A well-designed website: Website is the first impression of your company for many of your customers. Make it a good one. Your site should provide information about your product or service in a clear and intuitive format. Many people prefer to do their research online before making a purchase, so make sure that your site leaves your customers and prospects with the right impression.
Direct mail: With the rise of e-mail marketing, direct mail has fallen out of favor, though it is still a cost-effective way to advertise in many industries.
Brochures: A professional-looking brochure can help convince potential customers who are still on the fence about your products.
Press releases: The only thing better than cheap publicity is free publicity, and well-timed, professional press releases can result in just that. By timing a product launch or promotion to coincide with a related local or national event, you may be able to convince editors to include your release in their media vehicle, be it newspaper, radio, or television.
Case studies: Studies of the products in action can help potential customers learn more and make an educated decision before they buy.
Referrals: Offering incredible customer service to clients will ensure satisfied customers who are willing to share information with their friends and colleagues.
Expertise: When you are perceived as a knowledgeable expert, potential customers know that they can rely on you for quality information and quality products.
Newsletters: Communicate regularly with your clients or customers. If you do not have the time to run your own newsletter, you can submit articles with information on new products and services to different publications.
Affiliate programs: Online affiliate programs are one of the most cost-effective ways to market your products to a wide range of potential customers. You have the benefits of a commission-based sales force but without any of the hassles of managing actual employees.
Voice mail: Make sure your message provides additional product or service information so that it works for you, even in the middle of the night.
Sales tools
Free samples: These are distributed to attract consumers to try out a new product and thereby create new customers. Some businessmen distribute samples among selected persons in order to popularize the product. For example, in the case of medicine free samples are distributed among physicians, in the case of textbooks, specimen copies are distributed among teachers.
Premium or Bonus offer: They are effective in inducing consumers to buy a particular product. This is also useful for encouraging and rewarding existing customers.
Exchange schemes: This is useful for drawing attention to product improvement. ‘Bring your old mixer-cum-juicer and exchange it for a new one just by paying Rs.500’ or ‘exchange your black and white television with a colour television’ are various popular examples of exchange scheme.
Price-off offer: Under this offer, products are sold at a price lower than the original price. ‘Rs. 2 off on purchase of lifebouy soap, Rs. 15 off on a pack of 250 grams of Taj Mahal tea, Rs. 1000 off on cooler’ etc. is some of the common schemes. This type of scheme is designed to boost up sales in off-season and sometimes while introducing a new product in the market.
Coupons: Sometimes, coupons are issued by manufacturers either in the packet of a product or through an advertisement printed in the newspaper or magazine or through mail. These coupons can be presented to the retailer while buying the product. The holder of the coupon gets the product at a discount. For example, you might have come across coupons like, ‘show this and get Rs. 15 off on purchase of 5 kg. of Annapurna Atta’. The reduced price under this scheme attracts the attention of the prospective customers towards new or improved products.
Fairs and Exhibitions: Fairs and exhibitions may be organized at local, regional, national or international level to introduce new products, demonstrate the products and to explain special features and usefulness of the products.
Trading stamps: In case of some specific products trading stamps are distributed among the customers according to the value of their purchase. The customers are required to collect these stamps of sufficient value within a particular period in order to avail of some benefits. This tool induces customers to buy that product more frequently to collect the stamps of required value.
Scratch and win offer: To induce the customer to buy a particular product ‘scratch and win’ scheme is also offered. Under this scheme a customer scratch a specific marked area on the package of the product and gets the benefit according to the message written there. In this way customers may get some item free as mentioned on the marked area or may avail of price-off, or sometimes visit different places on special tour arranged by the manufacturers.
Money Back offer: Under this scheme customers are given assurance that full value of the product will be returned to them if they are not satisfied after using the product. This creates confidence among the customers with regard to the quality of the product. This technique is particularly useful while introducing new products in the market.
Last modified: Thursday, 15 December 2011, 7:39 AM
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