19 July 2021|Latest Posts, Marketing, PR, Promotion
Not only do product sampling marketing campaigns provide immediate value, but they also have a long-lasting impact on sales. Alternative strategies, such as coupon campaigns, tend to only be trackable for two to four months until the coupon expires. With sampling, consumers are given the opportunity to experience a product’s quality first-hand and therefore the potential for them making a buying decision even months after is high.
Jeremy Freedman, Managing Director of the UK’s specialist private label wet wipe manufacturer, Guardpack , has a great deal of first-hand experience with product sampling, particularly within the cosmetics sector. Despite the fact that you are effectively sending out free stock, Jeremy has found product sampling to be the most cost-effective marketing strategy Guardpack has helped to facilitate for their clients. In fact, some reports have found that as many as 73% of consumers were likely to buy a product upon sampling it.
Aside from being cost-effective, product sampling also provides an easy way to test the success of a product, whilst helping to build a more resolute brand and building on product confidence. Here, Jeremy has shared his personal insight into exactly how product sampling can improve your sales and how the strategy can be implemented.
Preparing to Begin the Campaign
Through product sampling, you can achieve a number of things. You can introduce a product and gather immediate feedback from consumers simultaneously. It is also an ideal marketing strategy for a new or improved product. It can be rewarding to utilise this technique when introducing a different use for an established product, or even in the effort to reach an audience in a new location.
Once you’ve established the aim of your sampling strategy, you must ensure that your target market has ample access to your product before launching your campaign. Along with this, you will need to consider how much stock you will need to meet the demand that will occur, following the sampling campaign. The average consumer is likely to be turned off if, upon trying the product, they discover it is not available for purchase after their initial introduction to it.
Implementing the Campaign
There are a variety of ways product samples can be delivered to your audience, including special events, magazine inserts, in-store distribution and even direct mail. The method, or methods, you choose will depend on the audience you’re attempting to reach. Some samples may even be distributed as on-pack promotions – a toothpaste sample attached to a bottle of same-brand mouthwash, for example. Alternatively, there’s also the option of near-pack promotions, such as, a free sample of laundry detergent alongside the purchase of a new washing machine.
Further to the above, you may wish to distribute your samples via a related industry partner, as this is certainly a cost-efficient method. An example of this could involve being offered a free sample of moisturising cream at the dermatologist’s office, or being provided with a much-needed wet wipe at the end of a particularly messy meal. This method is excellent as it puts the product in the hand of a consumer with an active need for it; giving them a memorable opportunity to appreciate its value.
Choosing the Best Method for Your Brand
Different brands will rely on different distribution methods to reach their respective audiences, and with such a vast range of methods to choose from, you have a great opportunity to control the expense of the campaign. Delivering samples in a direct mail campaign, for example, will be a lot cheaper than attending an event and hand delivering your product.
Being one of the cheaper methods certainly doesn’t make direct mail ineffective, however. By establishing metrics for a direct mail campaign, you can test demographic lists, as well as the results of any subsequent direct mail campaigns. Looking to the more expensive end of the spectrum, event sampling may be costly, but the impact your brand can make through presentation alone can offset the cost. Reaching your target audience at an event or venue that ties into your brand’s image will do much to create a positive brand association amongst your audience, that will almost certainly impact future purchases.
It’s also important not to forget the most modern form of product sampling: social media influencers. Providing influencers, with a large and relevant following, with product samples can help with your brand’s organic growth. This method is very cost-effective as you will only need to send out a small amount of samples for your product to reach a wide crowd.
Starting Your Campaign
Now that you have a good idea of the various benefits and methods of using product sampling as a marketing tool, you may feel ready to get started, but it’s always important to do some further research before sinking your teeth into something like this. You will need to understand the importance of psychographics in determining your sampling approach, for example. As well as how to utilise analytics to measure the overall effects of your campaign.
Like any business decision, a great deal of planning and preparation is paramount, and one of the most beneficial things you can do to ensure the success of a very effective marketing strategy.
Author Bio
Jeremy Freedman has been producing more bespoke and personalised wet wipes sachets than any other UK company since 1995. Unlike other wet wipe contract sachet manufacturers, Guardpack are happy to offer considerably low runs – from only 2000 units for bespoke products – making new product launches and trials a very affordable option. Further to this, the Guardpack team are also working hard to encourage their clients to invest in their range of biodegradable wipes, as well as their sachets made of a recyclable plastic laminate. Guardpack website: https://www.guardpack.co.uk/
