Promotion Plan
Promotion Plan
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PERSONAL PLANNING
Guidebook #54:
Creating a Winning Promotional Plan .......... 4
What is a Promotion Plan? ........................................ 5
The Three Basic Components of a Promotion Plan.......................5
Advertising ....................................................................................5
Personal Selling ............................................................................5
Sales Promotion ............................................................................6
Why Develop a Promotion Plan? ...................................................6
Creating the Right Promotional Mix ...............................................7
The Difference Between a Promotion Plan and a Marketing Plan ..8
The Importance of Advertising in a Promotion Plan .....................11
Specific Goals of an Advertising Plan ..........................................11
Preparing a Promotional Budget............................. 12
Budgeting for Advertising ............................................................12
Establishing Criteria for Evaluating & Selecting Advertising Media ...15
Additional Criteria for Evaluating Advertising Media .....................16
Comparing Your Advertising Budget with Other Companies.........19
Budgeting for Personal Selling & Sales Promotion.......................19
Getting the Most Out of Your Promotion Plan ......... 21
Getting Help From an Ad Agency ........................... 24
Creating Your Own “In-house” Agency ................... 25
Preparing an Insertion Order .................................. 27
FIG. 1 – Preparing an Advertising Budget Form...........................28
FIG. 2 – Advertising & Promotion as a Percentage of Sales ........29
FIG. 3 – Preparing an Insertion Order..........................................30
5 4 Creating a Winning Promotional Plan
Salesman Convention
WHAT IS A 1. advertising
like mixing a cocktail. Refer to page 7 for sell a highly specialized product or ser-
chart on "Possible Promotion-mix Blends." vice, or provide a product/service
package that includes a large amount
The Difference Between of skilled or personal ser-
a Promotion Plan and a Marketing programs vice.
Marketing Plan should be developed
around the following two 2) Promotion Plan – Covers
A marketing plan consists of
all phases of communica-
the synthesis of three individ- concepts: a) all company
policies and activities tion between the seller and
ual plans:
should be aimed at identi- potential customer. Ad-
"#merchandising/sales plan dresses advertising, sales
fying, satisfying, and fol-
"#advertising/promotion plan lowing up on customer’s tactics and other promo-
needs; and b) profitable tional activities.
"#distribution plan
sales volume is a better 3) Distribution Plan – Out-
1) Merchandising Plan – company goal than maxi- lines how you plan to get
Outlines what products & mum sales volume. your products and services
services you plan to sell to SUPERTIP to your customers. Might
target customers. Might describe for example how
describe for example how you plan to your popcorn stand will be located in a
concentrate on a narrow product line, high traffic area with high visibility or
how your plumbing supply house will nesses, it is more pratical to refer to
get supply contracts with retailers. a marketing budget as a promotional
budget)
However, in addition to outlining your
merchandising, promotion and
distribution needs, a marketing
The 5 P’s of Marketing
plan also:
a) summarizes your market- WHEN DEVELOPING your marketing and promotinal
ing approach plan it may be useful to consider the “5 P’s” of mar-
b) pinpoints target market keting as outlined below:
c) positions your business
Product – The item or service you have to sell.
competitively
d) puts fiscal restraints on Price – The amount of money you ask your customer
your marketing efforts by to pay for your product or service.
incorporating marketing,
Place – Where a product is now and how it is trans-
promotion and advertising
budgets (if most of your ported or distributed to your customer.
marketing expenses stem
Promotion – The advertising and publicity needed to
from advertising and
promotions, as is the create sales.
case for most small busi- Persuasion – Your personal selling of your business.
Selection Installation
Amount (size) Warranty
!
11 Copyright © 2001 by Patsula Media ! The Entrepreneur’s Guidebook Series
TM
5 4 Creating a Winning Promotional Plan
may also have to budget personal time for "#Are funds available from suppliers for
the advertising process as well. prepared ads or commercials? Find out
if there are any co-operative advertising
NOTE Each product or service may need
options.
its own advertising strategy as part of your
total marketing plan. Advertising budgets "#How large is the community? Merchants
are usually broken into monthly or quar- operating in large communities must
terly installments (see form on page usually spend more for
28). Advertising advertising than merchants in
budgets are small communities.
How much should you spend? usually broken
In general, new business should be into monthly or "#Is the store in a good location? If
prepared to spend about 5 percent a store is in a poor location,
quarterly in-
of projected gross revenue on ad- advertising be required to attract
stallments.
vertising. An established business people to go out of their way to
should budget 2 to 3 percent of gross shop there.
revenue. "#Is the compeition aggressive? In order
Other issues and factors that determine for a business to keep its share of the
how much a company should budget in- market, its expenditures need to bear
clude: some relationship to what competitors
are spending. Aggressive competition
ten exposed to. Use common sense, prac- that the consumers of today are far more
tical experience and market research. sophisticated and harder to reach than
ever before. They seem to have built in
STRATEGY 3 – Collect as much data
advertising radar and can quickly tune out
as you can on each medium. Research
bad advertising quicker than you can lick a
the following variables:
stamp. You are thus faced with the unen-
"#cost of each medium viable task of becoming increasingly
bold without becoming intrusive or
"#circulation or number of people Consumers of
today are far irritating or worst of all, boring. Es-
exposed to the medium
more sophisti- sentially, this means you must be-
"#resulting cost per thousand come more informative, more inno-
cated and
expressed as cost per M
harder to reach vative, more subtle, more respon-
"#error rating for the cost per M than ever before sive to consumers needs and de-
either low, medium, or high sires – and at the same time – in-
geniously imaginative.
"#market penetration for each medium
either poor, average, good, or excellent
Additional Criteria for
In addition, when selecting which adver- Evaluating Advertising Media
tising media might best meet your market- To further determine what types of ad-
ing needs, you should also keep in mind vertising is appropriate and within company
budget projections, carefully review your It is also a good idea to evaluate and
customer profile and write a clear state- examine advertising media from the stand-
ment of your advertising goals. Next, an- point of three basic ingredients:
swer the following crucial question about
"#audience (coverage) each enjoys
your advertising:
"#acceptance (impact) of the
"#What should be said about the
medium on the audience
business and how should it be When business
stated? is good, it pays "#ability to expand its initial impact
to advertise; by being available more than
"#What media should be used?
when business once or twice in a particular time
"#How much can be spent on is bad you’ve frame frequency (exposure)
advertising? got to advertise.
Audience – You need to know that
ADVERTISING
"#How can the advertising program an audience does indeed exist as
MAXIM
be implemented? well as their size, location and other
"#How can its effectiveness be important characteristics.
measured? Acceptance – The advertising medium
must be accepted in the marketplace not
only by the target audience of the adver-
tiser but also by potential new customers Customer Type – What does your potential
or competitor’s customers. customer read or listen to? Where? How
often? What image of your product or ser-
Frequency of Exposure – Advertising
vice does the media you are considering
should reach potential buyers regularly,
suggest? Does it fit your customer?
some times even daily. A medium with a
once-a-year or even once-a month fre- Past performance – What is the track re-
quency might deserve nothing more cord of the advertising media you
than a very small part of a retailer’s Advertising are considering for your type of
advertising budget. should reach po- business? What do your competitors
tential buyers use? What does your trade associa-
Lastly, to help establish criteria regularly, some tion suggest?
for selecting and evaluating adver- times even
tising, you should address the fol- Trading Area – Do you plan to serve
daily.
lowing factors: or sell to an industrial market, a na-
tional market, a neighborhood or a
Continuity of message – How will the type specialized market? Describe your market
of product or service, customer profile and area.
seasonal buying patterns affect your
choice of media and the frequency with
which you advertise?
ing Proposition (USP). He believed that if a possible. This repetition should center on
competitor’s logo could be substituted for something the buyer needs or wants.
yours in an ad you were running, and the However, although repetition is necessary,
ad still made sense, your ad was going to more and more entrepreneurs are finding
be much less effective than a similar ad that using the same small advertisement
with a USP. on a regular basis is producing di-
About 10% of minishing returns. Instead, they are
Two examples of a USP:
your total month relying on advertising that has a
"#“fashions for the woman who ad budget more massive impact, especially
thinks young” (women’s clothing should be held when they have a compelling offer.
store) in reserve for They launch well conceived finely
tuned promotional campaigns rather
"#“automatic three year trade in special promo-
tions. than small, boring repetitive ads.
plan” (car dealership)
SUPERTIP This means a continual search for
The purpose of a USP is to dis- special promotional goods or new
tinguish yourself in your advertising and service features to supplement your regu-
gain a more marketable reputation. lar stock assortment and services.
GETTING HELP
FROM AN AD AGENCY
FOR HELP in planning, produc-
ing and measuring the effec- Don’t think for a minute
tiveness of advertising consider that to grab someone
using an ad agency. Often the and put him or her in a
services of an agency can be headlock while you
obtained at low cost. After spew out information,
charging you the cost of prepar- is effective advertising.
ing an ad, most agencies earn This form of advertis-
the bulk of their profits from ing, widely practiced by
commissions paid by the media second rate compa-
being used (15 percent of the nies, is more akin to
media cost). propaganda.
POWERPOINT
!
CONS – The biggest drawback of an in- if the ad is paid before 30 days, select a
house agency is the fact that outside view- name for your advertising agency that is
points, ideas, creativity, and exposure are different than your normal business name.
lacking. It’s like running a company with If your business name is Andy’s Alpine Ac-
only family members. However, if this cessories, you can use a name such as
shortcoming is remedied and steps are Andy’s Advertising Agency. Make sure that
taken to assure creative light to en- the name you select for your agency
ter form the outside, then creating I know half the is not already being used by another
an in-house agency is definitely money I spend company. The name of your agency
worth investigating. on advertising is must be unique, original and non
wasted, but I controversial.
NOTE While many media frown
can never find
upon an in-house agency arrange-
out which half. !
ment, as do independent advertising
ANON
agencies, the creation of such
agencies goes on.
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
TOTAL 100%
Advertising & Promotion as a Percentage of Sales
Business credit institutions .2 Personal credit institutions 1.4 Finance – services 3.2
Commercial printing .2 Services – nursing & personal care facilities 1.4 Photographic equipment and supplies 3.2
Services equipment rental & leasing .2 Silverware and plateware 1.4 Radio/TV receiving sets 3.4
Services – advertising agencies .3 Motorcycles, bicycles and parts 1.5 Radio/TV broadcasters 3.5
Security and commodity brokers .4 Bakery products 1.7 Pens, pencils and other office materials 3.6
Services – building cleaning & maintenance .4 Motor vehicles and car bodies 1.7 Real estate 3.6
Office computing & accounting machinery .5 Retail – apparel and accessory stores 1.8 Services – misc. amusement and recreation 3.6
Retail – auto dealers and gas stations .5 Hardware 1.9 Services – motion picture theaters 3.7
Savings and loan associations .5 Paints, varnishes and lacquers 1.9 Services – educational 4.1
Services engineering and architect .5 Services – automotive repair and service 1.9 Services – personal 4.3
Services – linen supply .5 Retail – lumber and other building materials 2.0 Jewelry-precious metals 4.4
Insurance agents and brokers .7 Hotel and motels 2.1 Retail – jewelry stores 4.5
Services – R& D laboratories .7 Cigars 2.2 Retail – household appliance stores 4.7
Services – computer and data process .9 Retail – shoe stores 2.2 Bottled and canned soft drinks 5.7
Office furniture 1.0 Musical instruments 2.3 Retail – mail-order houses 5.9
Retail-mobile home dealers 1.0 Retail – variety stores 2.3 Candy and other confectionery 6.1
Services – detective and protective 1.0 Footwear except rubber 2.4 Cigarettes 6.1
Services – hospitals 1.0 Household appliances 2.5 Toys and amusement sport goods 6.1
Ship/boat building and repairing 1.0 Services – management consulting & PR 2.6 Malt beverages 6.5
Retail – grocery stores 1.1 Watches, clocks and parts 2.6 Soap and other Detergents 6.5
Farm and garden machinery and equipment 1.2 Retail – women’s ready-to-wear 2.8 Drugs 7.8
General building contractors 1.2 Retail – department stores 2.9 Retail-furniture stores 7.8
Travel trailers and campers 1.2 Retail – eating places 2.9 Phonograph records 8.6
Retail – drug and proprietary stores 1.3 Retail – sewing and needlework stores 3.0 Perfumes, cosmetics and toiletries 8.8
INSERTION ORDER
Write an Order # Order No.: 0156 Advertiser’s Name: Mike’s Memory Shop List classification
to help you keep name if any
track of ads Date: Mar. 6, 95 Product or Service: Computer Accessories (especially for
placed. classified ads).
PUBLICATION
Write date order Computer Shopper, One Park Avenue, New York NY 10016 List requested
submitted. date or dates of
Toll-Free Sales number: 1-800-999-SHOP publication.
Edition: July Position: top r.h. corner Classification:
Indicate how Page No.: 753 or 755 # of Times: 5 First Insertion Date: July
many times you Instructions: Place ad in “Showcase” section Check the box of
wish to
TYPE of Ad: the type of ad
run the ad.
Display % Display Classified & Classified % format you are
requesting.
List the size of Word Count: 30 Ad Size: 40 lines Ad Rate: $ 7 per line
the ad as it is to
Ad Cost: 40 x $7 = $280 + $40 (yellow) Cash Discount (4%) List the rate you
appear. Size is
ususally $12.80 are paying and
measured in Agency Discount (15%) $48 Total to be billed: discounts or
agate lines. An $1,296 commissions you
agate line is an Notes: are entitled to
advertising (these rates can
Terms: be obtained from
measurement
Space Contract % New Insertion & Other % a recent issue of
equaling one-
fourteenth of an Materials Enclosed: 8.5 x 11 Copy of ad SRDS).
inch. Thus, if an Instructions: Use yellow background
ad medium has a
column width of Ad Key: List key if any, as
1-7/8 inch, 4 well as
Ad Headline: “WE BUY MEMORY” instructions on
columns x 10
inches would Ad Copy: WE PAY THE MOST – WE CHECKED, WE KNOW!! how to update the
equal 560 lines. key.
NEW, USED, EVEN DEFECTIVE – WE BUY IT ALL!!
$1 Million – AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
List the type of CALL NOW FOR QUOTE – 1$ 800$ 42$ MIKES Write the ad
material you are headline and how
including such as: Prepared by: Mike Mathews Date: Mar. 3, 95 the copy of
artwork, prints, Approved by: Wilma Mathews Date: Mar. 6, 95 the ad should
negatives, read.
engravings, ad Any discrepancy should be resolved before inserting new ad. Send
copy, etc. invoice and information regarding this insertion order to Andy’s Ad-
vertising Agency; 2032 Oscar Dr., P.O. Box 657, Seattle WA 98114.
©1995 Wonderworks Publishing