A promotional campaign is only as good as the plan that it rests on. In the first part of this article, we talked about defining the objectives of your promotional campaign. In some cases, your objectives will define your influence group. In others, your campaign may involve overlapping influence groups. In a sales campaign to introduce a new product, for instance, first you’ll have to educate your salespeople about the product and motivate them to sell it, then you’ll have to find ways to promote it to the general public. When you’re choosing promotional items, it’s important to keep in mind exactly WHO your gift recipients are.

Customer Demographics
When introducing a new product or trying to increase the sales of an existing product, knowing your target market is key to a successful sales promotion. Once you know who you’re aiming at, it will be far easier to choose promotional items that will attract their business. In some cases, you’ll be aiming for a very specific market. In many others if not most, your intended market will be much broader. The following checklists will help you define your target market.

Age
Age groups are a major determining factor in your marketing efforts. What appeals to an 8 year old will not necessarily attract a 16 year old, and what draws a 24 year old will often leave a 45 year old cold.

__ Under 12
__ 12-18 years
__ 18-21 years
__ 22-35 years
__ 35-50 years
__ 50+ years

Gender
Some products are made for a man, some are aimed at women – but deciding where to aim your marketing isn’t always that easy. When you’re considering promotional items and marketing campaigns, look beyond who the product is intended to be used by and consider who will buy the product. Where fragrances are concerned, for instance, women do most of the buying, not only for themselves, but for their boyfriends, husbands and sons. Power tools may be aimed squarely at the male market, but around gift-giving holidays, it makes sense to aim your marketing at the women who will be buying gifts for them. And don’t forget that the times, they are a-changing. You may have found that your product is bought mostly by men and are seeking to increase sales to women because it’s an untapped market.

Level of Sophistication
It’s one of marketing’s dirty little secrets. All of us are snobs in one way or another – it’s just a matter of what we’re snobs about. How “sophisticated” is the audience that you’re aiming for? Even more important, how sophisticated would they like to be? Are you aiming your products at those who “like the better things in life” or at those who think of themselves as “salt of the earth”? Do they adopt a “back to basics” mindset, or are they looking for “the good life”? Once you have a good notion of what’s important to your intended customers, you can aim your promotional items and campaigns squarely at their hearts and appeal to their wallets.