If you want your business to grow, sales to increase, and your brand awareness to improve – then working with a promotions company is essential. Promoting a brand is a continual process and doesn’t end with your initial launch or brand activation.
In order to get the best results for your brand you need to be constantly assessing your performance, making adjustments, and coming up with new strategies to introduce your products and business to new audiences.
Developing in store brand activations can be particularly effective to create emotional and memorable product introductions and experiences with your customers.
However, few business owners have the time, resources, and expertise to consistently research, plan, and execute effective in store activations, customer engagement events, and social media campaigns. Working with a promotions company means that you can trust this important aspect of your business to the experts and devote your time and energy to the growth of your company.
In the article below we will look at how promotions can help your business growth and how in store brand activation can improve profits and success levels.
Why Are Promotion Companies Essential for Your Business Growth?
Running a business has never been more competitive. Thanks to the rise of e-commerce and online shopping, you are now not only competing against other local businesses but companies across South Africa and the world.
Promotion and brand activation activities are key if you are going to create a sustainable audience for your brand and products. Whether you are launching your brand or the owner of a longstanding business, you need to continually tell your customers why they should be buying your products and using your services.
Marketing agencies and promotions companies in South Africa will use years of experience and expertise to create a well-researched and perfectly targeted campaign to tell your audience exactly why they need to choose your company over the others.
What are Promotion Companies and What Services do They Offer?
A promotion company in South Africa will research, plan, source, execute, and assess promotional and brand activation activities for your brand. While some companies have in-house departments for this purpose, most small and medium-sized businesses in South Africa prefer to save time and money by working with a dedicated marketing company.
Planning Promotions and Brand Activation
A promotions agency in South Africa will research the brand, market, and competition to work out which promotions can be most effective for your brand. They will devise a targeted promotional campaign that will appeal to your target audience and could include a combination of social media campaigns, in store events, and print advertising.
They can also develop relationships with brand ambassadors, influencers, and other companies to improve brand recognition and the profits of your business.
Overseeing Promotional Campaigns
As well as working to create a brand activation plan, promotion companies will ensure they are executed effectively from start to finish. This involves creating brand awareness and media campaigns, sourcing resources, and checking results.
A marketing agency will organise all the resources needed for an in store event in a location that your audience frequents. They can also collaborate with influencers to run an online brand activation campaign or oversee a customer ambassador scheme.
Developing or Promoting Your Brand
A promotions agency in South Africa will also be able to help you with the development of the brand or you can ask them to refresh or rejuvenate a product line that is not selling as well as you would like it to.
Making sure that a brand activation or promotional campaign is right for your brand is essential. For example, if your brand is mostly purchased by a younger audience it can be a waste of time to advertise using media and imagery which normally appeals to an older demographic. And if you are selling products that are priced as luxury goods, doing an in store event in a location that is not frequented by big spenders will prove equally fruitless.
What is an In Store Brand Activation?
Now that we have looked at how a promotions company can help with every aspect of brand activation and advertising, let’s look at one specific type of event which can help you grow your business, increase brand awareness and increase profits.
In store brand activation is a form of marketing that involves real-life interaction between customers and brand ambassadors in shops. This type of brand activation can be a very effective way to create a long-term attachment to a product and increase positive perceptions of the brand.
In store marketing events will allow you to demonstrate why your brand should be chosen over the competition, the benefits of using the products, and how the lifestyle of customers can be improved by buying an item.
It is one of the most effective ways to make sure that target customers notice a brand and remember an interaction long after they have left the store. This increased recognition and brand awareness should then lead to an increase in sales and brand loyalty.
An in store brand activation could include a product demonstration, giving out of free samples, and displays of services and results.
What Are The Benefits of Working with a Promotions Company for Your In Store Brand Activation?
There are many different stages to developing a successful in store brand activation, and a professional promotions company will already have a team in place to achieve this as quickly and effectively as possible.
A Well Researched and Data-Driven Campaign
A brand event needs to be driven by clear research and market expertise. Every rand of your budget needs to give you a return on your investment and the execution of your event needs to be perfectly targeted.
When working with the experienced team a promotions company provides, you will be provided with the best plan for the brand and your customers based on research.
Save Time and Money
Building a team, completing market research, organising in store displays, and hiring brand ambassadors all take time and money that most business owners simply don’t have.
A promotions company will have the experience, contacts, and staff ot make sure that brand activations are executed in the required time frame and in a cost-effective manner.
Established Contacts and Suppliers
If you choose an experienced promotions company, then they may already have existing relationships with suppliers, stores, and brand ambassadors which will help you to get your product demonstrations in the right store for the brand smoothly and quickly.
Professional Expertise
Working with promotions companies is a method of accessing the expertise and experience that is required to make sure the store activation is a success. Professional marketing agencies will know how to research, gather data, formulate plans, and make sure an in store activation is executed correctly.
How to Measure the Success of Your Store Brand Activations
Just as important as planning promotions, is assessing the data to make sure activations are as successful as you can hope. When you have measurable information you can work out what approaches have been profitable and which brand activations are not appropriate for your customer base.
For example, if you want to assess how effective an in store event has been you can check how many sales were made on the day, how many samples were passed out, or how many email sign ups you got for your newsletter.
A promotions company will help you develop measurable objectives for each brand activation activity and present you with the information needed to develop further promotions.
Succesful Instore Activations of a Brand
Now that we have looked at why working with a promotions company is important for brand activation and in store events, lets look at some real life examples to show you how effective a campaign can be.
Sparkle Shops by Starbucks
Tp launch a new line of iced-tea drinks, Starbucks Canada used a pop-up store to introduce their new products and encouraged invited influencers and shop visitors to post about the experience on social media.
The theme of the shop was “Sparkle” to reflect the new brand activation and featured decoration and features which would attract their target customer base.
#beadaybreaker Campaign by Lipton Ice Tea
To promote its line of 5 ice teas, Lipton Drinks used a new brand activation hashtag ot connect with current customers and attract others. The company surprised their target demographic with free iced teas on Friday mornings and encouraged them to share the experience using the dedicated hashtag.
Experiential Marketing by Sonic Shakes
The Coachella Music Festival in California attracts thousands of young and trendy music lovers who can also fall into the target customer base of the innovative milkshake brand Sonic. The drinks company chose to use an in store experience at the festival to connect with their customer base and distribute their drinks to attendees. Those who enjoyed the drink were then encouraged to share their experience of the brand using the hashtag #squareshakes.
What Are the Advantages of In-House Marketing Compared to Hiring Promotion Agencies?
When it comes to promotion agencies vs in-house marketing, there are distinct advantages to having an in-house marketing team. These professionals possess extensive knowledge about your brand, products, and target audience. They can design tailored marketing strategies, offer quicker turnaround times, and maintain consistent messaging. In-house marketing also allows for more control, collaboration, and seamless integration with other departments. While external agencies bring fresh perspectives, the benefits of in-house marketing should not be overlooked.
What Are the Benefits of Working with Local Promotion Companies for Business Growth?
Partnering with local promotion companies near me can be highly advantageous for business growth. These experts possess in-depth knowledge of the local market, allowing them to tailor innovative marketing strategies that resonate with the target audience. Their extensive network and relationships with local influencers maximize brand exposure and enhance customer engagement. Working with local promotion companies fosters a deeper understanding of the community, leading to increased visibility and ultimately, higher sales.
Conclusion: Working with Promotions Companies to Improve Your Business Growth
Whether you want expertise and support in putting together an in person experience for your brand or want to collaborate on a long-term marketing plan, working with a promotions company is a key step toward success.
Selecting the right promotions company in South Africa will allow you to access all the data, research, and expertise you need to make sure that your company’s in store and brand activation events are as successful and profitable as possible.