Promotion is the most fun of the four Ps of marketing. Traditional business models use print advertising and television commercials to promote their products. E-commerce provides you more flexibility than a 30 second air spot or an add in a newspaper or magazine. Promotion is where you need to start thinking outside traditional marketing.

Internet marketing is perfect for letting people know about your product. Remember in the initial post when I mentioned the Internet is about content? Promotion is about creating interest in your product to the point customers want to purchase your product. Online promotion is very easy when you consider the costs of traditional advertising.

Television advertising can cost your organization a nice sum of capital (remember you need to consider this cost in your break-even analysis). However, with a digital camera, a simple movie editor and a free online social network account you can create your own commercials and embed them on your web site. We have a simple 30 second spot on our Relax, Enjoy the show web page.

Another promotion method is through special discounts on your web site. You can incorporate coupon deals, buy-one-get one free deals and manipulate the price in accordance to supply and demand. Your lower overhead will provide you with the room to manipulate pricing through promotion. Once you have developed your web site to provide the utmost promotion of your product you need to expand your promotion.

Once you have your web site promotion established you will need to expand your product promotion. This is accomplished using global advertising and affiliations. Affiliations are the least expensive when you consider you are paying an advertiser with a percentage of the sales their web site generates. Global advertising generally consists of pay-per-click advertising. Pay-per-click can be quite profitable as an advertising tool when you consider people will be directed to your web site to view your promotions.

Promotion can be fun. You need to consider how new mediums can be used to your advantage in promoting your product without drastically increasing your break-even point. Remember to use many of the promotions you see in print, like discounts and coupons, along with global and affiliate advertising. To cap your product promotion, enjoy yourself and make your own commercials for you web site.

Mike Kniaziewicz, MIS