Lead by Product Samples
It’s easy to say that your product is good but convincing people to actually buy is not as easy as broadcasting to them the benefits your product provides or sending an email to discuss to them your newest offerings. Marketing experts say that to convince people to buy you have to let them try your products. Let them experience for themselves what your product can offer. Often, effective branding has to be preceded by a sample.
Product sampling is not a new concept. For decades, entrepreneurs have been sending samples to their customers and prospects along with their color booklets or brochures. Some even do sampling at local grocery store where most people are. This is especially true to food products and even cosmetic products.
According to the “Product Sampling Study” conducted by Arbitron and Edison Media Research, about 70 million consumers are accessed by sample products every quarter. Of these consumers, one-third will likely buy the sampled product at that very moment.
This is great news for businesses looking for an effective way to promote brand awareness and loyalty. The strategy will not only bring in new customers but establish stronger and longer relationships with existing customers as well. The samples will recreate the experience they will get if they purchase the product, thus, making it easy to convince them to actually buy.
Over the years, sampling has gone through some changes. Product samples have now found the magic of the Internet. A lot of companies who seek for a wider reach can now target bloggers and trend setters. This is most common in fashion, food, and travel bloggers. A restaurant can simply invite food bloggers to have a taste of their foods and blog about it while a clothing and shoe store can send free clothes and shoes to known fashion bloggers.
Social media is also a great way to get good reviews. Sample products have to simply be sent to select consumer authorities and they enthusiastically write rave reviews about the products. Some websites even offer requests for samples. Consumers simply have to ask for a sample and it will be sent immediately to them.
Struggling entrepreneurs can benefit from the marketing prowess of product sampling. As consumers are bombarded with marketing messages these days, making an impact can be done through samples. While consumers are tuning out on most ads, the simply can’t resist samples. If they like what they experienced from the samples, they will surely invest their dollars on them.
Of course, businesses can send out samples through various means including event giveaways, newspaper inserts, and direct mail (included inside the brochure, catalog, or booklet templates). Of these various avenues, direct mail offers the surest way to reach consumers.
Done right, product sampling can will not only promote brand awareness but create stronger relationships and solid return on investment as well. Indeed, sampling works even in the digital age. It remains effective simply because it can do one thing that no other advertising medium can do: put the product right at the customer’s hands. If you want people to try your products twice, let them try it once. It can be a bit tricky to do product sampling, but once the results come in , all the effort will be worth it.
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