A “free fries with the purchase of a sandwich” is not a free offer. I have to buy the burger. There’s a distinct perception difference between a free companion plane ticket with the purchase of one, versus a free plane ticket. Though the dollar amount saved may be the same, it sure doesn’t feel the same.

The same logic holds true if you intend to make the donation of goods and/or services part of your marketing plan. Do it all the way or don’t do it at all. The power of this tactic is significant. By giving away what you do, you allow people to “sample” you and get a sense of how you work and the value your product or service provides. There’s no guesswork — they find out if they like what you sell or not. You take all the risk out of giving you a try. If you truly believe in the value of your goods, you’ll be glad to give people a taste. Without strings.

At MMG, we have always believed in the practice of sharing our services. The first Wednesday of every month is our free branding breakfast. Business leaders, marketing professionals and even students come to learn more about branding their business. We love that, and we decided we could go one better.

We’re adopting a charity. One Central Iowa charity is going to get a year’s worth of marketing services from MMG, Trinity Press, Brackett Media & Event Services, Radio Garage, Aijalon Web Development and Converstations.com. For details, visit www.mclellanmarketing.com/charity.htm

Best of all, the charity isn’t the only one who will benefit from this sampling. We’ll check in periodically on our blog and in this column, so everyone can learn together. No strings.

How can you build sampling into your marketing strategy?

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and the author of “99.3 Random Acts of Marketing.” He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com.

© Drew McLellan