5 successful field marketing strategies

Sales teams choose field marketing campaigns to interact with the target audience and meet customers face to face. Learn successful field marketing strategies to implement with in-person events.

What is field marketing?

Field marketing is a form of personal experiential marketing where brand representatives have real-time interactions with customers to demonstrate promotion and new products. Field marketing can take place in grocery stores, college campuses, trade fairs, on the sidewalk, anywhere in the “field,” or in public.

Marketing teams may use field marketing strategies to distribute free gifts or samples, share product offerings, and generate direct sales. While sales are the ultimate goal of these marketing initiatives, brand awareness is equally important.

Distribution of marketing materials

Publishing or distributing literature to passers-by is one of the field marketing activities. Create and copy prints with dynamic graphics so people want to know more. Make sure to mention prices and include a call-to-action.

Create a popup

Pop-up events are a form of guerrilla marketing that can effectively attract potential customers. Pop-up or booth events draw attention and invite social media opportunities, helping you control brand awareness and generate buzz.

Set up a table at a trade show

Promotions can be an excellent place for exposure. Find an offering that showcases similar products and get your product in front of customers with unique product demos, presentations, or giveaways.

Try a virtual event

Field marketing generally takes place in general, but field teams can host virtual events to experience product marketing. Webinars with a company’s CEO or other forms of internal reach can attract potential clients with a brand.

Use surveys

For food or other product samples, collect feedback in real-time by asking participants to answer a few quick questions on the spot verbally or by using a tablet for easier metric collection. This engages your customers and allows them to express their opinions.

Advantages of field marketing

There are many benefits to this marketing plan. Field marketing strategies allow your company to:

1. Easily measure return on investment. On the day of field marketing, it is easy to know the number of employees, the number of products brought in, and the number of sales. This can lead to a more meaningful measure of return on investment (ROI) and can help you more quickly identify areas or zip codes that sell your products.
2. Get feedback in real-time. While engaging with customers in person, you can invite responses or feedback on your product or service, giving you greater insight into how your customers think and feel.
3. Meet the target market. By studying where your target audience lives and their stores, you can strategize where you plan to market to them and build new connections through chats, sampling, and demos.
4. Spreading brand awareness. Getting your brand in front of customers will make them more likely to be remembered. If the customer experience is positive, they will keep your company in mind for future transactions.

Disadvantages of field marketing

Field marketing can also present obstacles. Consider the following disadvantages:

1. Bad weather can disrupt plans. Rain or snow can easily cancel your carefully crafted strategy if you plan to be outdoors on a specific day.
2. Interaction can be minimal. Some people don’t want to deal with salespeople, so engagement can be weak or missing.
3. The staff must be experts. As a salesperson in these more intimate marketing scenarios, it’s easy to be ahead or let down. Reading customers correctly is key to successful interaction, so companies must thoroughly train their field marketing teams and hire members with strong social interaction skills.
4. Return on investment can be tough. Some customers will take and run the free gifts. Awareness of your brand can be effective, but generating sales can be difficult.

Tips for using field marketing

Follow these tips to plan a successful field marketing campaign:

1. Bring free gifts. You’ll want your customers to take something tangible with them, like a piece, print or sample, so they can remember your brand. Include relevant information, such as social media or websites.
2. Have a closing strategy. Although customer interactions can be brief, you want to leave them with a call to action. This could be a survey, sale, or social media following – give your participant the opportunity to get more involved.
3. Know where to go. Some areas and demographics may not respond as warmly to your product as others, so do your research to see where to promote your services most effectively.
4. Field marketing is not the time for a hard sell. Instead, it is an opportunity to attract customers. Too much pressure on the product can scare them away, so choose interactions that are friendly and fun.
5. Maintain an active appearance, smile, be on your feet, and have a friendly demeanor that invites conversation and interaction.