This post may be useful for everyone who is interested in marketing but without any first hand experience, as I attempt to list down some observations and experiences from a recent marketing campaign we did at eBZaar. The pros may know this or more 🙂 Disclaimer – this is not at all educational nor does it claim to provide successful marketing tips. Mere interesting observations or experiences. If you learn from it, it is thanks to your Eklavya spirit.
eBZaar.com
eBZaar had a wonderful close to 2015, especially as we had 101 interactions with close to a couple of thousand target customers in the last fortnight of the year. The interactions proved immensely useful – we got valuable insights and we were able to validate some of the assumptions in our business proposition. Even more so, it was our first attempt at running on the ground consumer marketing campaign, thus some of points I am penning down here will act as reminders to us from time to time. These are in no particular order. That I felt nostalgic about this opportunity, doing what I always liked during my growing up years – talk to and help customers shop – was an added bonus in the entire experience.
1. Smile is infectious.
Most people will agree to speak to you when asked to with a smile.
2. Demographic dividend.
India does have a huge demographic dividend and I could feel it in more ways than one when speaking to customers and their families!
3. Husbands still rule.
This is what the women will want you to believe. When you ask for on the spot registration, they quip: will need to ask my husband, we will let you know later. Husband’s will atleast be more direct and say no, will save you from unnecessary expectations 🙂
4. Content Sells.
Whether it is goods stored in a shop or a Content with its new connotation in a digital world, content – by extension ‘quality content’ – always sells.
5. India is huge.
It is huge not only in terms of market size alone. It is huge in terms of distances too :), I remembered my geography lessons, 7th largest country in the world!
6. It pays.
You get some amazing insights amidst customers including what they are ready to pay for. Figure out a solution and it will pay for your effort too. we have got a few and are on the job 🙂
7. It is back breaking.
It can be back breaking in a literal sense. Be fit if you have to interact with 150 or more customers daily for two weeks. Better still, be young 🙂
8. Caffeine helps.
A coffee break with the good old Parle G infuses enough energy to keep you on your feet for the next two hours. Post that, repeat the loop.
9. Social validation matters.
A natural human tendency that was on display, it is easier to talk to the next customer if that next customer saw you talking to some other customer. This next customer is able to derive comfort from the fact that you are talking some sense to the current customer and hence your current customer gave you 2 minutes of his/her time.
10. Improvise. On the Spot.
It is important to think on your feet and improvise. During the campaign we would have improvised our brief pitch about 6/8 times – perhaps more, every little modification aimed at ensuring that we get that one minute of full attention; that the customer remembers our key message and hence gives us their business. We even had a 20 sec pitch for customers who said s/he cannot give us a minute, and we still managed to pass the most important message to them in a short time. Many of them were delighted that what we told them could make potential sense to them.
And before I end, the best part – it gets you an opportunity to meet so many amazing people. A few of them can help move forward our business as well including a digital marketing guy and a handful of tech guys! I am sure next in line would be angels & VCs 🙂
Would like to read about your unique experiences from marketing campaigns, do share in the comments.
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The above article was first published here.