To grow our brand into millions of homes, we gave away 100,000+ free products.
Simply put, sampling is HUGELY underleveraged, and commonly more effective than traditional advertising.
Here’s how the best in the biz strategize to get their products into the right hands. 🧵
Simply put, sampling is HUGELY underleveraged, and commonly more effective than traditional advertising.
Here’s how the best in the biz strategize to get their products into the right hands. 🧵
The Power of Sampling
-Sampling to the right people unlocks EXPONENTIAL value—retail placements, virality, user generated content, & more
-Customer loyalty skyrockets because recipients feel valued and grateful
-Sampling within communities unlocks organic buzz and word of mouth
-Sampling to the right people unlocks EXPONENTIAL value—retail placements, virality, user generated content, & more
-Customer loyalty skyrockets because recipients feel valued and grateful
-Sampling within communities unlocks organic buzz and word of mouth
Your VIP List
-If anyone could try your product, who would you send it to?
-Make a list across press, celebrities, and industry influencers—go big and don’t hold back
-Do it in waves—the more clustered your samplings, the more clustered your conversations
-If anyone could try your product, who would you send it to?
-Make a list across press, celebrities, and industry influencers—go big and don’t hold back
-Do it in waves—the more clustered your samplings, the more clustered your conversations
Ship it Cold to VIPs
If DMs fail, ship to whatever address you can surface on Google. Slap ATTN: Talent manager/beauty editor/VC partner/category manager/etc on there and cross your fingers
The majority of these will fail but the ones that work will make up for that in spades
If DMs fail, ship to whatever address you can surface on Google. Slap ATTN: Talent manager/beauty editor/VC partner/category manager/etc on there and cross your fingers
The majority of these will fail but the ones that work will make up for that in spades
Trade Shows
The most valuable place you can ever sample is a trade show. It will unlock retail accounts, suppliers, brokers, and a host of support you didn’t even realize your business needed. Sampling at trade shows is the best way to 10x your professional network. Period.
The most valuable place you can ever sample is a trade show. It will unlock retail accounts, suppliers, brokers, and a host of support you didn’t even realize your business needed. Sampling at trade shows is the best way to 10x your professional network. Period.
Other Valuable Sampling Audiences
-Journalists and editors
-Subscription boxes
-Talent managers
-Brand partners
-Retail partners
-Industry icons
-Communities
-Influencers
-Publishers
-Athletes
-Funders
Be relentless. Sample to every niche.
-Journalists and editors
-Subscription boxes
-Talent managers
-Brand partners
-Retail partners
-Industry icons
-Communities
-Influencers
-Publishers
-Athletes
-Funders
Be relentless. Sample to every niche.
Cost-Effective Acquisition
Your product is the best, right? Skip the song and dance and sample directly to your target audience, creating repeat customers. It’s better than spending $30 to acquire them via Facebook ads.
Don’t dump all your marketing $$$ into paid social.
Your product is the best, right? Skip the song and dance and sample directly to your target audience, creating repeat customers. It’s better than spending $30 to acquire them via Facebook ads.
Don’t dump all your marketing $$$ into paid social.
The Art of Sampling
-Design the experience to be sharable
-Give tips and context about the best ways to use the product
-Incentivize posting on social media (UGC goldmine)
-Monitor cohort retention data
-Include an affiliate program
-Collect reviews
-Design the experience to be sharable
-Give tips and context about the best ways to use the product
-Incentivize posting on social media (UGC goldmine)
-Monitor cohort retention data
-Include an affiliate program
-Collect reviews
Don’t Miss the Follow-Up
-Engage the customer for open-ended feedback about their experience
-Survey them with quantifiable metrics
-Recycle this data into a product dev feedback flywheel
-Track the customer’s future purchase behavior
-Reward top customers for spreading the word
-Engage the customer for open-ended feedback about their experience
-Survey them with quantifiable metrics
-Recycle this data into a product dev feedback flywheel
-Track the customer’s future purchase behavior
-Reward top customers for spreading the word
Bottom line:
If you believe in your product’s ability to wow and retain customers, sampling will be one of your most efficient marketing channels, spurring brand loyalty and activating brand community along the way—leaving you less dependent on erratic paid advertising channels.
If you believe in your product’s ability to wow and retain customers, sampling will be one of your most efficient marketing channels, spurring brand loyalty and activating brand community along the way—leaving you less dependent on erratic paid advertising channels.
If you liked this thread, follow me @chriscantino for more marketing insights and mental models to scale your startup and career. ✌️
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