Prelude: The Recap Starting a conversation with people who want to talk is more effective than interrupting strangers that don’t. Conscious marketers engage with people about what they find valuable to then potentially get approval in offering that value. Effective street teams are mobile touch points for customer service at every stage.
It would be hard to keep track of what, when, where, and to who material needs to be distributed without a system. Manage goals for street team marketing strategies by publishing procedures, developing relationships with other businesses, and designing a dashboard. Reaching out to people is more than just sending a message. Collaborating with the right team at the right time pools resources to move projects forward.
Permission Marketing
Do not spend extra resources on ads for people who never care to look at them.
Asking permission to promote instead of just pushing promotions has an advantage of contributing expected, personalized, and useful content to people who care.
Street Team Management
Get in touch each time there is a campaign update. Provide as much information as is relevant: Dos and Don'ts, Links, Graphics, Schedules, and Procedures.
Use an online platform to upload the folders or files needed for documenting all work.
Digital CRM
Email marketing is effective because it is individualized and curated. Schedule regular emails to manage expectations. Offer service before, during, and after marketing.
Share relevant content online. Provide features and benefits of call to actions.
Exposition: Functionality with Street Team Work Online and physical marketing go hand in hand. Direct the project like a play from start to finish. Hire the cast and crew needed to make it all happen. Then either find a script to follow or write a new one.
Act 1: Designing Material Tell people what to do. Presentation of ideas inspires others to act on compatible messages.
Quality Graphics
Give the branding an entrance through aesthetics: art, style, and form.
Relevant Content Motivate with hook plus call to action.
Act 2: Ordering Material Consider all the elements that someone who notices the flyer might see.
Sizes Smaller handbills are easier to distribute to multiple businesses when trying to drop and go. Larger posters allow more visibility, but can be harder to find placement for.
Prints Many companies offer biodegradable inks, UV coats, and matte versus glossy paper for durable material that is weather resistant.
Suppliers Businesses like Rush Flyers offer extremely quick turn around (can be same day with one day shipping if timed right) while ones such as Club Flyers provide more size options.
Quantity The amount will depend on how long it takes for everything to get designed and when it all gets in. Budget is a consideration as well as a goal for how many places to go in a given timeframe. If a campaign is three or four weeks then up to 50 posters and 1,000 handbills are doable. With five to eight weeks or more then numbers could go beyond100 posters and 5,000 handbills.
Plot Twist: Deadlines When promo first comes in it is easy to just start trying to get as much of it out whenever possible. Each campaign needs deadlines to ensure everything is getting distributed in a timely manner. Nothing says develop character more than a schedule of productivity.
Act 3: Distributing Material Longer campaigns have time to hit more places and handle a larger number of material.
Planning Routes Segment locations by target market. It is easier to concentrate on a geographical radius during shorter promotional times. Bigger campaigns allow for more specific audience customization.
Deciding How Much to Leave Most places accept a poster and stack of handbills per ad. If there are multiple spots at a location available for community flyering then leaving more may be appropriate.
Event Pop Ups Only flyer at events when given permission to do so. Stay on brand by providing promo only at related pop ups. Leave material in as many spots as possible and if it comes naturally do some exit flyering such as by the door or bar.
Act 4: Connecting Street Team Work to Sales Goals Street teams have to support relationships and revenue. Once the street team campaign has been set into action, track the return on investment.
Promo Codes Determine how much business a campaign brings in by using specific promo codes for each one if pushing a sale. To compare digital and physical distribution and/or different ads for the same campaign, use a different promo code for each of those too.
Word of Mouth Flyers give people something else to talk about. Ask customers at point of purchase how they found everything and if anyone helped them. Keep a record of any transactions customers credit to promotions or referrals.
Resolution: Go Off Book
Every act has consequences, some intentional and some not. It it is important to be able to improvise to avoid repeating mistakes. Having an outline of ideas that work is useful, but doing the same thing over and over turns thinking about what is best for each campaign into mindless chores.
Asses
Monitor one variable at a time through A/B testing.
Analyze
Pay attention to what placements are getting the best results in the long run.
Adjust
There is always room to improve so keep trying.
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