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Marketing '“ Like a Game of Chess by: Joy Gendusa Have you started thinking about your Valentines Day Promotion yet? It may sound like a strange question on the day before Thanksgiving but it really isn't. When scheduling your promotions it is like a game of chess. You should always be thinking at least 3 moves ahead. In this case each 'move' should be one month. Therefore you should have been thinking about your Valentines, or February promotions as you fall asleep after your big Turkey dinner. There are a few reasons why you need to have your promotions figured out that early. Getting Promo Out Takes Time. By having it all worked out months in advance you give yourself enough time for the logistics. Getting the concept down, getting artwork put together, printing, and mailing all have to be done and this can take several weeks from being an idea in your head to being a piece of promo in your customers hands. You are also going to want to have the piece in your customers' hands at least 2 weeks before the sale or event. Get the Message Out Multiple Times. Getting your promo out early lets you drive your message home through repetition. Take Christmas for example. If you start mailing to your customers in the beginning of November, you will be able to cement your company name in their head because you will be able to mail to them multiple times before they have to make their Holiday purchases. On the other hand if you start mailing to them in late November or Early December you will not have the time to do multiple mailings. Getting one mailing out at that stage will still be much better than not sending anything at all, but nothing works better when promoting than multiple mailings with the same message to the same list. Free Up Time for Running Your Business. Most people who own a business do their own marketing. Thankfully marketing is one of the few things in a business that you can do far in advance. By scheduling your holiday promotions ahead of time you will make yourself available to wear all of the other hats that you do around your business. Scheduling promotions can seem like a huge task, but some things are just worth the extra thought. It really isn't that daunting. Once it is done, then you'll have time to put your ideas and energy on other areas that need your attention so that you maximize your efforts toward expansion. Check Mate! About The Author Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 persons. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she's sharing her marketing secrets with others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at www.postcardmania.com. This article was posted on March '03
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