As an example, cards and whats known as “junk mail” sent out around the country and on average, 95% will throw it away, that means 5% will open it up and read it and its about 1% that will buy the product or whatever the company is selling. So even though only 1% buy, the company still makes a decent profit. Therefore, if the lady at the pumpkin patch was to send 10 people the pictures with her portfolio attached, there could very well be a good chance that one of those people will use her in the future, which means she has a 10% return rate, compared to 1% and shes doing all free.

Great post!

Many have commented about the difficulty of using soft marketing in their specific industry. And I acknowledge some of them may be in industries where this would not work for them. But for many others it is still possible to transform the Pumpkin Patch idea to work for them. As an example writers, web designers, php programmers, lawyers, researchers, dentists, dance teachers, toy designers, etc… can and could benefit from using soft marketing. But it will take ‘out of the box’ thinking.

Let’s use a freelance ‘researcher’ using the pumpkin patch example to explain just one of many possibilities. Researcher attends a book signing event for a new book about the ‘building of Disney’. Many large ‘disney’ character cut-outs are displayed throughout the area and people with ‘book in hand’ are standing around admiring the characters. So researcher with camera in hand does the pumpkin patch and takes pictures of persons with their favourite character, gets their email address, gives them his business card so they will recognize his email address when they receive his send (just in case it goes into spam), he forwards a LOW resolution picture via email with a ‘time-sensitive’ link to his site where they can download the FREE HIGH resolution picture. Of course, the researcher has created a SPECIAL page to introduce his varied research services from ‘high-tech’ to ‘family-tree’, offers a newsletter or blog sign-up to keep them informed, and makes it very easy for them to ask you to contact them. All this on ‘one’ quick-read page, with a ‘one-click’ link to download their picture - after all, the visitors are expecting a no-strings attached free picture.

So what has been gained by the researcher: trust from those responding, visitors to site which ups google search numbers, visitors finding out a bit more about your services, permission to update them with newsletter or blog, possible now or future client, now or future referral - since they trust you they may offer leads as thank you, community awareness, etc … Now also keep in mind the 6-degrees theory and you have just turned say 100 visitors into a multitude of possible clients all by who knows who associations.

That seems awfully good to me for a fairly ‘low or no-cost’ marketing program.

Don’t have time to manage the program - perfect time to hire your teenage computer geek and keep it all in the family. See it just gets better and better.

Thanks for the great starter article! I will never look at pumpkins again without thinking about this strategy.

It sounds like she placed herself there on purpose but how often do we just let great opportunities go by when we could shamelessly flaunt who we are and what we offer?

I like your response because it demonstrates that this strategy does work. I like what you say:

“Being public with your skills will result in work if you follow through and produce.”

More than anything, it’s the follow through that makes the difference!