There was a pull at our office door earlier today. It was quickly followed by the peaking of a head through our window and me realizing there was a Domino’s delivery person at our front door. My mind was quickly perplexed. Typically I am the one who orders for our company luncheons, or I am at least aware of it, and I had no idea who or what this order was for. Naturally, my first question (of course, that is after saying hello) was who is this delivery for? The woman quickly responded with, “It’s a Free Delivery.” I wasn’t quite sure why she was bringing us a free delivery but welcomed her in from the hot Texas heat. She informed me they were brought by a complimentary pasta bowl for us to share amongst our office staff. She even gave us a variety of flavor choices to choose from. A handful of coupons were also left on my desk. This was a nice gesture and much appreciate by our office.
This event inspired my blog post for today. It was a fairly clever marketing tactic – give something away for free and draw in new customers. This is often used by many companies, and to be honest, it had a nice effect on me. Not only did the smell of pizza flood our office and make our stomachs growl, but it left me with a nice feeling about our neighborhood Domino’s. Honestly, I have to admit the next time we order pizza, I’ll probably drop their name in the hat. I certainly can’t remember the last time I got something free from another chain pizza place, so it was refreshing to see this store step up to the plate.
How does this translate into marketing for your business? It shows if you give a dog a bone, s/he might just take it. Often giving away something inexpensive, yet tangible (and meaningful) to your clients (or potential ones) as a “free gift” can put an extra plus next to your name. Plus, personally delivering a freebie is another chance for you to put yourself (and therefore, your company) in front of your audience. It is a lot harder to refuse or not pay attention when someone is standing right in front of you. Sure Domino’s could have mailed our office some coupons for cheap pizza, and as the office manager, I would have noted that we received them and placed them into my big folder of special offers and coupons. However, I probably wouldn’t have paid it much attention and would have eventually forgotten they were even there. Instead, I’ve smelled their food, I’ve been greeted by a friendly employee, and have had a real interaction with them. The personal visit is much more memorable.
The moral of today’s story is to make yourself memorable and stand out from the crowd. It can be a personalized visit to a customer (or potential one) or a freebie to the same group of people. You can even do BOTH. Whatever marketing route you take, make sure to make the most of it and leave a lasting impression.
