Promotional Staff 101: Creating the Dream Team

Written by claire.moran 07 / 08 / 2012

What is the secret behind a truly great Promotions Team? Having worked in the industry for years, we decided it was about time we put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and deliver our thoughts on the subject.

Impact Promo Team briefing at London Fashion Weekend

Sourcing the right staff

The source of promotional staff is as important as their training, so it is important to use the correct recruitment channels.

Standard channels include online specialist databases of promotions staff from which appropriate staff can be filtered, in-house promotions staff portals where new staff can directly apply as well as word-of-mouth recommendations from existing promotions team members.

Sourcing the right staff for the right industry

Creating industry-specific promotions teams obviously requires an even more selective approach to recruitment. As a marketing agency serving the arts for example, we ensure all our staff are creatively involved.

The Interview Process

General recruitment for a promotions team should test applicants in a way that allows their personalities and skills to shine.

After an initial telephone interview has established the applicant is a good match for the requirements of the role; a structured group interview can be an effective way to see them interact in a social situation as well as seeing how they perform together as a team.

Selecting staff on a campaign-by-campaign basis

Selecting staff based on their fit to a specific campaign ensures they are comfortable, confident and capable of putting their energy into making it a success.

Management

Once the recruitment stage is completed, the next step involves effective team management and support.

Training and Briefing

Supplying staff with accurate, digestible and clear information during the training and campaign briefing stage is key. They are after all only as good as the information they are provided with. This involves close collaboration between the office and field staff team leaders to support the promotions staff throughout the process of the campaign.

Partnering established promotional staff with promotional staff in training enables the latter to be supported while they adapt to the demands of their environment.

Providing clear briefing information with key messages, a campaign objective and a thorough background to the client and brand enables the promotions team to more effectively present the project to the public.

The role of field staff team leaders is important in the training process as they provide a live appraisal of team members which can then be used for improvements to the training procedures and an insight into how the team works as a promotional unit.

Promotions Team Support

Maintaining regular contact with the promotions staff and supervisors is vital to ensuring everyone is able to track the progress of the campaign and the well-being of the staff. This involves face-to-face, telephone and email contact to keep information as up-to-date as possible.

Incentive schemes are useful in rewarding the most diligent and driven promotions staff; it also helps to develop a closer relationship between the two sides of the marketing team.

Result: A Dream Team

Developing this close relationship and having a system of regular contact in place will help to keep a promotions team inspired, engaged and connected. It will also ensure you have the right people, in the right place at the right time and that your company is the the first port of call when staff need to be hired.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Impact Promotions Team email lucy@impactideas.co.uk or call 0207 729 5978