Promotional Mix- Tool for Integrated Marketing May, 2014 | Page 3

The Promotional Mix 3 types of sales promotion- Consumer sales promotion and trade sales promotion. Consumer sales promotion targets the end user or the customers by using coupons, discount offers, point of purchase displays etc. Trade sales promotions are used to target organizational customers such as dealers, wholesalers, distributors etc. 4. Publicity/Public relations: Organizations use the tool of publicity to give out information about a product, person or company for advertising and promotional purposes. Public relations evolve a practice of promoting good will between organizations and its customers, employees, community and public. Public relations are practiced through press releases which can be in the form of video, audio, blogs, newsletter, press kits etc. 5. Interactive/internet marketing: An Interactive marketing tool is used by the company to get feedback from the customers. It allows back and forth flow of information between organizations and their customers. It is an effective medium that provides feedback, consumer interactions, public opinion and insight on consumer buying habits and preferences. 6. Direct marketing: Direct marketing is used to target customers directly. It is limited to individual person or defined consumer groups. It is done through various print and electronic mediums that include: telephone, fax, mail, TV, online, radio, newspapers, magazines, or face to face. Conclusion: Company’s sales and profits are based on the type of tools a company chooses to promote its product and service. Companies should select the tools wisely that support company’s marketing objectives and on the other hand must be relevant to its target customers. One more thing that organizations should ensure is the integration between all the channels of promotions as it has a strong effect on customers’ buying decision. Reference: http://www.researchomatic.com/Promotional-Mix-120517.html | Tools for Integrated Marketing Communication