Marketing expert Joy Gendusa, the chief executive of PostcardMania, recently posed the following question "Have you started thinking about your 4th of July promotion?"
At the time she asked it, it was right before Easter but the timing for one's summer holiday promotion is now, she noted.
"When scheduling your promotions it is like a game of chess. You should always be thinking at least three moves ahead. In this case each 'move' should be one month. Therefore you should have been thinking about your Independence Day, or July promotions as you fall asleep after a day full of Easter egg hunts," Gendusa said.
She noted there was a number of reasons why a marketer needs to have its promotional schedule figured out well in advance.
The first is getting out promotions 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 two weeks before the sale or event."
There is also the need to get your message out to your targets multiple times. Getting the material out early lets a marketer get their message across through repetition.
By doing the work early, it frees up your time to concentrate on running your business. By scheduling your promotions ahead of time will allow a business owner to wear all of the other hats he or she has in the office.
"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. Checkmate!" Gendusa declared.
Joy Gendusa began PostcardMania, Clearwater, Fla., in 1998 as a full-service postcard marketing company helping clients create turnkey marketing campaigns with graphic design, printing, and mailing list acquisition and mailing services. For more information visit
