There’s no better way to give someone an experience of your brand than with a free sample.
When I worked at Coke in Russia in the mid-1990s, we introduced consumers to the products by handing them ice-cold bottles. My boss at the time had worked at Coke for over thirty years and had been a part of introducing Coke in many brand new markets. Sampling, especially of schoolchildren, was integral to growing the brand everywhere.
While I shudder now at the thought of giving children a bottle-sized jolt of sugar-soda, I do appreciate the marketing tactic. What better way of answering the question, "What is it and why do I need it?" than by handing something to your consumer.
Where else can it be applied?
In the week before Mother’s Day, I received a beautiful greeting card from Leslie Bianco of In The Company of Prayer. They send daily emails called Morning Briefings that contain a prayer that is "short enough to be read off a PDA and is accompanied by a pertinent, two-sentence bit of inspiration, such as a quote from a peer, newspaper headline, or bit of scripture."
Targeted to business people who want to start the day with a thoughtful spiritual message, these prayers are "trans-denominational." Leslie has shared that her subscribers encompass a huge variety of faith traditions.
I really love the Morning Briefings, which I read religiously (ha), and urge you to check them out. In The Company of Prayer is one of the few organizations I allow to email me every day.
So, back to sampling: the card I received had a real photo on the front, signed by the artist. Inside was a little verse at the top, just like in the daily email briefings, and a hand-written note from Leslie thanking me for being a subscriber. A+ for execution on this one!
On the back, which of course everyone reads, was information about the photo and the artist, as well as a short blurb about the new Greeting Card Service. Subtly, and without any intrusion, Leslie had introduced me to her new service.
And I promptly took advantage of it, ordering a beautiful card for my mom!
If you’re wondering how to introduce a new product or service, sampling demonstrates the value of it immediately. If your offering is not new, but you’ve struggled to get those who know about it to take action and purchase – consider how you could provide a sample of its value.
Has sampling worked for you? Can’t think of what to offer? Just hit "comment" to let me know.
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Samantha–I find that sampling can work IF I remember to provide an invitation as well.
For example, “if you enjoyed this session today, I invite you to visit this web page to learn about our upcoming Virtual Seminar…”
In my early years, I forgot to do that!
Thanks for the great postings.
Lisa
http://www.energizegrowth.com