[Welcome back to our Word of Mouth Marketing Lessons newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using this handy form.]
Swag is a great opportunity for word of mouth. The more stuff you put in your fans’ hands to pass around and give away, the more opportunities they have to start great conversations.
Here are some ways you can get the most out of the stuff you give away:
1. Bring your stuff to them
2. Give them something they actually want
3. Don’t give your swag to just anyone
1. Bring your stuff to them
If you’re trying to get out the message about your stuff, you can’t just throw your own party and hope people will come. After all, it’s not about you, it’s about them. Go where your potential fans already are. For example, Red Bull brings their samples to college campuses where students are cramming for exams, and most of the time, they can’t hand them out fast enough.
2. Give them something they actually want
Not everyone wants to wear your logo on a baggy t-shirt, even if you’re giving it away. They’re much more likely to show off your stuff if it means something to them. At our sister company, SocialMedia.org, we turn every business card we receive into a luggage tag and send it back to them with our logo on the back. That’s swag that’s much more meaningful to the person who receives it and something they’ll actually use.
3. Don’t give your swag to just anyone
Rage Against the Haze’s youth movement is for teens and by teens — which is why they actually turned away adults from getting their swag. In fact, not everyone could grab a t-shirt off their event table — they only gave their stuff away to teens who interacted with them. For example, a handshake translated to a wristband and deeper conversations brought out more valuable stuff. Now their swag has created a much bigger opportunity to make that great first impression people will actually remember.
