The benefits of in-home product sampling

By September 11, 2017General

You can never underestimate the power of product sampling. By physically getting your products into the hands of consumers you can gain brand awareness, win loyal fans, and make sure whatever it is your offering engages and affects your target audience.

But there’s more to a product sampling than meets the eye. It’s easy to get right – but it’s also very easy to get wrong. You need the right set up, the right demographic, an unbeatable product and a quirky and original campaign that feels more like experiential marketing, and less like a quick and easy giveaway.

So how can you make sure you really get it right? How can you turn your ‘try before you buy’ efforts into something more meaningful and impactful?

Gone are the days where promotional teams handing out samples in train stations or busy shopping centres qualifies as successful sampling; now there’s a more targeted and cost effective channel for advertisers to get their product trialled by potential customers.

Introducing in-home sampling…

It’s not rocket science, and it isn’t even expensive: it’s a simple, tried and tested way of getting into people’s homes, and ultimately into their hands, their baths, their favourite mug, or their make-up bag.

Online shops have accepted complimentary third party leaflets and inserts in their customer’s parcels for a long time and now, product samples are also making their way into people’s online orders.

What makes it so effective?

  1. You can really hone in on your target audience.

By teaming up with brands that reach out to your target audience you can make sure that you’re reaching out to and engaging with the demomgraphic that you most want to influence.

  1. It’s more beneficial for consumers.

Because this style of sampling is so targeted, you can be confident that your little freebie is more of a pleasant surprise than an annoyance.

Who doesn’t want to get a little unexpected gift from a company or brand that they’re likely to form an allegiance with. And better still, they get to experience it in the comfort of their own home.

  1. You can really grab people’s attention.

Targeting potential customers at home means you don’t have to struggle with gaining their attention as you do outdoors or in busy shopping centres.

And the free product feels like it’s truly endorsed by the company or brand that customers are already buying from. And so it’s more readily experienced and more easily enjoyed, with less distraction.

  1. Avoid overheads.

With in-home sampling you can avoid the typical sampling campaign costs that come with finding the right space, employing the right staff and making your campaign really stand out.

There’s no doubt about it, in-home product sampling is a great route to target and engage the right audience in the comfort of their own home. If you select the brand you want to partner with carefully, it can be a really relevant, welcome freebie that will win you customers.

Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.