Sample, Sample and Sample some more!

You’ve created an amazing, potentially game changing product – nice one!
But how do you get everyone else to understand how good it is?

You show them…by putting it directly into their hands.

Everyone loves a freebie, and the stats back it up. 82% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product they’ve sampled first-hand – that’s a pretty astounding statistic.

Here are a few more reasons why getting your feet on the ground and your product in consumers’ hands is so important for start-up and scale-up brands…

Raising brand awareness

For any brand, trial and awareness is key.
Sampling increases your brand visibility and drives awareness before consumers even get to your online shop or reach your product on shelf.

Building trust

Sampling demonstrates that your product is delivering on what it promises – which in turn builds trust.
This trust is strongest when the sampling team also truly represent your brand values. So, if you’re not doing it yourself then training the team to embody your brand and communicate its key messages is vital.

Word of mouth

Brand exposure doesn’t stop with the sampling, it comes hand-in-hand with word of mouth.
A survey by Nielsen found that 59% of consumers are likely to tell others about new products they’ve experienced. After all, if something unexpected brightens our day, we want to tell people about it.

Immediate feedback

Especially in the early days of a brand, consumer feedback can be key. If your sampling is getting lots of consistently great feedback you can use this to build your case for retailer presentations. And even negative feedback can be beneficial – you have the chance to change things before they become a bigger deal.

Conversion power

Research has shown that around 70% of people who try a sample, end up purchasing the product straight after – and you can’t argue with results like that!

REMEMBER

Sampling will only work if targeted at the right audience and in the right location where footfall is high. Sampling is a numbers game – the more consumers you can reach, the bigger circle of influence you’ll have.

We know as a founder you’ve got a lot of plates to juggle, and you can of course, outsource sampling – BUT feedback we’ve been given from founders of start-up and scale-up brands is that getting yourself out there with your products is such a valuable experience– ultimately, you’re the best person to sell your brand.

Sampling is such a powerful marketing tool. Combined with a great tasting product, a memorable brand identity and engaging packaging design – it will start to sell itself!