Learn how to create sales promotions to grow your sustainable brand

In this article, we'll tell you everything you need to know to create effective sales promotions so your natural products store succeeds and wins more and more customers.

In recent years, online food sales have grown considerably. Cosmetics followed the expected path: more and more businesses are going digital.

What both niches have in common is that their brands are built on healthy, sustainable products that are kind to the body and the environment. A good strategy to help these businesses gain a foothold in the digital world is sales promotions.

What is a sales promotion?

A sales promotion is a marketing strategy combined with a bit of finance that will help you increase your sales, reach new customers, and build loyalty among existing ones.

These promotions don't just include discounts or free products; they also aim to deliver value to your customers through your product, so that your brand stays top of mind for customers.

“Advertising and a good social media strategy will help make these strategies truly effective”

Before you start…

Define what you want to achieve with your sales promotions

The common goal of every business is to be profitable and scalable over time. For some, it also includes building an impactful, recognized brand that contributes to social and environmental well-being and breaks into the market—the reasons are endless.

What's our point? That when you have a clear goal, strategies are easier to plan and results are measurable.

For example, a supermarket may offer discounts of up to 70% because its goal is mass reach and its costs allow it.

Never compare your progress. Remember that as a business grows, production and restocking costs become cheaper, and that's partly why big businesses can afford deep discounts on their products.

And now, let's get to work…

Discover the 7 sales promotion strategies

Discount coupons

These are discounts applied to a product's price.

You can announce them on your social media, if you work with an influencer in your sector, or by email if you use an email marketing strategy.

“The discount percentage should match your means and the stage your business is at”

Free samples

This means sending an extra product with the customer's purchase.

When can you use it? If you've launched a new product, or are about to, and want customers to try it, or if you want to increase turnover of a particular food, cosmetic product, etc.

Seasonal sales

These are discounts offered on specific dates such as Black Friday, Hot Sale, or Cyber Monday. You can also create your own special dates for sales promotions and face less competition at that time.

The real advantage of these kinds of discounts is that people are more willing to buy.

Installment payments

This strategy is based on offering interest-free installments on credit cards. Most online purchases are made this way.

This works best for cosmetic products.

With Agrojusto, you can link your store to Mercado Pago and set up as many installments as you want.

Loyalty points

Want to build customer loyalty? This strategy is ideal for that.

Give customers a certain number of points with each purchase.

You decide whether those points can be redeemed for specific products, or whether they're worth a certain amount of money that can later be redeemed for products of the customer's choice.

With an Agrojusto store, you can save the details of every customer who bought from your online store so you can run effective campaigns with them.

2-for-1, 3-for-2 deals, etc.

It lets customers buy more products. It's a very effective strategy, and we'd say it's almost irresistible.

Who hasn't bought something on a deal like this at some point?

Giveaways

It's an ideal strategy to increase your brand's reach and make it better known. You'll also gain more followers and engagement on your social media.

You may also like: How to run Instagram giveaways that crush it

How do you create effective sales promotions?

For these sales promotions to be effective, you need a clear strategy to carry them out, check that they actually work, and follow up on them.

Let's take a look:

Set clear goals

You don't need to run every sales promotion at once. You'll need to see which one best suits your business's stage and what you want to achieve with each one.

For example, maybe you want to grow your social media following, and the best option for that is a giveaway; if you want to boost sales in a short period, you can run seasonal sales or offer discount coupons.

Always aim to deliver value

For your brand to be remembered and stay top of mind, people need to remember it for the solutions it offers, and you achieve that by delivering value.

To do this, you need to know your audience very well. For example:

If you sell cosmetics and have products with novel ingredients, you can include instructions or a short written explanation with your products. It adds value to them, and it also positions your brand as one that thinks about giving customers something extra.

Define how you'll implement your sales promotions

2-for-1 deals are used within an online store, giveaways are announced on social media, and seasonal sales can be promoted through email marketing or social media.

What we mean is that the sales promotion you run is just as important as the channel through which it's advertised.

Define your strategic plan

Some sales promotions need to be planned well in advance, such as sales tied to special dates.

You'll need to know your production and restocking costs very well so these discounts don't hurt your finances.

Prepare your business in advance

You need to have stock, social media graphics ready, and a reliable discount app—everything needed so the planned action is fully ready. That way, you won't have to do things at the last minute.

Define your communication channels

Use everything within your reach—but be very clear in your communication about payment methods, how long the promotion runs, and the terms and conditions.

A confused or doubtful mind doesn't buy.

Keep track of your actions

Pay attention to the metrics provided by marketing tools, such as email automation platforms or social media tracking tools like Atribus, Emplifi, or Metricool.

That way, you'll get a sense of what works and what doesn't for your business, so you can replicate what has been most effective.

Conclusion

We encourage you to put these strategies to work in your business.

There's no doubt that e-commerce is growing by leaps and bounds, but if you really want to see your brand grow, you need clear goals and the right strategies to reach them.