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For the last couple of months I have been doing liquor tastings and demos at stores all over the DFW metroplex.  I’ve also done promotions for some other companies like I.O. Metro handing out flyers and waving people in and even for Frito Lays handing out Sunchips. (yummy!)

This got me thinking about what really works for marketing both online and offline.

From what I have seen, interaction has a much greater impact on people than putting a sign in front of someone.  Much like those 125×125 ads most of us have on our blogs, the majority of people never even notice a sign for flyer (or notice it, but don’t respond).

Teaching someone to make a drink while they are shopping for liquor is powerful.  The conversion rate for people who take the time to let me teach them to make a Cubra Libre or a Mojito is amazingly high because the people sampling and learning have a time investment, and I have built personal trust for the brand.

You’ve probably been at a bar or club where shot girls were handing out samples, but how often do you buy more?  The demos we run have a 30-50% conversion rate (some higher).  That’s better spent money in my book.

The liquor store demos target the consumer in a place where they can take action right away, and they are in an environment where they are likely to remember rather than being drunk.

We as bloggers can learn from this.  People “driving by” and people not look buy aren’t likely to convert.  People who have already taken action (signing up for a newsletter) or  someone coming to a page for information about a product are ready to buy at some level.

The biggest mistake I’ve made for making money blogging is hoping ads will convert.  For huge sites they might some, but reviews and recommendations work infinitely better.

John Chow makes $40,000+/month basically reviewing products and building hype via newsletter.  He doesn’t even try to hide that’s what he does.  There is balance though.  Not every post is a call to action.  Many are tips or industry news, and that’s what builds the following of people who trust him and are ready to take action.

If you get nothing else from this, take this: build trust via interaction and free assistance then make a clear call to action when your audience can act.

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