Small and Mighty

Marketers don’t need research and focus groups to tell them that consumers love samples (especially when they’re free). Providing your customers – or potential customers – with a sample is an opportunity to engage them with your brand. Brady Communications has a lot of experience creating sample-size packages for clients, so here’s a few tips to help ensure your next sample package, no matter the size, will be a huge success.

1. Maintain brand consistency

You want your sample packaging to carry the full weight of your brand. Make it easy for customers to translate the sample they receive to the full-size product they will see on the shelf.

Brady Communications helped PPG create paint and stain sample packets for their Olympic Maximum line of products. The samples were, naturally, much smaller than the actual product, but the labeling and packaging design were identical. This consistency made it easy for the customer to return to the store with their samples and find the full-size product they wanted.

2. Provide a clear next step or call to action

Make it simple for recipients to keep up with your brand after they use the sample. Packaging should provide a clear next step or a call to action that lets them know what to do next. Many sample packages include a coupon for their next purchase of the product.

Brady Communications partnered with Del Monte Foods to reach out to customers after the rebranding of 9Lives cat food. The sample looked exactly like a full-size product, included a coupon and was reinforced with a call to action that encouraged customers to pick up the product at the store.

3. If it’s going in the mail, think ahead of time about the restrictions

The 9Lives sample was also a direct mail promotion. Direct mail can be a great way to surprise consumers whose mail is overridden with bills and other undesired information. Receiving something in the mail that you actually want to use can make a big impact, but there are a lot of things to keep in mind when it comes to direct mail. Size and weight restrictions, of course, limit your options and are the primary contributor to the cost of your mailing.

4. Play up the novelty

While being consistent is important, you should also keep in mind that samples (and their packaging) are supposed to be a unique (and even fun) experience for consumers. A sample provides consumers with an exclusive “inside look” at what the product is all about – without having to commit to a full-size version.

Take advantage of this idea by playing up the novelty of a sample. No matter the product, you can always use samples to give the audience an intriguing interaction with your brand. Brady Communications did just that for PPG, creating a sample kit for anti-slip safety flooring. The kit provided valuable information about the flooring options, but also included removable samples of each product that were built into the kit. Potential buyers could remove the samples from the kit, feel the texture, and see the specifications all at the same time. The interactivity is a great experience for customers who may be making a big purchase. And we’ll admit, it’s kind of fun, too!