Good Marketing

This past Friday, I was walking around Harvard Square feeling like a melting ice cube in a hot drink. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you wear; you're still hot no matter what.

As I walked past the beginning of the 66 bus stop, a middle-aged woman on the side of the road asked me if I'd like a cold bottle of water. I accepted gratefully and, after making sure that it was a sealed bottle, I drank it to cool off. I noticed that the woman gave me a business card along with the bottle. On it was written:

"Yes...it really is free!
We hope this small gift brightens your day. It's a simple way of saying that God loves you, no strings attached.
Let us know if we can be of more assistance."

On the back of the business card was a map with directions to Hope Fellowship Church in Cambridge.

I looked around and noticed at least two more people handing out water to grateful passersby. They all just smiled and offered the water with "no strings attached."

I thought it was a fantastic form of marketing for a couple of reasons:

1. It was non-threatening. No one was trying to engage in conversation or discussion about religion. The business card simply said "here we are."
2. The people were smiling and friendly.
3. The give-away was extremely useful and relevant: cold water on a hot day.

What a great marketing effort, I thought. They aren't trying to sell anything, they're just trying to get themselves recognized and associated with a sense of good-will and acceptance. If I were Christian, I would certainly have considered stopping by their church on any given Sunday.

People hand out products on the street all the time, but I rarely accept what they have and I never remember them. The combination of the above three items really made an impression on me, and I will remember their usefulness then next time I need to engage in any form of marketing. Whether you're selling a product, service or idea, you can learn a lot from these three points: be non-threatening, friendly and relevant.