Marketers have been painfully aware of the decreasing effectiveness of mass media over the last several years. More and more consumers are tuning out traditional media outlets such as TV, Radio and Outdoor. This, in turn, makes our jobs harder year after year. The bad news is, there’s no indication that this trend is projected to change. The good news is, there are new and more cost effective alternatives out there.Alternative media getting a second look from large and small marketers alike include one-to-one and guerilla marketing. Not only are these new media cost effective and quantifiable, year after year increases in total marketing dollars spent on them indicate they are working.
A relatively new tactic called street teams, or the practice of hiring a small army of brand ambassadors to blanket a city or event, is proving to be an effective way to give your brand a face and establishing a relationship with your target market. Typically, street teams offer incentives to passers-by to interact with them (and your brand). These incentives consist of related merchandise with your logo or a free product sample. This type of one-to-one interaction breaks through the awareness barrier in a way traditional media can’t.
Here are a few tips to make your street teams more effective:
Deploy your street teams where your target is most concentrated. If you’re a B2B company, you might want to leverage this tactic at industry events and conventions. You may also consider a “pull strategy.” This is the practice of generating demand for your product or service by driving your prospects’ customers to request your product or service from your prospects.
Street teams promoting consumer brands might want to locate where buying decisions are made, like the mall.
Choose the right incentives. Brochures and flyers often end up on the ground as trash. Incentives with high perceived value are more likely to be taken home and used – exposing prospects to your logo many times.
Include a call to action. Remember, an incentive is just a giveaway if it doesn’t include a call to action. Whether it’s a drive to web or a coupon, getting your target to take the next step is an important way to increase the effectiveness of your advertising dollar.
Hire the right brand ambassadors. Hiring people that will represent your brand in a positive light is paramount. Positive and outgoing people make the best ambassadors. Choose people who personify what your brand stands for. If your brand is hip and stylish, your representatives should be too.
Have Fun! Fun and excitement is infectious. The most effective teams have the most fun!
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