Whether you are a franchisor for a large restaurant, or an up-and-coming retail chain, effective planning is key to success.
During our 22+ years of printing great POP kits, we have seen how well planned promotional marketing calendars benefit our clients. When done right, this specialized planning and budgeting tool will help your chain operation determine the promotional “when,” “what,” and “how much” throughout the year.
How can a long-term plan benefit your business?
Successful franchisors plan.
Something magical happens when we take those thoughts bouncing around inside our heads and put them down on paper. Even more so, when we place those thoughts into a calendar, good ideas turn into actions for success. At BrandPOP, we recognize a night-and-day difference between the success of those who plan and those who don’t. We like working with the planners!!
Promotions translate into sales.
We like to say that promotions draw customers in the door, while product and service keep them coming back. A limited time offer (LTO) or seasonal product may bring in a customer that wouldn’t have come in otherwise. It also keeps your products interesting for your current customer base.
A well done calendar curbs waste.
Gone are the days of the shotgun approach to promotional dollars. Budgets are just too tight. These days, a wealth of knowledge exists that can help place advertising dollars in just the right place, on just the right date. Understanding that going into the new year can be critical to the bottom line at the end of the year.
Proper planning helps you get the most from your vendor relations.
Your vendors should be less like order takers and more like strategic partners. After all, the best of these providers possess a wealth of experience with a variety of businesses. Your vendors should be able to help you refine your promotional calendar, making sure you are ordering the right materials with the right lead times.
Tips for creating your promotional marketing calendar.
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Determine the overall budget and the franchisee contributions vs. ad fund contributions.
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You can use complex software or a simple spreadsheet to help plan and track promotions.
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Choose promotions based on seasonality, and research previous trends for your stores to determine optimum times to increase traffic.
We hope this helps! If you’re not yet working with a good agency or in-house team to help you create your calendar we can help you brainstorm ideas or recommend an agency to assist you.