One of our befriended company named Exact Media from Canada has published on its blog the article which totally covers our policy. We discovered the great possibility to share with you the advantages of e-TryVertising basing on this text and our experience.
Let’s start at the beginning. Who did not have the opportunity to try some of the product with sample on the street or in the supermarket. Neesa Rajbhandari, the author of the article, says that if she would have never tried one of the sample of coffee beans she would never buy it in the shop and stick to her regular roast.
“That little conversion probably didn’t affect the brand much, but if this sample distribution is scaled 100,000 times, it has a potential to affect brand’s sales significantly.” – she wrote. We totally agree with this hypothesis. Conducted over 30 campaigns of e-TryVertising it has been noticed that the more you give, the more you gain.
Below are 6 steps how to running a strong sampling campaign so you can take advantage of the power of sampling because there are a lot to take.
1.Have some awesome samples/paper inserts to present to the world
“The first decision which you have to make is choosing the form of communication. If it will be sample and/or leaflet with eye catching graphic.” Let’s take The Natural of Mondelez as an example here. The sample of sweet candies was branded in a very clear and visible way. The consumer may try the product and share it with friends. For leaflet, which might be also a coupon, there is a clear copy and strong call to action “Buon sconto di 0,50 €” with graphics that show off the product. “Make sure to include a powerful, relevant consumer claim for maximum impact.”
2. Find the best distribution method
“Once you have your demographic target, sample volume, and budget locked for a sampling campaign, you want to find the best way to share your sample with the right audience. Whether it’s an event, a retailer, or something else, you should identify the best way to reach your ideal buyers.” The distribution method chose by Mondelez was e-commerce market connected with e-TrVertising. For Mondelez the target was kids & family choosing precisely with the strategic shops online having this group of clients as its own.
“Remember, focusing on specifics like gender, age, and lifestyle will help you get the best trial and conversion.”
3. Dress it up
“Package your sample to align with your campaign goals. Would clear plastic overwrap look best? Maybe you’d like to use a carton box?” Mondelez chose a transparent foil to pack the sample of the sweets with a call to action leaflet. “Figure out what your target audience would most like to see, and make sure that your packaging matches your distribution method.”
4. Smart logistic
This is a very important condition to make your campaign happen in successful way. It means your client receives the pack on time with a nice and enjoyable packaging. Firstly, after setting up the strategic plan and choosing the best distributor, send your products (sample, coupons, leaflet, etc.) to him. “From there, your sample will be sent to the appropriate retailer, and then given to your audience. An ecommerce distribution method offers more control over who receives your sample, but an event can also help you reach your customers.” Below you can see the photos from campaign of Mondelez – The Natural, how the insertion of the communication supposed look.
5. Shock your audience – WOW effect!
Here’s an example of how an ecommerce program might work:
Linda orders a gift for their children at her favorite online retailer. A few days later, she receives a parcel with her products, and surprise, a small pack of sweets of The Natural for their children! Linda also realizes that she has a chance to get the product 50% cheaper than usual, so she goes to the supermarket and finally buy the product. Brings the role Try before you buy into lives’ of our consumers.
The last part and my favorite is: we receive comments from the consumers ranging from “I loved the free sample” to “This was my favorite experience of the order I received” and “I am planning to buy a full-sized product thanks to the sample I tried”. Pretty cool, right?
These free samples are definitely loved by consumers and bring lots of smiles to a surprised and delighted audience. That’s one simple way to make this world a better place – by making of all these people smile a bit more.
6. Review the campaign results
“We’re big believers in data and recommend performing a review of the campaign results at the end of your program. Depending on your goals, you can focus on trial, sending DEM, conversion, reviews, or a combination of metrics.”
“At the end of every campaign, we collect data that consumers submitted via our surveys that were sent along with the samples.” Of course all of the collected data are confidential and anonymous. Let’s back to the Mondelez and the campaign with The Natural. In this case we conducted an e-survey post campaign to examine customer feedback. The results were very satisfying and shows the great potential of e-TryVertising as a media. The methods of measuring the feedback depend on your strategy and goals of the campaign. Remember, ecommerce give you the chance to do it but you need to use it.
And that’s it. That’s how you run a sampling campaign. It’s a very simple and easy process that has the potential to greatly impact your brand.
Source: https://exactmedia.io/how-to-run-a-sampling-campaign/?platform=hootsuite