3 Top Tips for Balanced Promotions
By John ChambersRenowned American billionaire John D. Rockefeller once said "next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing."
And now is definitely a time to brag. This economy demands your association members implement more aggressive promotions, initiating a prominent discussion about what they can truly offer industry partners or job seekers.
As hospitality employers cut and more closely monitor spending, there’s less money and often less time to spend on promotions that don’t strongly tell others about their “right thing.” Here are three ways your members can stand out without striking out:
1. Be Bold.
Employers and other companies shouldn't be shy about their strongest selling points – whether they’re attracting job seekers or building their brand.
Bottom line: Your members' offerings, management strengths and business ventures have earned them bragging rights. Creative tools and promotions can help them share those successes!
"Good marketing is often unpredictable, and that's never been more important than now. Bombarded with as many as 5,000 messages per day, consumer attention spans are fleeting. And with every new ‘mind blowing’ special effect comes a little chip, chip, chipping away at society's ever dwindling sensitization,” according to industry forum MarketingProfs.com. "Big brands are run by people who are constantly in search of the people, things, and ideas that will make consumers demand their products."
2. Why, You Ask?
We've all heard "you'll never know unless you ask" phrased a hundred different ways, but perhaps famed U.S. businessman Bernard Baruch best summed up this idea's importance when he said "millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why."
And now that your clients have boldly captured their audiences' attention, make sure they explain why they're shouting. Jim Sterne, Chief Executive Officer of Target Marketing, said promotional mixes can do this and ask for clients’ business through some well-planned audience participation.
"If you're thoughtful, your marketing message isn't just an ad," Sterne recently told marketing magazine Promo. "It's a specific promotion that drives people to perform a specific task: to buy the shoes, to take the test drive, to sign up for the newsletter. You can measure the impact of
your campaign based on that task, and that you can correlate one-to-one."
3. Think Niche.
If businesses have consistent messaging that’s centered on their hospitality niche, chances are those audiences are already listening.
"Opportunity abounds online and there are still a ton of ways you can make money and build a powerhouse business. What I'm saying is that it's just going to take a more concerted effort focused in on a specific subtopic," said Gyutae Park, founder of Internet market resource WinningTheWeb.com. "In other words, the best online business building strategy right now is to go niche.
"For example, rather than compete with Zappos by selling every kind of shoe under the sun, focus on selling basketball sneakers to youth. You get the idea. It’s better to dominate a sub-niche than it is to play follow the leader in a competitive industry."
Niche connects targeted messages with targeted audiences so promotions are an easier sell. And when it comes to maximizing recruitment, WEDDLE's 2009 Survey of Recruiters & Job Seekers found the majority of job seekers are already looking for positions on niche job boards such as Hcareers.
(How’s that for a bold promotion!)
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