Give Free Samples and Expect Sales

Give Free Samples and Expect an Increase in Sales:

Companies offer free samples as one way of building their brand and product awareness. Building a brand requires the potential customers to become familiar with the company's products. One of the many ways to create familiarity is to give away free samples to anyone who wants one.

If a customer likes the sample you provide, they may mention it to their friends who in turn will mention it to others. Marketers know that recommendations from friends are one of the best marketing tools.

Another benefit of giving away free samples is that it provides an opportunity to collect a potential customer's contact information (i.e. address, phone number, email, and demographic information) in exchange for the sample. Online marketers know that most of the requests for the sample will have to be shipped to the potential client, which will allow for the collection of shipping information. For business startups, the mailing list and customer database that you'll build while sending out free samples is a valuable resource.

Whether your business is online or brick-and-mortar, offering free samples is a great way to attract potential new customers or increase sales.  Here are some reasons why a small business owner would consider sampling as a marketing strategy:

10 Reasons to Offer Samples:

1. Introduce a new product.
2. Attract new customers to your store or website.
3. Get existing customers to try a new or different product or service.
4. Collect potential customers' contact information.
5. Clear out old inventory or stock.
6. Entice a customer to buy something else.
7. Reward a customer with a bonus or show appreciation.
8. Get feedback or comments.
9. Get repeat business.
10. Advertise your brand (with logo-imprinted products).

Types of Inexpensive Free Samples:

If you're on a budget like most small businesses, the idea of offering a free sample can be scary. Remember that you don't have to "give away the farm" to offer an effective sample campaign! Here are some things that you can give away that won't cost you too much:

1. Coupon or discount.
2. E-newsletter subscription.
3. Free online course or electronic guide/document.
4. Supplier-provided (or subsidized) merchandise.
5. Clearance or unwanted items.
6. Part of a set, which is likely to make the customer want the other parts.

If you're going to offer something for free, keep in mind that you're bound to attract a few not-so-serious "freebie" lovers. While you want to make access to your products easy for real potential customers, a few precautions will help you keep your sanity when doing a free promotion:

1. Set some limitations, like a number of free samples per person or per person, a time limit on the giveaway, and a maximum number of items that you will give away.
2. Collect some information, or require a step or two to get the free sample.
3. Setup a separate e-mail for the free sample (so spam requests don't clog up your everyday inbox).
4. Create marketing literature and a selling/contact plan ahead of time so that when requests stream in, the process for filling them is easy.
5. Set up auto-responders!

If the cost of free samples seems too risky for you, consider a "free trial period" or collect a small shipping fee to help cover costs. Collecting payment information in case samples are not returned is a smart idea for small business owners with higher-priced products or services. 

Make sure you've considered your terms ahead of time, and that the potential customer response/return fits the avenue you've chosen for a free offer.

 

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What's Next

Next in This Guide
Part 21:
Getting Endorsements - Endorsements for your small business are easy to obtain, and provide a company with credibility to bolster your marketing campaign.

Previous In This guide
Part 19:
Have a Grand Opening - Don't enter the commercial world quietly—make some noise by hosting a grand opening for your small business, and take advantage of the benefits.

Table of Contents
Street Smart Guide to Small Business Marketing

 

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