Choosing Promotional Tools

Once you know what your promotional and marketing goals are and how much money you have to spend, you must choose from several promotional tools, or channels, to help you achieve your goals. The combination of promotional channels you decide to use is sometimes referred to as your company's promotional mix and can include the following:

Advertising

The purpose of paid advertising is to communicate the following information to potential customers (your target market):

• Benefits of your product or service
• Location where, and at what price, they can buy your product or service
• Positive image of your company

Media advertising: depending on your goals and your budget, you can choose from a wide variety of media, including newspapers, magazines, local and national television, radio, Yellow Pages, billboards, and your local community cable channel.

Direct mail advertising: bypasses the media and communicates directly with potential customers. Direct mail includes letters, newsletters, postcards, brochures, and flyers.