For an ice cream lover yesterday was a good day. For someone looking for a textbook case study in marketing mastery, it was a great day.
If you don’t live two blocks from a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream location like I do you may have missed what all the hub-bub as about. It turns out that every April the good folks and Ben & Jerry’s give out a free scoop of ice cream to anyone that comes through the door. Awesome!
But they didn’t stop there, they also gave every individual a coupon for 10% off…not 10% off their next purchase, or 10% off until next week…we all got 10% every single purchase for an entire year! Double awesome!
It was the combination of Ben & Jerry’s “Giveaway and Get’em Back” that leads us to today’s topic, and a super powerful marketing combination.
First the Giveaway
Ben & Jerry’s knows they have a great product. The only thing they have to do is to get you to know that. What’s the easiest way to turn your customers onto your great product and service? Give it to them!
If you believe you have a product that people will fall in love with, or a service that people can’t live without – get out there and start giving it away! This is a tough step for some businesses, they feel like all those giveaways are lost income or just another expense. Flip the thinking – look at your giveaway as the marketing tool it is.
Tips for a Successful Giveaway
- Have a great product/service!
- There is no sense in giving away an adequate product, or a service that is just good enough. We (customers) can get enough of that almost anywhere.
- Really give it away
- Not a small sample, or a discount. Don’t go cheap here. Ben & Jerry’s gave out a full sized scoop of any ice cream they serve, in a cup or a cone. They want you experiencing the whole product-give your customers the same.
- Be enthusiastic about your giving away the house
- The more excited you are to get your product into your customers hands the more enthusiastic they will be about receiving it, and the more they will talk it up with everyone they know.
- Treat it as opportunity, not expense
- Everything you give away is marketing. It’s guaranteeing you’ll get more business – if your product/service a great as you think it is.
Now the Get’em Back
Once you’ve got your stellar product in the hands of your consumer don’t stop there. In order to properly deliver the marketing knockout you’ve got to do something to get them back.
Having a product they love, or the service that is a life saver, is step one. That is enough to get them thinking about coming back to you time and again. But don’t leave it up to chance, with your giveaway incorporate a “Get'em back”.
What was Ben & Jerry’s Get’em back? The simple coupon, good for 10% off for a year. As I was standing there eating free ice cream they gave me a not so gentle reminder that they’d like to see me again, and they made it worth my while to stop back by.
The “Get’em back” tactic you use will vary based on your business, but to see maximum results you need to tell the customers you want their business. Don’t leave it up to chance.
Tips for a Successful Get’em Back
- Go as big as you can
- I wouldn’t be talking about this if Ben & Jerry’s gave me 10% off my next purchase, that’s ordinary. What they did by extending the offer a year is extraordinary.
- Make it easy
- No hoops to jump through. Nothing to fill out, no forms to send in, your goal is to get them back in your shop and the least amount of steps they have to take the more likely you’ll see them again.
- Also make the deal easy to communicate. They should be able to tell somebody else about you and your offer in a couple seconds, get that word of mouth working for you!
- Ask for their business
- We’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating. Ask your customer to come back. A simple, “come back and see us” may be enough to make you the top of the mind provider.
A Powerful Combination
The Giveaway -Get'em Back strategy is an extremely powerful combination. First you seed your target market with your products and/or services then you make it worth their while to come back and see you. It works because they get to touch/see/feel what you do, become familiar with you, and they have the not so subtle reminder they should come back to you again and again. If you this right it can become your most effective form of marketing. Happy consumers, with an incentive to come back, all the while spreading the word for you. It doesn't get better than that.
Can’t visit Small Biz Bee on a regular basis? You can stay up to date by having the latest Small Biz Bee news delivered to you for free via RSS or Email.
For exclusive Small Biz Bee content and offers, sign up for our free newsletter:
Similar Posts:
- Just Give Them The Pickle!
- Can Your Business Compete?
- 5 Ways to Boost Your Business Today
- 5 Biggest Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make
- What Gates & Seinfeld Can Teach You About Marketing
{ 1 trackback }
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
There is a concept about the best way to receive more is to give more. If you have he mindset of abundance, that you already have more than enough and you can give freely and openly, then more of what you are seeking will come your way.
I kinda believe that.
So now I’m curious Matt.
What’s your favorite flavor?
George
This is definitely a marketing strategy that works. My college age niece and her friends were all talking about this giveaway the other day. It is great marketing strategy, and you are right, if it wasn’t a remarkable offer, it wouldn’t be talked about.
@Tumblemoose
Chocolate chip cookie dough (I know me and the 8 year olds are in line for that one), or anything with chocolate usually gets my attention.
Matt
Gosh, I didn’t realize how brilliant I was being. Yes I believe “Give it Away” works. I have a book that has become quite a best seller in my neighborhood. It is a 365 day devotional for someone who has suffered a loss. I first gave it away to a customer who was not looking for anything like it but I felt she needed it. She came back and told me how much she appreciated it. Then she came back and bought one for a friend. This hasn’t happened just once. Every customer I have given it to has come back and bought at least one more. It’s like “buy one get one free” except reversed. We think nothing of doing “buy one get one free” so why not “give one free – sell lots more repeatedly.”