Just as it takes time and planning to develop new product or service, it also takes time to develop a marketing plan to introduce the new offering to customers. Obviously, if people don’t know your company and what it provides, they won’t buy from you.

When planning a marketing campaign or promotion, be sure to address these four key elements of marketing communication: message, audience, medium, and measurement.

1. Define the message. Any new marketing message should be in tune with the company’s stated position in the marketplace, and it should build on and strengthen that position. The most effective marketing messages tend to emphasize benefits over features. Benefits are the “What’s in it for me?” qualities the customer desires from the product, like safety, value, or convenience. Features are the finer product differentiators -- things like “improved flavor” or “made with premium-grade steel.” Features are an important part of the story, but customer-focused benefits tend to resonate more with consumers.
   
   
2. Identify the audience. The more you understand who’s likely to buy your products, the more successful you’ll be in crafting your message and finding the best avenues to reach them. Size up the market and hone in on the target customer by establishing some important details. Create a customer profile that includes basic but essential demographic information -- age, gender, income, geographical location, lifestyle attributes, and purchasing patterns, for example.
   
   
3. Select the right medium. Whether it’s advertising, public relations, or nontraditional marketing efforts like in-store displays or sampling, it’s important to target the use of media appropriate to the consumer you’re trying to reach. Radio, television, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, billboards, newsletters, and trade shows are the most typical media used to launch a new service or product.
   
   
4. Measure the response. Marketing campaigns are highly versatile. Changes in budget allocation, corrections in media selection, and adjustments to target audiences can be made quickly -- but only if you have good data to guide you. Once underway, a campaign should be constantly monitored and adjusted.

The importance of a promotional campaign in the overall marketing strategy requires that time be devoted to a formal plan. By shaping the benefit message, focusing on the target customer, creatively selecting the optimum media, and following through with appropriate measurement, you’ll have a better-than-average shot at success.