Promote, But Promote Smart

Anyone with a background in business or marketing will tell you that the type of promotional activities you choose for your business helps to create and affirm your company’s image. However, without specific goals in place, there’s no way to measure your success, and you’re much less likely to succeed.

Let me give you an example:

My wife and I recently moved to New York City from Washington, D.C. While visiting prior to our move, my wife tried to use a promotional guest pass for a gym in Kips Bay to check out a class and see whether the gym would be a good fit. She arrived 10 minutes before the class started, only to be told she had to sit through a time-share-esque presentation and tour of the facilities, and would likely miss the class. After an extremely rude and unaccommodating gym salesperson gave her a lengthy, defensive explanation about the gym’s corporate policy on guests (is this really a promotion the gym is trying to use to drum up new business?) he agreed to allow her to take the class and sit through the presentation afterwards; he just needed to check her ID. However, according to yet another gym policy, to use a promotional guest pass, you have to have a New York driver’s license.

In short, this gym’s promotional guest pass policy accomplished exactly the opposite of what it was intended to do. Rather than gaining a new member, it lost business because of its poor customer service and lack of flexibility. It managed to take a potential customer and create animosity and a negative experience. What’s more, its policy against allowing guests with addresses outside New York City will turn away lots of transplants who simply haven’t yet made it to the DMV.

Congratulations, gym. Well done.

So this begs the question: Do you actually know what the goals are of your promotional activities? If you’re not sure — or even if you are — consider taking a fresh look at your business and marketing plan/objectives in terms of clear, quantifiable goals. With these goals in mind and an eye on customer service, you’ll have an easier time creating promotional programs that will help, rather than hinder, your business.

And don’t forget: Everyone is judging you. We live in a world where more and more consumers choose where they eat, which doctor to see, and what service professionals to use by reading reviews online. With Yelp, Google, Yahoo!, Angie’s List and other similar sites, it’s more important now than ever for businesses to manage their reputation, because if your customer service is anything less than spectacular, everyone is going to know.