Street Marketing

Door-to-door salesmen, public festivals, and outdoor events are common places where one can witness street marketing in action. Typically direct mail pieces and flyers are used to catch the attention on consumers and crafty salesmen are in charge of making the sell. Several small business owners participate in street marketing because it gives them a chance to interact with their consumers and they can obtain ideas from the consumers. Most street marketers will offer some type of free gift or free item to interest the consumer to come to their booth and learn more information. Entertainers often attend social events and are given free gift bags filled with cell phones, iPods, and other consumer products. While they may not have direct contact with the company, this is still a form of street marketing.

Traditional street marketing is selling a product to a consumer face-to-face without the use of traditional marketing procedures like direct mail campaigns, television and radio advertisements, and newspaper advertising. Street marketing may be a larger investment, but most companies that successfully participate in street marketing find that it pays off. Sporting events are common arenas for street marketing to occur. Some companies will offer free services like a $50 gas card for participating in an event. The actual team may offer free tickets for cheaper seats to help fill up the venue.

Good street marketing efforts will add a human touch to the campaign. Since most consumers are naturally skeptical of free gifts, good street marketing campaigns help those individuals let down their guard and participate. The best part about street marketing for businesses is that it allows the business to expose itself to a new audience that they might not have been able to reach to begin with.

Other street marketing efforts can be conducted within the walls of the business. Having company pens, key chains, or other promotional products will allow the company to pass out these items when customers come into the store. Even if the person was not a customer, they will most likely use the pen at some point and remember your company. Keeping the company name and image in the mind of the consumer is a key strategy of street marketing.

Most small businesses seek out outdoor festivals or fairs, but if they are not available at the time you want to introduce your product to the public, you need to plan your own event. Invite other small businesses to attend that will help make the event successful. People are always looking for public events to participate in and when promotional items are offered for free the budget-savvy consumer will attend. One company that has mastered street marketing is Mary Kay Cosmetics. This company invites people to attend events held at another individual's home. The people that attend usually are invited to a party with free food and a free facial. Once the guests arrive, the sales representative discusses make-up and other skin-care products and invites the guests to have fun and purchase some make-up. Several Mary Kay Cosmetic representatives host parties with people they know so the guests aren't worried about a pushy sales representative. Street marketing is successful because it allows the sales representative to talk directly to consumers about the product and they do not have to contact the company via telephone or email.

Statistics have shown that consumers receive over 3,500 advertisements each day. Since it is difficult for consumers to sort through the advertisements and truly focus on ones they are interested in, several companies lose potential clients. A street marketing campaign is better than a direct mail piece or even a television commercial, because the company has the full attention of the consumer. The consumer will not be distracted by other advertisements or events because they are talking to the sales representative face-to-face.

The biggest advantage of street marketing is the ability to drive customers to the business establishment that is sponsoring the campaign. Several businesses sponsor local schools that are looking for ways to raise money for certain events. These businesses often offer coupons or other services to help the school raise money and help the business attract new customers. For example, a pizza company could contract with a school to sell take-and-bake pizzas for a discounted price. The customers will look at the package being offered and decide if spending $25 will pay off. The offer could include a booklet of coupons or it could be the price for 5 large pizzas. The average cost of a one-topping pizza is $12.00, so getting 5 pizzas for $25 is a bargain. Since companies have worked out effective marketing strategies like this, they are able to drive customers to their business and help out the local school.

Once the customer has come to the establishment, it is the responsibility of the business to treat this individual good and make sure they want to return to the establishment. There are a few simple steps a business needs to take in order to create an effective street marketing campaign:

Step # 1 - Present an irresistible offer.
Consumers are only interested in street marketing if they think they are getting a "bargain" or a "deal". The most important aspect of street marketing lies in what you are offering the consumer. If you can offer a free product or discount a quality product, they will respond. The best way to create an irresistible offer is to sit down and go through the inventory of all your products. Determine which products can be offered and which ones are considered "add-ons". An "add-on" product can be used as a promotional piece when you are street marketing or it can be offered in addition to another product.

Step # 2 - Sell additional services.
The best street marketing strategies will encourage the customer to purchase additional products. For example, a company that gives away a free car wash when the customer purchases an engine cleaning will force the customer to pay for something in order to get something free. The best way to give away free products is to bundle them with something else. Consumers want to be able to see that they are getting their money's worth when they use their coupons. Small businesses tend to offer "buy one, get one free" deals for street marketing. Most consumers will have no problem paying the retail price for an item if they know they will get an additional item for free.

Step # 3 - Look for fundraisers.
The best way to street market is to combine your offer with a fundraiser. Schools are a great place to target for fundraisers since they allow students to contact potential customers face-to-face. A company will look better because they are donating a portion of their proceeds to the school, so they don't look greedy. The best part about fundraisers is that most people are willing to donate money to a local school, charity, or event. Since it is usually the students that knock on the doors of their neighbors, they have a higher success rate because they aren't contacting strangers. Anything that lowers the barrier and forces an individual to consider purchasing the item is a successful street marketing technique.

Step # 4 - Set Goals.
Another great way to street market is to set goals for the salesmen. Since it is time-consuming and tiring to knock on doors and speak with several potential consumers, street marketers need a way to stay motivated. When the street marketers have goals and expectations to meet, they are more likely to work harder to meet the goals and expectations. Create a grid that shows the performance of the street marketers, any marketer that is on the lower end needs more motivation or they need to move on to another job. Offer rewards to the top-performing street marketers to keep them motivated and to encourage other salesmen to work harder so they can get the reward. Several companies offer free products, vacations, dinners, or even money to their top-performing salesmen.

Utilizing the above methods for a street marketing campaign will help companies find new customers and build upon their reputation in the community. Customers need a reason to visit the business in the first place and they need a reason to come back for more. Offering a great product in the beginning will not only attract new customers to your business, but it hopefully will help them return. Good customer service is essential for businesses that have already targeted the customer. The experience the customer has with the company will force them to want more, or stop them from ever visiting your establishment again.

Always start with the local community when you are street marketing. Once the campaign is successful, you will be able to branch out to a larger audience. The worst decision a company can make is to market outside their market area and spend their marketing budget without seeing a return. Start small and then branch out to a larger audience. Street marketing is a personalized, community effort and will be successful with the right product and the right people.