BY: Yvonne Reynolds-Young – Publisher, Planet Vending.
With ever increasing demands on diminishing marketing budgets, even the most seasoned marketing professional struggles to decide where best to allocate funds.
We’ve learned a lot by trial and error but there are a few basic rules that are worth following, when considering where to spend marketing money. First, define your objectives. It isn’t unusual to hear from some advertisers (not here on PV) that their advert didn’t generate any direct sales. Was it the right medium? Was there a strong call to action? Is your target audience likely to click on a link to purchase, say, a £10k coffee machine?
Alternatively, is your objective to raise awareness of your brand or your core values?
Your objectives will determine what you need to create and where to place it.
At Planet Vending we are brilliant at talking up brands and businesses, so that suppliers, services and operators know who is doing what – and who the characters and personalities are. Through articles, blogs and press releases (usually edited in the house style), we create a publication that is interesting and entertaining to read. We’ve also successfully introduced above-the-line campaigns. Our readers are unlikely to click links to ‘buy’, but they will pick up the phone for a chat or whizz off an email. Having said that, our sampling pages are the ideal place for getting samples of products into the hands of the vending operators. Ask Boka, they will tell you!
Many of our readers already know that we can write copy and create ads in house, but not many know that through our in house PR business, we can create a campaign to introduce emerging businesses to the Vending industry. Get in touch if we can help in any aspect of marketing your business. We’re good listeners and we can create a proposal to suit any budget.
Finally – for now! – our big news is that we are launching a new feature on Planet Vending in the New Year. The Planet Vending Guide To… will be a Buyer’s Guide designed to assist Vending Operators in their purchasing decisions. We will highlight what’s new in vending machines, coffee machines, snacks and drinks, vending technology, support services – in fact every product and service that the modern vending operator needs. There will be 10 categories in total and shortly, we’ll be inviting interested parties to contribute.
It’s going to be a fantastic 2017 here on Planet Vending. Make sure you’re part of it.
