Mrs. Fields Cookies grew from one location to 160 stores and $45 million in sales in seven short years. The marketing campaign that drew customers to Mrs. Fields stores consisted of simply going out into the streets with trays of free cookies for people to sample. Consider these guidelines when developing your sampling campaign.

1.) Good is not good enough. Make sure your samples or free trials deliver the best possible experience. Make certain that your staff is trained to deliver, and that the sampled product meets your quality standards before you launch your campaign.

2.) If possible, take your samples to the streets. Reach out and touch your prospects with a smile and a great sample, along with a card or coupon to tell them where you are and invite them to come in to buy.

3.) Can you find cross-sampling partners? These are partners who will distribute your free samples or vouchers in return for you doing the same for them. Both parties can generate goodwill by “giving something for nothing”, and build upon each other’s traffic.

4.) Advertise. Don’t keep your free offers or samples a secret. Free is one of the most powerful words in advertising.

5.) Build a database. Try to capture the contact data of those you give free samples to. Permission-based marketing strategies will ensure you keep them coming back for more.

6.) Prequalify your prospects. Car dealers can pre-approve financing before they give the free test drive, and you can make certain that the people you give samples to are within your target demographic.

7.)  Go where the customers are. If your customers are at the fair or the hockey game, be there with your samples.

8.) Capture customer comments. Take photos or videos for your website, and capture customer comments you can use in your advertising when you delight them with free samples.

 

We are experts at helping businesses like yours organize and promote relevant and targeted events to generate psychological reciprocity with your prospects. At Titan Broadcasting and Digital Group, we believe our responsive, on-going communication with our clients is one of the biggest reasons why our partnerships are so successful. Whenever you need us, we’ll be there by your side to answer your questions and help your business grow in any way we can! www.titanburlington.com/contact-us/