- Set your goals
and your budget first. "Advance planning helps you give your promotion
the most impact," says Brian. Decide what you want the promotion to
accomplish. Do you want to push a particular product? Boost sales in
general? Attract more customers during a specific period of time?
Once you've decided what you want to do, examine your budget. How much
can you afford to devote to advertising the promotion? Will there be
other costs, such as food and beverages, entertainment, or decorations?
SCA provides prize coverage for a fixed cost, helping you to nail down
expenses in advance, notes Brian.
- Be creative. Once
you've determined your goals and budget, brainstorm promotion ideas.
Tap your staff for help, look in the news for current events, and determine
what's popular for your audience. SCA is also a good resource, says
Brian. "We have people calling all the time to find out about promotion
trends and learn what is most effective."
- Figure out what
interests your target audience, and design contests with that group
in mind. For example, a promotion geared toward a young male audience,
such as a sporting event, may not work as well for another market, says
Brian.
- Use themes to
get the maximum pop from your promotion and create consistency around
the event. For example, if your prize is a trip to Hawaii and $10,000
spending money, create your print ads in tropical colors, your radio
spots with tropical music, and food and decorations during the contest
to tie in the theme as well.
- Make the prize
appealing. "Cash does work with everything," says Brian. But prizes
that tie into your audience's interests also work. A fishing derby might
give away a boat with a popular rod and reel; a jewelry store might
offer a diamond necklace.
- Build enthusiasm.
Look for ways to enhance your advertising dollars. Consider building
your promotion around an upcoming event, such as a sports game. Doing
so lets your contest tap into the wellspring of excitement that already
exists. Or join forces with a noncompetitive co-sponsor to double your
advertising dollars. A retailer might work with a radio station, for
example, to co-plan an event.
- Stir up your own
excitement. If there aren't any upcoming events with tie-in potential
that appeal to you, create your own. A "stand-alone" promotion such
as SCA's Visible Vault™ lets you control the pacing and timing -you
can hold the contest whenever you want. And best of all, these "stand-alones"
make it simple to repeat the steps of a successful promotion, says Brian.
- Pay attention
to the timing and sequence of all the elements surrounding your promotion.
Some elements may require a longer planning period. Check with vendors
to see how long it will take to get any artwork printed, discuss the
ad schedule with newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations,
and book caterers and entertainment in advance. "Certain states, such
as New York and Florida, also require you to register games of chance,"
points out Brian.
- Seize the moment.
If a sudden heat wave strikes, or if your favorite sports team makes
it to the finals, take advantage of SCA's flexibility and create a promotion.
"We've had clients call who want to do a promotion the next weekend,"
says Brian. "SCA can turn on a dime to provide promotion ideas and coverage.
We have the experience to help people pull together the promotion on
short notice."
- Always follow-up.
A big winner can be a great chance to generate additional publicity.
Make sure you send out press releases and announcements, reminds Brian.
"SCA can help with that, too."
|
