USBs as a Sales Vehicle

August 29, 2008

If I could sell you a brand new £50 note, for the bargain price of £20, you’d bite my hand off, wouldn’t you?
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Well, I can. Sort of…
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You see, USB Sticks aren’t just a way to keep your customers happy, to build or sustain your brand image or get a new product out there. They can also drive sales. And of course, more sales means more money.
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Why not try offering a free USB Stick with every order over £50 this month? Or a free USB Stick if you reccomend a friend and they in turn spend over £50? Perhaps you could offer a range of incentives, matching memory size to the amount spent? Stand out from the crowd by using promotional gifts in a different way, to actually increase the bottom line now, rather than just building for the future.

Of course, the question has to be “Will offering a free USB Stick make my customer spend more than they usually would? Or spend money when they’d usually wouldn’t?”
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To answer the first part, I have four words for you. Amazon Super Saver Delivery. How often have you wanted a £5 book, but ended up spending £15 just to qualify for the chance to have it delivered free? The answer for me has to be “More often than I’d admit”. Now if they can make someone treble their spending to qualify for a £2 saving, what could a USB Stick make someone spend? Far more than it would cost you to buy it in, I’d wager.
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As for the second part, how often have you been browsing through a catalogue, walking down the high street or surfing the internet, not intent on buying anything, when the offer of a free muffin with every coffee, a free cookie with every sub of the day or free songs with the latest Ipod has drawn you in?
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Meanwhile, even the customers that would have bought enough to qualify for the free USB Stick aren’t a loss. After all, it’s still going to build their loyalty to you, make them feel appretiated, and acts as a brilliant way to deliver a new catalogue or showcase a new product launch to them by additionally preloading something onto the sticks.
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USB Sticks really are win-win.

USB Catalogue

One thing we have a lot of in this office is USB Sticks. However, most of them are our own. The other thing we have a lot of is catalogues, none of which are ours. So, what’s the difference?

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Well, for one thing, catalogues are generally 30CM long, 20cm wide and… Wait, maybe that’s a bit too obvious? What’s not so obvious may be the difference they can make to your business.

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What do you do when you receive a new catalogue? Personally, I have a very clever filing system. The ones that look sort of interesting go into the bottom draw, until I finally get around to cleaning it out. One or two superb ones may make it onto my desk, to eventually be glanced at when bored. The others go straight in the bin.

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Now, compare that to a USB Drive. Who would throw a USB Drive in the bin? The first thing you do is plug it in, che3ck the memory, and have a browse through what’s on it. Then it goes on the keyring, in the pocket or next to the monitor. It’s prime advertising real estate, right there on your best prospect’s desk, on his keys, or in her purse. Where else would you want your name? Not only that, but your catalogue is also there, weightlessly sitting in their pocket, by their side, or more often than not, plugged into their computer. With it around, all the time, you can be sure it’ll be in reach if they ever need anything. You can also be fairly sure they will have at least browsed through it once. Curiosity killed the cat, but it also led them to open that .pdf on the stick and have at least a quick look through.

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So, where do you want your logo? Decorating their bin or sitting on their desk for all to see?

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