DON'T LET THE 'FRECES' STINK UP YOUR MARKETING BUDGET
The advent of the internet and social media has proven to be a double-edged sword in the world of sampling. It is true that brands and agencies have many new tools at their disposal to engage their customers, many of which are very effective. That said, the web also makes it too easy for freebie seekers (with no brand loyalty and no intention of ever buying your product) to steal your samples from you. We call these people freces! [For one example of the hundreds of websites these people love, click the red 'freebies' logo to the right!]
Here are some sample distribution techniques that are a great way to stink up your sampling budget, as they invite the involvement of freces:
The advent of the internet and social media has proven to be a double-edged sword in the world of sampling. It is true that brands and agencies have many new tools at their disposal to engage their customers, many of which are very effective. That said, the web also makes it too easy for freebie seekers (with no brand loyalty and no intention of ever buying your product) to steal your samples from you. We call these people freces! [For one example of the hundreds of websites these people love, click the red 'freebies' logo to the right!]
Here are some sample distribution techniques that are a great way to stink up your sampling budget, as they invite the involvement of freces:
- running an ad in a magazine offering a free sample (some freces will see the ad, post the offer on a freebie blog somewhere, and before you know it you'll have 100,000 samples that need to be mailed out one-by-one. Shipping alone will cost you $1 a sample -- there goes $100k, plus your sample cost, in order to reach a very untargeted group of consumers).
- asking people to 'like' your brand on Facebook (yes it may generate a huge response, but the consumers will be coming from freebie websites.....totally untargeted).
- putting an 'ask for a free sample' form on your website (once the freces find it you're in deep doodoo. Be ready to turn off the offer quickly once the volume gets out of hand).
- allowing freces to sign up as 'party throwers' (in this case you are sending an entire box of goodies to someone who wants free stuff!?!?)
In our experience the most important attribute driving effectiveness of a sampling program is the element of surprise. All of the above programs are quite the opposite -- they are public and opt-in, enabling a freces feeding frenzy, infesting your well-intended sampling campaign with vultures who will never payout in an ROI analysis.
We'd love to hear your stories of freces nightmares...please reply to this article with your comments and/or experiences....
We'd love to hear your stories of freces nightmares...please reply to this article with your comments and/or experiences....
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