Recently Heinz launched a very successful tryvertising (advertising by sampling designed to create word of mouth publicity) campaign through their Facebook Page. They created a new type of ketchup, made 3,000 bottles available exclusively for their Facebook fans and soon after were awash in word-of-mouth marketing. Local retailers can create a successful campaign for their new product just as easily. Introduce a product that will appeal to hardcore fans: Loyal fans are your strongest evangelists. They are generally the ones most open to trying new products by the brands they endorse, and providing feedback. By creating a new spin on a cult product, you are most likely to garner quick adoption from loyal fans, who will try and test your products for you. Create contests/promotions for the invention of user-generated content: Set up contests to promote new products, where customers will be featured on the company’s Facebook landing page. If it’s a food product, push them to photograph an interesting meal. If it’s a home improvement product, push them to create a video showcasing how they installed it in their home. Let them talk about how it improves the functionality or aesthetics of the space. Customers who are loyal enough to take part in a tryvertising campaign will be very willing to show-off how they use the product themselves. Promote user generated content: Once content from the contest starts coming in, replace the original landing page pushing fans to buy the product, with one featuring user-generated content. This creates a feeling of community between fans of your product. They can enjoy shared pictures and videos from fellow enthusiasts across the world, and gain a sense of personal connection. Post visible calls to action for feedback and reviews in the form of tweets, comments, and likes: Feedback and reviews show up on the timelines or walls of fans, giving retailers instant exposure on their social networks. Also, setup a section on your Facebook Page with tickers for the number of re-tweets and shares. Both will help in creating word-of-mouth advertising. Some reviews may be negative, but if hardcore fans are targeted, they will be much more likely to give positive reviews to a brand they’re so loyal to. Check out Wishpond’s How it Works video to see how to upload products to Facebook for free: https://www.wishpond.com/merchants/landing