Jonathan and Drew Scott: Twin brothers who rule the roost over at HGTV. The duo has numerous shows that air on the channel including Property Brothers, Buying and Selling and several specials throughout the year.
In the past week, we’ve confirmed that two of our clients will be featured on upcoming episodes. While they won’t be mentioned by name, Wolf Gourmet and Robern will be shown on television, and we can still get a lot out of these product placements.
Product placements work similar to traditional media relations in that it starts with a pitch to the production team. Once selected, the product is shipped and then it’s up to the set designers or other staff to find a home for it. Sometimes there’s a fee associated with product placement, but we focus on the true “earned” product placements at The Licursi Group. And, that’s how these two opportunities with Property Brothers netted out.
To maximize the value of a product placement, here are some tips:
- Promote the opportunity from the beginning.
- Post updates on social media. Sometimes, the production team can send over sneak peaks. Those photographs make for great fodder on social media!
- Let your sales staff know. They can loop in their key customers about the high profile opportunity.
- Merchandise the clip. We’ve previously written about how to maximize impressions with media mentions. And, this is no different. Put a link to the show on your website; remind social media followers about the episode airing date(s); include the relevant information in future pitches.
It’s important for any business strategy, and it’s certainly important here. Do you hope to achieve brand awareness, enhanced image or perhaps increased content for social media? By narrowing your focus, you’ll find it much easier to decide who you’d like to represent your brand and what you’d like them to say.
Positive buzz is good no matter where it comes from. To make your brand ambassador program worth the time investment, however, you should target individuals who best fit your goals. For example, if your product is furniture, and you would like to create brand awareness among first-time homeowners, you should target bloggers who fit that demographic, or even better: if they already have a sizeable following in that demographic.
If you need a starting point for mustering ambassadors, look no further than your timeline or wall. Engage with followers who make good ambassador candidates, and keep close track of individuals who reach out and interact with you. It’s much easier to forge a relationship with people who have come to you in the first place. Which leads us to:
There’s a difference between targeting potential ambassadors and directly recruiting them. Sure, you could simply reach out to an individual and ask them to blog about your brand. But if you want to foster organic and enthusiastic word-of-keyboard, you should allow ambassadorship to evolve naturally from regular engagement.
You’ve established relationships with a decent number of bloggers, gotten them talking, and you’re starting to see results. Now what? Keep up the momentum. Give your ambassadors a reason to stay ambassadors. Don’t stop engaging them once you have them on the hook. Make sure they’re up to date on any new business developments. Incentivize them with early access to new products and exclusive opportunities like facilities tours and interviews.