Okay, so we know that product sampling is a superb way of building a business. It’s a strategy that can enhance your brand as well as grow sales. But one question remains: what kind of product works best as a freebie sample in a sampling campaign?
It’s a key topic, because as effective as sampling can be, it can often prove to be logistically challenging and expensive. Choose the wrong item to give away and you’ll be up against it from minute one.
With that in mind, we have a few helpful suggestions and points that make for interesting reading…
Firstly, we’d advise giving something away that people need or desire everyday. As the old marketing adage goes, never try to create demand for something. Your free sample needs to be common enough that the public will notice your stand.
That’s why food products make for great samples. It’s not rocket science; we all need to eat, right? Well, set up a stall that gives away food products in a busy place at lunchtime and you’ve got a winning plan.
Secondly, the best kind of sample is something with a high-perceived value. Clearly this is tricky to achieve with food samples, but that just goes to prove how hard it is to tick every box.
But value is pretty subjective, so try to think outside the box. If it were lunchtime, a free sample of chocolate cake would be very desirable, so does that mean it has value? Of course it does. And of course, the beauty of all this is that value doesn’t always translate to cost.
In other words, just because giving away samples of chocolate cake has a lot of value for the public, it might not cost you much to execute the strategy. Cakes don’t cost a lot to produce.
As you can see then, the choice of product that you give away is incredibly important. Your sample should be something interesting and worthwhile for your target audience. So, this is where location and branding enter the fray, too.
Sampling works when all the elements come together. It’s having the right product in the right place at the right time.
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.
