Tips on Running Successful Promotions

A bonus from the recent Albright & O'Malley client teleconference with Graham Knowles and Ivan Braiker of www.hipcricket.com:

Know why you're running the promotion - Establishing a well thought out promotion strategy including objectives; will ensure that the promotion is correctly targeted and matches the image both the client and the radio station are trying to project.

Keep it simple and user friendly - The best promotions are simple, simple to enter - simple to win. Promotions should be understandable by the youngest and least sophisticated members of your audience.

Design promotions so everyone has fun; don't try to trick listeners.

- All messages received by listeners must be:

1. Personal
2. Relevant
3. Valuable
4. Timely
5. and Anticipated

Do… provide value
Do… tailor content to target market
Do… personalize the message
Do… make the response method clear
Do… use humor and entertain
Do… create a way to drive usage
Do…state the coupon value clearly
Do…seriously consider actual money value rather than a % off
Do…show clearly the period for which the coupons are valid
Do… make offers appear exclusive
Do… target by time: day segment, events etc
Do… messages of urgency, such as dollars off NOW
Do… make offers viral - forward this to your friends
Do… make it easy for people to Opt-In and Opt out

Don't…use the medium to advertise without delivering value
Don't …use to sell the mundane - keep it exciting
Don't…bombard the listener - keep interaction timely and relevant
Don't…forget to measure performance
Don't…repeat the same message to a listener
Don't…overcomplicate the message
Don't…make offers that are vague and ambiguous

They were telling us about the basics of mobile messaging, but - truth is - these tips apply to everything we do on the air, don't you think?