Marketing Smarts: Promoting Your Business with Street Teams

By Colby Dominguez

Street teams, groups of people who “hit the streets” to promote a business, are a great way for small businesses to get the word out about their products and services. Street teams generate excitement and are an excellent way of getting people involved to create enthusiasm for a business.

The types of businesses that benefit most from street teams usually involve films, bands, books and art.  The best time to deploy street teams is when you know a lot of people will be present -- usually during the warmer months or holiday periods -- so there will be a greater chance of there being someone in the crowd who will be interested in making a purchase.

Knowing how to use street teams can result in increased sales for a business; deploying them incorrectly could mean the end of a great marketing campaign. Here are points to consider to make the most of a street team marketing campaign for your business:

Find passionate fans: This is the most obvious part of a perfect street team strategy. Before sending out a team, think about where potential fans are most likely hanging out. Fans are people who interact most with social media, who keep coming back for more, or who are always in attendance at shows or book signings. Fans also are more likely to listen to what a street team has to say and can influence their friends with their opinions.

Take separate streets: Never consider a street team to be a pack entity. Teams should exist in a number of different locations, preferably hitting the street before a crowd gets there. If all street team members are confined to one place, duplicity will become an issue, which will lead to disinterest among fans.

Develop a marketing strategy: Every street team needs marketing goals and strategies on how to achieve those goals. One strategy is to assemble a great marketing kit, which can include flyers, buttons, posters, calendars, hats, or any other item that fans will be eager to take and share with their friends. Include a marketing plan in the kit, and make sure your team has specific goals in mind when they’re scouring the streets for fans, especially your target demographics. If one of your goals is to gather contact information, make sure the team is trained how to take down that information.

Appoint a team manager: Give someone the title of “Street Team Manager,” especially if it’s not feasible for you to check up on your teams regularly. This will give you one point of contact in every city and will help your teams maintain focus. Managers should receive any marketing information directly from you and will be in charge of event recaps, photos, scheduling, etc. Having one person designated as leader will also help the team maintain balance to deal with any issues or delays that might happen, such as team members running late or running into unruly patrons.

Reward the team: Rewarding hard work always pays off with street teams. Give your teams some form of incentive, and remember to treat each member with the same respect you would expect in return. One way to incentivize a street team is to make the whole experience fun for everyone involved. For example, if you send a team to a college campus to pass out flyers,offer a reward to the individual who submits a photo showing the largest group of people holding flyers, or for the most unusual or fun crowd shot in general.

Remember, street teams can often be remote, so you need to have trust in your team and know that they are devoted to your business. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to allow members to have fun and come up with creative ways to promote your brand. Respecting team members as individuals and rewarding hard work goes a long way in the employer-promoter relationship. The result will be having more brand advocates and loyal fans to promote your cause.

The personal interaction fans feel from a street team gives them a much more intimate experience with your brand. This is why it’s especially important you organize your street team in way that provides you with the broadest and most effective marketing reach.