Promotion” refers to the advertising and selling part of
marketing. It is how you let people know what you’ve got for
sale. The purpose of promotion is to get people to understand
what your product is, what they can use it for, and why they
should want it. You want the customers who are looking for a
product to know that your product satisfies their needs.
To be effective, your promotional efforts should contain a
clear message targeted to a specific audience reached via an
appropriate channel. Your target audience will be the people
who use or influence the purchase of your product. You
should focus your market research efforts on identifying these
individuals. Your message must be consistent with your
overall marketing image, get your target audience’s attention,
and elicit the response you desire, whether it is to purchase
your product or to form an opinion. The channel you select
for your message will likely involve use of a few key marketing
channels. Promotion may involve advertising, public
relations, personal selling, and sales promotions.
A key channel is advertising. Advertising methods to promote
your product or service include the following