Pic Tip Friday: Samples and try outs

Pic Tip # 13:  Let them try it on.

The Advantage of Hands On Marketing

People like hands on stuff. Look at the Nook vs. the Kindle. You can go to your local Barnes and Noble and try the Nook out. But you have to buy the Kindle on faith. Give the customer a taste, and he's far more likely to crave your product in the future. Just look at Edmund in "The Chronicles of Narnia." He really liked his sweets, didn't he?

What have you done to make your company or product more hands on and interactive? Are samples as effective as they seem?

Create an Event, Attract Customers

A college acquaintance of mine is marketing a game called "Keep It Real." She arranged for it to be a part of a special event at Borders (happening tonight). I thought I'd share the event with you to spark a few ideas.

"Do You Have Game," the event taking place at the Borders in Columbus Circle, will feature a night of fun and games, games like "Keep It Real."

In your marketing, try to think of a creative event like this one, an event that can take place at a recognizable location and can involve something that will attract customers, such as a free product demonstration. In this case, anyone who goes to the well-known, well-placed Borders in Columbus Circle in NYC can play the game "Keep It Real" for free.

And always remember to put your event out for everyone to see. My friend put the game night on Facebook as an event and invited her many friends. She also created a video ad and put it on YouTube.

What are you doing to give customers a fun time? What kind of events do you plan for your business? Is it appropriate and useful to give away free products or to allow customers to experiment with products?