Being consumers, promotion of consumer goods easily reaches our homes and minds. However, when it comes to industrial foods, e.g. raw materials or product components, promotional methods significantly differ. Todor’s article provides insights on this special category of goods for managers to learn and use.
In order to promote industrial goods and services, managers should understand the main differences between this category and consumer goods. For example, unlike consumer goods, industrial products are a rational need. Evaluating the market offering industrial goods is easier due to its “less sensitive variations and low amplitudes (Todor 132). In addition to this, each industrial product is categorized into “commercial family” that has nothing in common with consumer goods (132).
On practical pieces of advice regarding promotion, the author of the article defines three ways of promotion having reviewed the relevant literature: industrial advertising, industrial prints, and industrial exhibitions.
While dealing with industrial advertising, emotion is substituted by a consistent argument, e.g. examples, testimonials, and “torture tests” (133). If the customer is not aware of the use of the industrial product, the company may develop the final product model to show the perspectives. Buyers of industrial goods rely greatly on longer descriptive texts for the same purpose – strong and consistent argument.
Consistent argument is closely tied with the following approach – industrial prints. 30% of budget spent on advertising goes to more aspects than just the quantity of material. The managers should differentiate the levels of organizations which the material could be addressed: organizational, sub-divisions organizational, and own functional level (136).
And finally, exhibitions. Exhibitions construct unique environment with high sales potential and require complex approach. The main emphasis is divided into two parts that incorporate sophisticated organization of the exhibition and after-event handling contacts to turn them into clients.
To sum up, industrial promotion is nothing like psychology but utilization. No matter which way the promotion is conducted, managers must pay attention to rationalization, potential benefits, and practical application of the product for the clients.
- Todor, Raluca-Dania. “Promotion on the Industrial Products Market.” Transilvania University of Braşov, 2015.
