Last night I was a bar/brewery for a pr/social media meetup. I love this bar. It has free wireless, good food, great beer and no smoking. It’s a bit of a haul from where I live, but I still make it a point to meet people there, tell people about it, and give them as much business as I can. I am an enthusiastic customer.
Since I’ve been going there, I’ve noticed that they have these really cool stickers with their logo. I have stickers all over my laptop (it’s a geek thing) for companies that I think are cool, know someone there, or was at a launch party or something. Free advertising. Last night I asked how I could get one of their stickers. I was told that they haven’t had them for 2 years or so. PRFAIL!
Here’s an enthusiastic customer, who talks about you and wants to promote your business for free. And you have no way to connect with them. Sure they have tshirts and whatnot – I might get one sometime, but a sticker is actually better promotion for them. I travel just about everywhere with my laptop. It’s highly visible. I even put some stickers on the inside of my rear window of my car. Stickers cost you want to have around? Maybe $100 for 100 or 200? How much does it cost you in the missed opportunity to have someone get your name out there? If you’re not willing to shell out the dough to have swag around, you might consider using a service like Zazzle where you design the products and then people can use their website to buy them (and have them shipped, etc.).
I’m not saying you have to have stickers. Stickers might not work for your brand or product. But you need to help the people who want to get your word out.
A free sticker probably isn’t too much to ask.
Technorati tags: pr, public relations, brand, marketing, branding, brand strategy, business, reputation, brand management
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