Take It Face To Face

Giving away samples is an easy way to get a product out there and maybe even hook a customer in. I know and have witnessed my friends, family, and strangers purchase products they have sampled. Samples are such a simple, genius way to market a product; they do all the work for you. No need to convince us that your product is good, let us taste it or try it on.

Some of my sample stories:

At grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s, Stew Leonard’s and Whole Foods, I have often bought items that I was able to try in the store. I wouldn’t normally buy mango salsa, frozen lasagna, or a broccoli and cheese quiche had I not been able to try a sample and gotten hooked.

When I pass by the Farmer’s Market, I immediately purchase fruits I normally wouldn’t pick up in a grocery store because the sample of a slice of pear or peach is so incredible.

Sephora.com gives away three free samples with every order, and they are usually so great that I have to buy the products in their full size.

With all of the products I have sampled, and how successful I know they can be as a marketing tool, I was shocked at what happened to my friend the other day. She was walking passed IceBerry and stopped in because she had never had it before. She asked to try the green tea frozen yogurt and they said “we don’t do samples.” So she left, angered by spending 4 dollars and change with the possibility of simply throwing it away because she didn’t like it.

Why would they not do samples? I understand if an ice cream place has 50 flavors and you don’t want the customers trying 5 flavors each, but why not one? And IceBerry only has 5 flavors to begin with so it’s not like a customer can endlessly ask to sample flavors.

What do you think about samples? Have you bought anything because you sampled it?

Viral videos are something ever PR/Marketing person dreams about or has nightmares. When done right a viral video markets itself and spreads your message like no other. On the downside if that message is something you don’t want spread a viral video can be worst enemy.

There are many reasons a video you make could go viral. I like to keep things simple and always try to point out the top 5 or so reasons that a something happened. Sure there maybe 100 reasons something happened but people can usually digest no more than 5.

None of these facts are set in stone, there are always videos that ‘buck’ the rules and become huge hits. See the dramatic gopher to the left. But in on the average we can boil down successful videos to a few key elements.

Message:

A video with out a message is like an email with just a subject line. Sure you will get people to look at it but you won’t keep their attention or get them to pass it on. Your video needs to have a reason to watch it, something that people will want to share.

Hook:

While message is important for a video to go viral it needs a hook. If its Gary Van-Ner-Chuck at Wine Library TV or “will it blend?” your video needs a hook. Something that will get people to pass it along.

Quick:

Almost every viral video out there is quick. No video that that takes 30 minutes to watch is ever going to be a viral hit. Most people watching these videos are sitting at their desk trying to see the entire video before their boss walks by.

Accessible:

If you want your video to go viral you have to make it accessible to everyone and everyone. Host it on as many video sites as possible and let people share it. Create a lower quality version for email and a high quality version for websites. If people can’t find it they will never pass it along.

Fun:

While I can’t define what is per say, I can say that most of the videos I pass along to my friends are fun in some way. They may be clever, funny or even sad, but they have something that makes me want to watch them.

Making a video go viral is not an exact science. There are some tips and tricks but they are not guaranteed to give you the results you want. The most important thing about making a video go viral is don’t expect it. If the video becomes a hit great, if not keep your head up and camera rolling.

Money is always on the top of every company’s mind, both making it and spending it. Having direct contact with clients I hear their concerns and I am constantly working with them to stretch their market dollars.

Sure every client is different but the basics of making your money work for you are always the same. We are not trying to re-invent the wheel here, we are trying to gain exposure in the most effective way. The basics of good marketing and pr can be summed up in five tips:

Have a Target:
Demographics are key for creating messaging. Sure, there might be an upfront cost to doing a little market research but your returns will be massive compared to a non-targeted campaign.

Target your Targets:
Once you have identified your targets find the best channels to reach them. Keep your ancillary communications to a minimum and really target the market you want.

Talk to a Pro:
I can hear everyone now, “here comes your sales pitch…” No really reach out to a pro and talk with them. Marketing and PR folks love to talk about what they do. I am constantly giving away market advice and just talk with people looking for help. I would prefer to help you grow your business so we can work together in the future.

Stick to the Plan:
I have seen it happen before, I have worked with a client and created a great marketing/PR plan only to have them deviate from the plan the second the ink has dried.

Track and Review:
Ever dollar you spend on marketing and PR will be wasted if you fail to track things like cost, exposures, sales and value. Having good strong analytics will let you know if your marketing plan was a good value.

These are the basics for creating a less expensive communications plan. Do you think I am on point with these suggestions or did I miss the mark? Let me know.

Frugal Fridays is going to be a regular contribution to our blog. The idea is that we are looking to provide information to our readers who are looking for inexpensive ways to improve their marketing and pr. If you have a topic or question you would like answered feel free to give me call or email me.