One of the best ways to grab somebody’s attention, is to give them something. It can, but doesn’t have to be physical. There are even more skilled, higher-level ways of incorporating this concept into your strategy. Below, embrace the power of asking not what your consumer can do for you, but what you can do for your consumer.
Literally Give Your Product Away
Perhaps the simplest way to employ this mentality, is to offer first purchase incentives. Rebates, reimbursement, coupons—literally just handing (or sending) someone a free sample. You want somebody to try your product? Give it to them. If you’re so confident it’s the best; they’ll buy it again and again.
The level to which you give it away depends on the price of your product, your margins, and your consumer/product lifecycles. How often does someone usually need or want to purchase your product? Will enough of them do so, in a timely enough manor, to recoup enough of your investment? If not, don’t fret. There are other ways to consider giving something to your audience.
Provide Resources
If the price of your product, or your integrity, is too high to simply give your stuff away; explore ways in which you could give information, education, and other relevant resources to your audience. This type of giving still grabs the attention of your audience, and can be equally as directive.
Perhaps you develop a mobile app that helps a consumer keep track of some metric, or that simplifies some process. This app should be branded, and can provide opportunity for purchase, but should not require it. By preemptively giving consumers an opportunity to interact with, benefit from, and develop trust in your brand; they’ll be more likely to purchase from you when in the market.
Even just providing a helpful tip or interesting fact in your commercial, print ad, or social media. This can get the consumer to think about your product, service, or brand in a different way. They may even share the tip, or fun fact, with family and friends. Again, you’re establishing a sense of trust and developing a relationship with your consumer—before they become a customer.
A Sense of Pride & Community
The most successful brands provide more than a product or service. They offer their customer a sense of pride, and a feeling that they’ve joined a community. Rather than just receiving the immediate benefit of a particular product or service, well-developed brands provide a continued stimulation throughout the lifecycle of their products and services.
This is achieved through continued investment into your brand. This means ensuring your products and services stay top of the line, remain ethically sourced, and that you continue to develop and expand your brand’s identity. By establishing, and using your brand’s voice. By providing unique experiences. By giving back to the communities you employ, exist among, and most importantly: disrupt.
It seems like every quarter, consumers become more and more focused on the causes the brands they purchase from care about and contribute to. And with more severity, the ones they ignore.
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What are some ways in which you’ve seen this sentiment successfully employed? Let’s figure out a way for you to try it out, today!
Ethan Olkovikas, Creative. 