertight (eg service offer, customization, parameterization, etc.).
This can be a version of your products that address to a specific group: a version of your special SME products, a special edition for accountants, an offer for associations …
But it can also be an offer for a group of people who have participated in a particular event (eg a valid discount on a show, an anniversary offer, a Valentine’s Day offer …), or a version of your products related to your news (eg a Cannes festival edition if you are a sponsor, a world cup edition …). Be careful not to use a mark, an event … for which you do not have the rights.
What you need to do: analyze your customer base. If you have a breakdown
6 – Make an offer to update or upgrade
It is one of the easiest and quickest solutions to quickly increase its turnover: migrate some of its customers to a more expensive offer, with a specific and adapted price reduction that takes into account the current configuration client.
The goal is to push your current customers to upgrade to the new version or higher, provided they exchange their old product against the new or upgrade.
For example for the training “Social Media & Blog Pros” released in 2009, with more than 1000 customers, when I updated the training a few years later, I could have offered a paid update of this ( usually an update costs between 20 and 40% of the full product).
What you need to do: if you have a product that has many years of life and a large customer base, make an evaluation of the project to release a new product line that pays off against your “historical” offer. For this to work this offer must be “revolutionary”, with for example a different technological platform, a different design …
7 – Set up original POS or new sales displays
If you sell physical products, you can set up specific POS to highlight your products and your promotion.
The goal is to make your promotion as visible as possible.
You may have spent some time thinking about your promotion, but often less time is spent thinking about how to make the promotion more relevant, original and visible.
Present your products in an original way (eg massification, gondola head …) or set up a store visibility operation (eg Stop Ray …).
Arrange also your products in the form of pyramids … or so use singular forms to present them.
If you have a storefront or are in stores, create an original presentation using mannequins or other fun objects.
It can also be an original paper catalog, a flyer with a specific form …
For example, to differentiate ourselves during the release of a special software offer of compta + 2 hours of training on the internet for free, I have produced stickers that have been stuck on all boxes in warehouses and supermarkets . It cost € 1 / sticker, but in the end we made tens of thousands of euros in turnover.
If you sell your products and services on the web, you can use all the arsenal of web marketing tools: pop-up, banner advertising, message in the chat …
8 – Offer something free or charge for an option or service that is currently free
The word ‘free’ is always attractive to customers … as soon as it is marked free, people rush in search of the bargain.
You do not have to offer your product or a “mini product” for free for free.
For example, you can offer:
delivery costs
free coaching
help with installation
…
To note: the solutions “open source” surf on this tendency to offer free. Indeed the software is free, but behind all the services are paying …
You can do the opposite, and charge a service currently underused (and not valued financially) but with high added value.
For example, one of our customers is a well-known freight forwarder. Following the analysis of satisfaction surveys after delivery, a small number of (but very satisfied) customers indicated that they were delighted that the delivery man delivered them to their apartment despite heavy packages, the absence of elevators …
It is thanks to this study that they realized that they had a business potential to take into account: either by offering this service (by highlighting that it is a plus product), or by charging it as an optional service … In the end, that’s what they did!
Warning :
Paying for a previously free option for your existing customer base is a big risk because you may see your customer base melt away and face a sling of current users. You must therefore make sure that what you charge is used by only a very small portion of the customers (and that they are a minimum conscious).
if you are on a “freemium” model, you can more easily remove functions (ex: Evernote that reduces the use “off line” of its product, Buffer that no longer allows automatic repost …) provided that it does not harm not the use of the tool but only to a few users who were at the limit to switch to pay but who remained on the free offer. Generally for this case,
we only charge the new users and we leave the installed base with the old offer so as not to suffer the bad buzz related to removing an asset.
To reduce the risk associated with monetizing a previously free feature or service, you must first test a sample of users to see if it causes more discontent and attrition than numbers. additional business.
For example, I worked at a major international management software publisher. One day the marketing director announced wanting to charge a service currently free. We were against, but we had no way to change his mind. So we did a test on 1000 customers, with the sending of the message on the service which was now paying. We then analyzed the returns, and this was violent: many customers were outraged and terminated their maintenance contracts, and very few paid contracts were subscribed. The balance was clearly negative, and the offer was finally canceled …
Note: you can also make reminders on abandoned baskets, with an offer on free shipping, a coupon of X euros …
The materialization of free shipping costs can also be done by including the price of the shipping costs in the offer, or by integrating it in the overall price to offer “free”:
9 – Offer payment facilities or different payment methods
Payment is the final step of the sale, and sometimes it generates a significant loss of turnover, either the price is too expensive or the customer finally gives up …
The basic principle is to accept all payment methods (eg credit card, paypal …), but also payments in X times without fees or to offer financing assistance through an agreement with a credit agency …
For example for my training “Blogs and Social Media Pros”, I had previously 1 payment in 1 time 97 € TTC … when I went to pay in 2 times without fees, I increased my sales by 36% (nb : there are certainly some unpaid on the second levy, but they are rare)!
It was enough (just!) To propose a more accessible means of payment …
Some payment solutions also offer payment methods and lower delinquency tracking. For example PkMarts.com allows a better update of expired bank cards, Hipay allows a micro payment on mobile (ideal for small products purchased on the web) …
I also launched a promotion with a one-time payment for 1 year subscription to the Star Marketing Academy.
Indeed a number of people are totally allergic to the subscription system … so you have to give them the opportunity to pay in 1 time without commitment renewal.
In this context, we must offer a different price: if it is a subscription that can be canceled at any time, the annual subscription must be cheaper …
Similarly we can imagine price reductions if a customer commits to the term: a reduction on 2 years of subscription, a subscription “for life” …
This is the system that was previously used in telephony with the price of the subscription the purchase price of the smartphone, while now the subscription is without a mobile phone.
The payment method is also a “gift certificate”, very popular for B2C products to let the person who receives the right choose the product that suits him best.
For example, a beauty salon may offer gift boxes, gift vouchers … with a face value or with a custom-defined amount
What you need to do: imagine how you can make your products more accessible, for example via a monthly subscription or on the contrary by an annual commitment.
10 – Offer discounts for large volumes or offer rebates to influencers
The goal is to offer specific discounts for bulk purchases.
This discount can be offered to all customers, or to a selection of customers who can absorb a larger volume of products.
For example, when I worked at a CRM software company, we bought a small publisher to migrate its fleet to our offer. In the meantime, we were no longer changing the product we bought, yet we had to continue to generate sales. We started by including in the product some formerly paying options, and at the same time we made “Promo packs of additional users”. So customers could buy packs of 2, 5, 10 … additional users with discounts of 25 to 50%. This allowed us to generate very quickly sales on a park that was destined a few years later to disappear.
Attention: volume sales with discounts will necessarily reduce your sales in the future (a customer does not have unlimited needs). So be careful of your “crossing” the desert, unless you can accelerate the consumption of additional products or if you hit a target that was low in consumption and buys via a windfall effect.
You can make batches if necessary (eg close dates of peremptions, products that will become obsolete …) or make specific packaging to manage these specific lots with a much larger number of products.
This is the case, for example, of the App To Good To Go, which offers products on the deadline for consumption in lots!
11 – Make bundles or lots with your products or services
The Bundle or Special Pack or Special Offer … can be a great way to increase sales by adding more value or product, or to sell off a product that sells poorly.
Make packs and bundles with your products, for example to introduce a new product or to sell old products.
You can also create products specifically for your specific operations (eg for a private label, for an event …).
For example when I worked in video games, we had created “Christmas Pack” with video games and physical toys (eg bags of marbles for a video game highlighting balls to explode). We have offered these special offers to Signs Specialized in the distribution of video games to ensure they have a different offer from their competitors.
One of my friends who works in advertising has worked for a very large brand of cosmetics by producing a gadget “auto-masseur” that was delivered with several beauty products in a transparent kit.
I also realized in 2015 a “Marketing Survival Pack” which grouped all the formations of the time at a reduced price:
12 – Create specific “super VIP” offers with your high-end products…
The goal is to cross-sell by offering a discount on another product in your range (complementary or not) or an external product that you offer in addition to your offer.
Here are some typical cross-sellers:
Warning: the cross-sell must not scare a customer ready to buy … it must either be proposed as an option that does not disrupt the sales process (eg a checkbox), or just after the confirmation page order to be certain that the sale of the main product will be successful.
For example a brand of tablet for dishwasher can be recommended by machines.
Warning: the cross-sell must not scare a customer ready to buy … it must either be proposed as an option that does not disrupt the sales process (eg a checkbox), or just after the confirmation page order to be certain that the sale of the main product will be successful.
For example a brand of tablet for dishwasher can be recommended by machines.
Discount coupons can be a good way to promote, whether in paper catalogs or on dedicated websites, or even directly on your website.
The discount coupon can be used for many things:
Be valid throughout the store or site, for example to offset the shipping costs, encourage to order again, to restart the abandoned baskets …
To be valid on 1 product or 1 range of products without any particular condition to boost the sales with a price promo (ex: a gift voucher, a generic discount voucher …)
To be valid for 1 offer with conditions (ex: on 1 product for 1 offer over a very short period).
Coupons can be sent by mail, email, SMS … or on sites dedicated to coupons.
Warning: there are often more good hunters looking for discount vouchers before buying. We must therefore favor unique promotional codes with a limited duration.
For example, I launched a 1 € promotion for 15 days for the Star Marketing Academy, then with a regular price of 25 € / month
At a management software publisher, we had “enriched” a “Premium” offer by adding discount vouchers for personalized training and coaching offers.
This allowed on the one hand to have a premium offer more interesting at lower cost, but in addition it allowed us to trigger purchases on services that were originally not much needed naturally.
15 – Set up a sponsorship or affiliation program
The purpose of the affiliation is to allow prescribers to recommend your products and services, and in return to earn either a percentage on sales or gifts.
The goal with affiliation can be:
to recruit a distribution network (eg specialists in lead generation …)
to encourage prescribers to talk about you (eg consultants, bloggers …)
either to encourage your customers to promote your products (eg with a “sponsorship” link that offers them a percentage on sales or a gift).
The difficulty with affiliating is finding the right affiliates that will generate sales, because typically 80% of sales are made by 5% of affiliates … and 20% by 95% of others …
It is also necessary to animate its affiliates regularly, otherwise they will switch to a new offer once they have made 1 or 2 communications on your products (sales potential is exhausted).
16 – Offer accessories and consumables for your products.
By offering consumables, accessories, support services … to your products, you can significantly increase your sales.
The sale of the accessory can be done directly during the act of purchase, or later according to a schedule defined in advance (eg a sample of product at the sale, then X weeks later an email or a call with a coupon to use on the range of accessories).
This is what printer manufacturers do, whose business model is to sell you a cheap printer, but to make you pay a very high price for consumables (with an artificially limited lifetime).
Ideally, the main product should make it possible to identify when it is necessary to change accessories (eg the lights on photocopiers, water jugs filtered …).
For this business model to work, it is necessary to keep in touch regularly with the customer to remind them regularly to buy a product at home and not at the competitor.
You can also produce products with a planned obsolescence, for example a product with a part that will automatically erode (ex: tips of electric toothbrushes, cutter blades, filters in cars, light bulbs, the furniture…).
What you need to do: Can you sell an accessory with your main product? Ideally a product “subscription” or must be renewed to have regular sales as for products for the dishwasher, products to clean a swimming pool …
17 – Offer an additional guarantee
The aim is on the one hand to reassure the buyer by offering a guarantee, but in addition to offering an additional guarantee on the quality of your products (eg a guaranteed X km car engine).
Never be stingy with the guarantees:
on the one hand everyone does not play the guarantee (forgetting, satisfaction of the use of the product during its normal life …)
on the other hand, providing a stronger guarantee will reassure the undecided and thus compensate for the loss of turnover.
lastly, the guarantees “satisfied or refunded X days” are less efficient, because the customer integrates into the “risk” to buy the indirect costs (moving, re-packing …). It is sometimes more interesting to offer an extended warranty (ex: lifetime, 90 days …) to really decide a customer to order.
This is the case for example Patagonia clothing or East Pak bag that are guaranteed for life:
Impulse purchases are particularly important, and many purchases are facilitated by an easy return policy.
For example a “satisfied or refunded” / “satisfied or refunded for 60 days” / …
On the other hand, this does not exempt from calculating a minimum of ROI, so as not to do like some telecom operators with “no limit” packages while the prices of the communications were expensive, which made that the operators were obliged to redeem at a premium these unlimited packages …
18 – Offer demonstration products or, on the contrary, charge for demo products whose use is diverted
When working with distributors, prescribers … it is essential to make available free or discounted products not intended for resale (the “NFR” version – Note For Resale).
The provision of free “NFR” products is used to penetrate a market through prescribers and distributors. Indeed, a user of a solution is both more credible and he will be better able to sell the tool because they know him well.
When sold, the NFR rate is usually 10% of the public price.
For example, when I worked at a management software company, we realized that a lot of “NFR” products were actually bought by companies that did not resell our products … These companies opened an account “reseller” but they resold nothing! So we stopped their specific tariff and conditioned it on the sale of at least 2 products in the year.
You can also make known to influencers (bloggers, journalists …) and specifiers, with reduced prices, VIP sales … which include the product, but also an accompaniment in the use of your product.
19 – Submit a free trial
To try it is to adopt it is an adage that always works …
The free offer reassures you that you are proud and serene about your offer and that the person can judge by itself the relevance of the offer.
Offering a free trial of your products so that potential buyers become familiar with your products and see the benefits requires that the product be designed for it … if it is too complex to handle, do not do any free trial !
It has become a virtual obligation for many online shopping in Pakistan services, knowing that new buyers no longer want to spend hours learning to use a product … everything must be user friendly!
In this context it is necessary to provide:
either an internal boarding process, ie the accompaniment of the prospect in the first steps with the tool. This is usually done by a tutorial, guides … or manuals in the packaging.
an external boarding process, ie providing support by the company via messages (eg calls from a customer success manager, messages from a chatbot messenger, sending letters …)
an integrated customer support, such as a chat, call …
The test can be a pre-purchase trial for prospects still in the advanced phase of reflection (eg a car loaned during a repair), or via a trial that is then converted into a purchase (eg the 30th test). a CRM with obligation to pass in paid version …) …
You can do a free trial in several forms:
A free trial in exchange for just an email or a login via Facebook in order to have a maximum of people trying the offer.
A free trial in exchange for complete contact details (eg phone for a raise …), the goal
A free trial but requiring the person to enter his credit card (it is debited at the end of the period, with or without your permission), to have really motivated prospects.
A € 1 trial (which is close to the free) to engage the prospect in a real purchasing process (assuming that what is free is worthless).
It is important to test different variants of the “free” test because it is clear that the more you do free “free”, the more you will have unqualified prospects who open an account without even trying the tool … while on the contrary an offer to 1 euro or which requires to enter his credit card will select your target and engage only people really ready to order.
Similarly sometimes it is interesting to test different versions of the offer “free”, for example free 7 days, 15 days or 1 month:
For example, when I took care of the CRM software “Efficy” we could not offer a free self service test because the offer was very complete and it was not designed for self service use … I so created a “Try it for Free” button, but instead of having direct access to the software, the prospect was called back for a demonstration, and it was only after a presentation (and if there was a real interest) that we offered him an independent free trial.
20 – Post flyers, business cards, flyers … with coupons
The discount voucher allows you to concretize your offer in a concrete way, whether the person uses the voucher immediately, or takes it home to order afterwards.
Just print flyers, on the back of your business card … coupons so they are used to generate sales.
For a coupon to be profitable, it is important to realize its value by mentioning very clearly the amount, the limits of the offer …
Warning: do not make coupons deceptive … ie offer a reduction that imposes too much revenue, on a command too distant, a range of products not interesting …
You can also associate with several complementary sellers to your products, and not competitors to create a complete book of coupons.
For example, when I worked in eCommerce in the 2000s we published a book of coupons “The Merchants of Christmas”, with fifteen eCommerce sites that offered exclusive discounts. These coupons were then sent to all customer packages.
A common discount book allows you to combine marketing resources and increase the visibility of offers.
Part 2 – Promotion through direct marketing actions
Direct marketing and advertising allow you to go beyond your natural audience, especially if these actions are well targeted and original.
Advertising can be done via videos, posters, via social media …
Here are 20 additional tools to give more visibility to your promotions.
21 – Use your car or truck as a communication medium
When speaking to a local clientele or having on-the-ground sales representatives, the vehicles make it possible to give visibility to your offers and promotions.
You can cover your vehicle with advertising (plastic film, magnetic media ….).
You can cover your vehicle with advertising (plastic film, magnetic media ….).
If you have marketing budget, you can also advertise on buses, taxis … This is relevant for example if you participate in an event in a city and you advertise, if you have a new offer General public…
What you need to do: If you own your own vehicles or offer company cars, have stickers printed to showcase your promotions.
22 – Signs, Banners and Posters
The goal is to have visibility either on places of passage via broadcast networks (displays 4 × 3, bus, taxis, bus shelter …), or outside your premises enjoying the passage.
23 – Distribute original business cards
In an increasingly digital world, the business card still has a little bit of interest:
if you have more customers “off line” Titan Gel online
if you meet people at an event
if you want to give a good picture of your products and services during an appointment
…
On the other hand, not having a business card means giving a bad impression of yourself: either you are not organized because you no longer have a business card or you have forgotten them, or you do not have a business card. enough money to get …
The goal will be to create memorable business cards, so that they position your products and services in the minds of your customers.
Here are some examples of original business cards:
24 – Offer promotional products and gadgets
The gadget has several functions, it can be:
the support of your promotion
an excuse to call a customer
a way to make a prospect liable
…
For that, have your logo printed, your promotion, the name of your new offer … on your advertising objects and your gadgets (USB keys, pencils, key rings …), in order to make them communication media that can be distributed as a gift to customers, distributors … or used for special events.
25 – Brochures, brochures … paper and PDF
For your most important products, print a product sheet (1 page recto / verso) or a presentation brochure (4 pages).
The minimum is to offer your prospects a PDF document about your company, and for value-added products you can create a paper brochure:
A brochure of 4 pages (2 sheets) about the company, products and services, customer testimonials, information about your target, data about your company, contact details …
A product sheet for its most important product, with the technical characteristics, the benefits, an illustration, the technical compatibilities …
26 – Distribute Advertising Postcards
The promotional postcard can be used in two ways:
Postcards written by hand can be sent after an appointment, a networking event …
Postcards or pre-printed cards (to be sent to customers and prospects) are original tools for communicating with customers and prospects.
You can send them for birthdays, before holidays … or simply make them available on places of passage (in this case you can let prospects use your cards for their own use).
27 – Publish a newsletter or thematic magazine
In a digital world, paper takes all its meaning: it is a channel of high-end communication, reflection, attention …
And so, instead of sending a promo emailing, a PDF white paper … print a paper book that will support your promotions and your communication.
For example, Datananas, the email prospecting solution, has printed books and sent them to influencers to highlight the new version of their solution.
You can also communicate more regularly with a magazine or a paper newsletter, by publishing editorial content (without advertising too much).
At Eloquant, I also use the same strategy to promote our chatbot offer: I sent a “chabot promo pack” to a selection of 20 “VIP” customers with
This kind of operation makes it possible to stand out from the crowd and to mark the spirit of his contacts.
Attention: this kind of mail is very expensive (2 to 5 € / sending), so you must reserve them to your customers (eg: reactivation of old become inactive customers …).
What you need to do: Identify in your customer and prospect database the “VIP” who might be interested in your offer, and whom you could seduce with a handwritten mail sent by your director or the sales representatives.
28 – Unaddressed printed matter (flyers, flyers …) deposited in the mailboxes
This is the preferred medium for the promotion “general public”, Printed Prospecting Without Address (ISA) that you find in your mailbox …
You can distribute catalogs, brochures … in your mailboxes to your prospects via geographical or socio-demographic segmentation.
You can also distribute flyers and flyers about cars, car parks … during events and events (requires the authorization of the organizer).
The goal is to take advantage of a gathering of prospects to distribute flyers, flyers, postcards … under the windshields of windshields of cars in car parks.
Warning: according to the regulations you can not necessarily distribute flyers on any car park. In addition, it should be known that the results of these actions are low (about 1 per 1000).
The distribution of flyers and leaflets can also be done on the street with men sandwiches
The goal is to distribute your flyers in your catchment area (eg at the university if you target students).
For greater efficiency, you can disguise flyer dispensers to create an event.
Or you can distribute stickers.
They aim to be used during an event (show, evening …) in order to gain visibility through distribution to participants.
It is also possible to distribute them in the street, but pay close attention to the regulations (your stickers can be stuck anywhere!).
What you need to do: use your prospectus in an original way, for example by offering free (eg a group introduction …) or by materializing your offer in an original way (eg a check with X euros discount).
30 – Mobile applications or chatbots
The goal is to use communication channels other than traditional channels (emails, phone …) to continue to communicate on the promotion, whether directly or indirectly.
Depending on the purpose, it is possible to use different tools
The retargeting (or retargeting) allows to remain present in the minds of its customers and prospects in them more “soft” or “indirect” compared to a promotion. The principle is simple, either you put a Facebook pixel on the Promotion page, or you send an Excel file in Facebook Ads to retarget on Facebook with advertising.
Notifications via the browser
Note: it is possible to build similar audiences through Facebook, which allows to search for, but also to create a complete database.
What you need to do: Identify how you can add value to your promotion through mobility. This is for example with a chatbot Messenger that will send every day a new promotion with a limited stock.
31 – Organize a happening or a show around your premises (or in the street)
If you have premises, you can organize an event outside your premises with artists, a street show …
If you do not have space, you can have an event on the street.
What you need to do: imagine how to create an event around your products, and especially why your customers would come to see you (eg an exceptional venue, interesting conferences to attend, prestigious guests, a fun or prestigious evening … ).
32 – Set up a prospection or loyalty chain
The goal is to schedule the automatic sending of mails or emails according to a pre-programmed sequence (marketing automation)
For example, an email chain:
– Day 0: welcome email
– Day 1: sending a white paper
– Day 7: sending a testimonial from a client
– Day 15: sending a special promotion
– …
Here is an example with Aweber:
33 – Make a commercial that can be broadcast on the Web or Youtube Ads or on TV
Your spot can be conceived to be diffused on the Web (Youtube, Dailymotion, Viméo …), either via your chain, or via the purchase of visibility thanks to Youtube Ads or Facebook Ads.
Your video can be:
– Informative (ex: tutorial …)
– Humorous to make a buzz video
– Reassuring (eg customer testimonials …)
34 – Advertise in newspapers or trade magazines
If you have important news or want to get national visibility, you can buy advertising space.
However, it should be noted that this type of advertising is intended to create notoriety rather than to generate sales in the short term.
What you need to do: Identify the leading magazine or publication in your field, and submit a special issue on the theme of your products and services, and ask for a forum to provide an original point of view.
35 – Advertising on display via advertising banners
Buy banners on websites of your theme to get visibility on your potential prospects.
To pay only for performance, use the “Content Network” (Adsense) part of Google Adwords, paying only for the click (for this to work, put forward a white paper, a diagnosis … that will incite click).
Another form of advertising on display is to make a deal with a site of your theme and to buy a permanent advertising space, for example thematic spaces of brands on ‘PKBAZAAR.PK:
You can also use the advertising agencies of “native adversting” (Taboola, Ligatus …) that allow you to display advertisements on content sites.
Here below an example on the site PkMarts.com