Startup brands – like new and emerging businesses in all industries – have limited marketing resources at their disposal. With small budgets and limited distribution, the marketing tactics of big food and big advertising -- such as FSI’s, television, and radio -- are either too costly or ineffective for these smaller businesses to explore. In today’s changing social/digital media landscape with increased consumer education and connectivity, the efficacy of these tactics, even for big food brands, has come into question.

Consumers increasingly want to know where their food comes from, and want to connect on a deeper and more personal level with the brands and manufacturers of the products they consume. Thus, the dialogue between brand and consumer can no longer be one directional – consumers want brands to speak with them, not at them.

Product demonstrations (“demos” for short), when executed properly, are perfect for creating exactly this type of dialogue, resulting in raised awareness and boosting sales. What’s more, they can fit within any startup brand’s budget.

Not only are demos effective for engaging with customers, they are also great tools for suppliers to build and deepen a relationship with retailers. Retailers understand the real value of in store Brand Ambassadors, as they help to drive sales and traffic to the store. Additionally, a skilled demo team doubles as a sales force by supporting accounts and merchandising, helping the brand to differentiate – something that’s particularly helpful in increasingly crowded food categories like yogurt.

Good Demos and Bad Demos
That being said, it is important to note that not all demos are effective. In fact, the majority of demos we see being conducted in the field are sub-par at best. From less-than-enthusiastic Brand Ambassadors, to those who are texting on their phones while potential customers pass casually by, poor execution seems to be rampant. This is why it’s important to devote significant resources, both in terms of manpower and dollars, towards building, training, educating, and motivating our demo team to the highest standards.

A strong demo team must be trained to accomplish several goals: Increase brand awareness and customer engagement, drive sales, and to provide feedback and data. At Maia Yogurt, we train our Brand Ambassadors to be politely persistent; we try not to let a single consumer miss the opportunity to try a sample. They are trained to ask twice -- even if the shopper initially declines the offering -- by politely saying something along the lines of, “Are you sure? This yogurt is truly amazing. This is why we are different…”