This is in the days of Videos, not DVDs. This guy offered vacuum cleaners and air purifiers. I've watched this idea succeed with both..but let's use the air purifiers.
He would put an ad in the newspaper describing how the interior air pollution was approximately five times as bad as the exterior air pollution. He offered a free video, and gave that videotape a price of $89.95
The advertisement said something similar to "Stop in to pick up your free videotape "How To Immediately Make Your Indoor Air Clean And So Fresh It Will Make Your Nostrils Tingle!".
His first few advertisements said that he would send them the video. He did, and practically no one that viewed the videotape came in the business. Something was wrong. Finally he realized that the video was answering the consumer's needs, and there was no need to come in the retail store.
So here is the breakthrough; He said, in the advertisement, to come in the business and get the video.
As expected, the only people coming in to pick up the video were people who were interested in how to clean their indoor air. These ended up being consumers who had a predicament, typically caused by pet or smoke odors, and wanted their trouble solved as soon as workable.
So they came in to grab the videotape. The salesperson (sometimes me) explained to them that they could have the videotape, but could we ask a couple of quick questions first. The reply was nearly always "Yes".
You see, almost nobody really came in because what they wanted was another videotape. What the customers wanted was to resolve their problem. So we would find it very comfortable to simply answer their questions, find the correct answer for them, and send the best product home with them for a no risk two week test.
If the air purifier wasn't all they wanted, they could return it within two weeks for a full refund. Seventy five percent of the consumers kept the air purifier.
But they wouldn't have come in the business unless we offered the free videotape.
Certainly, if they requested, we gave them the video...irrespective of whether they bought from us or not. They were duplicated in quantity for less than $2.00 each.
We ran the identical ad, offering the free videotape, for over a year. It was the single most effective marketing plan that we carried out that year. That year my friend essentially sold more air purifiers that he gave away videos. It's because the video isn't actually what the customers wanted. It was a solution to their troubles that they wanted.
So the formula is: Offer a free DVD (now) on a problem that genuinely bothers a number of of your local market. Make certain you have a great solution to that problem. Make certain the prospects have to come in to get the DVD. You can also deliver the DVD. But in no way mail it, or you will lose the customer.
This idea will work in virtually any small business, even yours.
That's it for right now
Author Resource:
Small Business Advertising and Local Marketing expert Claude Whitacre is author of the book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual. You can purchase the book for $19.95 at http://www.claudewhitacre.com. You can also download your Free copy of the complete book at http://local-small-business-advertising-marketing-book.com
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")