Did you know that the average person is estimated to see 6,000 to 10,000 ads per day in 2021? These figures are nearly double 2007. Does this mean that advertising campaigns work?
Well, some of them do, but the sheer number of ads makes it unlikely that all businesses are getting their message across to customers in the manner that they wish. That’s why, as the market gets more and more competitive, it’s important to differentiate yourself from the crowd.
How do you do that? Through street team marketing!
If you have never tried this in your business or you are looking for tips on how to build a street team strategy that beats the rest, keep on reading!
What Is Street Team Marketing?
At its core, street team marketing is when your staff or the team you’ve hired specially for this marketing campaign, go out onto the ‘streets’ or certain events, to do grassroots on-the-ground advertising for your company or one of your products.
Many companies use this guerrilla-style marketing tactic where you go to where your customers live, work, and play. Your street team would go out to high-foot traffic areas in major cities and get your brand directly in front of customers, through various creative means.
The great thing about street team marketing is it’s highly cost-efficient and easy to plan. All you need is a few outgoing and charismatic (this helps a lot) people to go out and hand out coupons, free products, or do surveys on your behalf.
Are you doing a product launch soon? Why not use street team marketing to get your new product in front of customers right from the get-go with free samples or discount codes to an online store?
Maybe you are relaunching your brand with a new look and feel. Consider using street team marketing to get your brand to customers and get their feedback on what they like or don’t like right away.
An advantage of using street team marketing is that you get feedback almost right away, as customers will tell you if they like the free sample or if they think it could use some work. Some people will be polite about it, but most will tell you right to your face if they are not happy.
And who doesn’t love receiving free products from a company that they already know and trust? It’s a win-win situation for all involved so don’t forget to use freebies and incentives.
Some Best Practices for Street Teams To Look Out For
When you are in street team hiring mode, ensure that you hire people who are highly outgoing, who are comfortable having long conversations with strangers about your product, and who isn’t dejected by rejection or pushback.
There are also some best practices to follow when creating your stream team marketing strategy. Let’s look at them below:
Watch Out for Local Bylaws and Holidays
Always be aware of what the local bylaws say about peddling your product or wares (even if free) on busy pedestrian streets. Are they alright with it? Or are you going to end up being asked to leave?
Also, don’t interfere with local festivals or holidays. If your street team is giving away free condoms on a day that’s considered to be a holy day or a religious holiday, it might be a conflict that will not be looked upon well.
Finally, don’t forget to have a backup plan in case mother nature or the local law decides your street team marketing plan won’t be allowed. What is your backup plan in case of inclement weather or other incidentals?
Don’t Be Extremely Salesy With Street Team Marketing
Remember that the goal with street team marketing isn’t to sell your product, but to inform about your product. You can do much more selling once the customer visits your website or watches an advertisement on TV. BUT, your street team is there to build future sales by giving away freebies, discount codes, vouchers, or more.
Always Think Outside the Box
You can get quite creative with street team marketing, so do so. Don’t be rigid about it. If you have no experience with this, consider consulting with an experiential marketing agency for help with your first street team marketing event.
Set Goals and Communicate Them to Your Street Team
Even though your street team will be having fun with their campaign, they are also there to meet certain goals. It could be the number of contacts you have with a customer, the number of freebies handed out, or the number of times a person uses a QR code to visit a webpage during or after the event.
Ensure you communicate your desired goals to your street team, so they can stay on point and not waste their time and your money.
Murphy’s Law Always Applies
‘If something can go wrong, it surely shall,’ Murphy’s Law says. Not to be catastrophic here, but you are dealing with a wide variety of unknown parameters when you send a street team out into the big wide world.
Be prepared for the possibility that things will not work out exactly as you desired. That’s okay. Think on your feet and your street team marketing campaign will do just fine.
When Will Your Company Go On the Street Next?
Now that you know all about street team marketing, you are ready to build your first campaign. Not sure where to begin and feeling a little nervous about the whole shindig? Contact Auctus Agency – experts in experiential event marketing. We would love to build legendary human experiences for your brand that will help activate, engage, and entrance your customers and potential leads.
