Thinking about beginning a scent marketing strategy? Great idea. You’re about to solidify your brand and connect pleasant memories to your products that will have a MAJOR IMPACT on sales. But be careful….there are a number of vendors who use tricks that can either hurt your bottom line or your company’s image.

Avoid these mistakes, and you’ll start seeing why Starbucks, Lowes, and other major retailers have been using scent marketing strategies for years. You won’t believe the scent marketing facts we’ve included in this blog!

Scent Marketing? What’s That And Why Should I Use it?

Think of the last movie you saw. What do you remember most? The previews, your date, or the opening credits? We bet it’s none of the above.

You probably remember that mouthwatering aroma of popcorn.

Science has proven that SCENT MATTERS. Nike even claims that smell encourages purchasing by to 80%. That means if you connect your product with a pleasant, common scent, you will make an impression on a potential customers’ psyche that will linger for months to come.

Everyone from Starbucks to Lowes, Ford, and Cineplex is starting to catch on. Once customers connect pleasant smells to your business, they remember positive experiences and are more likely to be lifelong consumers.

Scent marketing works, but there are some “tricks” in the industry that vendors use to trap unsuspecting customers. Oil Works & Co. prides itself on transparency and honesty in this business, so we want you to know what look out for.

Avoid these red flags at all costs:

1) Avoid vendors who try to lock you into unfavorable or exclusive contracts

Contracts are not inherently a bad thing in the scent marketing industry, but be careful if a vendor wants you to sign an exclusive contract.

Exclusive contracts usually only benefit the vendor, not the customer. They’re a great way for the vendor to guarantee repeat business, no matter how badly the vendor treats their customers.

You’ll also want to make sure the terms of the contract are favorable. Make sure you know what your objective is, and don’t be afraid to walk away if the terms the vendor is offering don’t make you happy. Think of it like buying a car and the dealership telling you “you can only get parts and services from us”. You wouldn’t buy that car, would you?

NOTE: Oil Works & Co. never locks you into an unfair long-term deal. We don’t believe it’s fair to the customer. If you love our products, you’ll continue to shop with us. A long-term contract is a sign that a company isn’t confident in their product or service.

2) Avoid vendors who use exclusive equipment

One sneaky way some scent marketing vendors can lock you into doing business with them is to make their packaging incompatible with any other company’s products. This forces you to not only buy their scented oils, but also their diffusers, and makes it next to impossible for you to shop around to get the best price on equipment.

The best way to avoid this pitfall is to try before you buy. Ask for a sample of the vendor’s product to see how it works, then try those products with other scent marketing products on the market.

DID YOU KNOW?: A store in Sweden added a pleasing odor to a shampoo display, and it increased sales by nearly 37%!

3) Not having a “scent strategy” in place

Since scent-based marketing is the new hot thing, a lot of companies want to jump on the bandwagon. The problem with jumping on the bandwagon, though, is that you need to have a strategy in place the same way you need to have a strategy for every other part of your marketing plan.

Since scents can be so powerful and so tied to emotions, you have to be pretty sure of the effect you want to have and why you want to have that effect. A movie theater using scent-based marketing to waft the scent of popcorn throughout their theaters is a genius idea. They know that popcorn is considered an essential part of the movie going experience, and that by pumping in the smell of popcorn they can make more customers hungry and increase refreshment stand sales.

If you don’t have a strategy, on the other hand, you might get lucky and hit on a scent that encourages customers to buy more from you or gives them a more pleasant experience, but it’s more likely to have no effect at all. You also run the risk of using a scent that can trigger a negative association with your customers.

4) Buying from a scent-based marketing vendor that doesn’t offer a warranty or return policy.

Market research is very important with scent-based marketing, but so is a willingness to experiment. You may have to go through a few different scents or diffusers to find the one that is most effective. Diffusers especially can be tricky, so make sure you can return or replace one that doesn’t work or isn’t up to your standards.

You should make sure the vendor you choose has a return policy. If you don’t, you’ll be stuck with a diffuser you don’t want or can’t use anymore. When you do find a vendor with a warranty or return policy, make sure you review it so you know how to return a diffuser that you can’t use. Any vendor who isn’t willing to stick by the quality of their products isn’t worth your time.

DID YOU KNOW?: Gamblers spend 45% MORE when there is a floral scent in the casino!

Scent Marketing Works. You Just Need to be Careful

When you incorporate scent marketing into your marketing strategy, you’re tapping into a powerful new psychological marketing tool that can give your customers a lasting positive impression of your business. Since scent based marketing is so new, though, you also need to be even more careful how you incorporate it into your existing marketing strategy.

Since these business tactics are so common, Oil Works & Co. has been making waves in the industry as one of the few companies that allows total freedom to our clients. Not only are you free to use any equipment you’d like, you are not tied into long term contracts. We’ll even help you create a diffusion strategy for maximum benefit. You’ll never be tied into an unfair, long-term deal. Talk to us today to learn more about the benefits of scent marketing for your company.