Promoting an organisation online means using a website and social media to raise awareness of what it sells and build a relationship with customers. Both are public platforms, so your promotion is visible to anyone at any time, and it works 24/7 even when your shop is closed. A professional-looking site makes a small business seem as trustworthy as a large one, and it reaches a wider, even global, audience, attracting customers who would never have walked past.
Online promotion is also cheap and cost-effective, because a page or post costs far less than printing leaflets. Analytics show how many people visited, which posts they liked and which paid promotions led to a sale, so you can see what works. You can post updates and announcements, upload images and videos, collect reviews and feedback, and give out vouchers or special offers to bring customers back.
On social media you can post images and videos so customers see the quality and range of your work, share offers, news and positive reviews, and run polls, surveys or questionnaires to find out what customers want. You can pay for targeted advertisements that appear only to people matching certain demographic data and interests — a skate shop might target 13- to 18-year-olds in its town. A content creator or influencer with a large audience builds brand awareness, because their followers trust them. Responding to comments, messages and reviews keeps the conversation going, and when people share or like an advert it reaches even more people.
Costs stay low because most platforms use pay-per-click: you only pay when someone clicks your advert. Analytics then reveal trends, such as which age group engages most or which advert gets the most shares.
Remember that promotion is advertising, so naming 'advertising' is not a valid reason for promoting an organisation — you must give a specific benefit or method, such as reaching a global audience or using pay-per-click. It is also rarely free: paid adverts, influencers and boosted posts cost money.
Pearson BTEC Digital Information Technology · Communication with Stakeholders