How to attract users for a physical product?

This probably goes along with how to attract customers to a website. But im just curious if anyone knows how to market a product thats available in the physical world and not some web service online?

I believe there are so many constraints to marketing a product thats physically available, one being that users have no access to it unless you send it to them. So im hoping someone has already done this so you can give me some advice :)

How do you turn a physical product into a web best seller? With video!

If you are able to create short videos that show your product being use in real-life scenarios, focusing on the features that make it unique, you'll be able to have people "experience" it without actually having to use it.

Done well, this can turn into a viral campaign.

A good example is the blender's campaigns around the "Will it blend?". Here you you see a crazy scientist shredding everything from brooms to iPhones, just demonstrating how good the blender is.

Apple also uses video very well to show how unique their products are (take the iPhone and iPad videos, where you see the product in the center, and user's hands using the touch screen - the unique feature - and showing how cool and easy to use the product is).

On the low-cost end, you have a great example from 'Rock-it', a gadget that can turn any surface into a loud speaker for your iPdod. In this page, the inventor does a home demonstration of how it works, in the kitchen, with whatever he can get his hands on to use as a loud-speaker. Simple, low-cost, but damn effective!

As a final (and completely different) example you have Ronco Rotisserie TV infomercials . The whole product was designed to be sold on TV (for example the glass door is diagonal, to allow the cameras to film what's inside without any glare from the projector lights of the studio).

If you can show it well on the web, people will want to buy it in the real world.

I think it depends what it is - you need to find the people who might care about your product and get them talking about it. For example, if it is a gadget, you would try and get the guys at EnGadget interested. Perhaps you could post some more detail about the field it's in and then you may get some more specific advice.

If it is a brand new product concept in the high-tech area, then I would recommend you read Geoff Moore's Crossing the Chasm as that will give you some sound ideas about how to market and who to market to in the early stages, and then how to get your product into the mainstream.

Almost every physical product is sold through a channel, unless you are selling your product directly to the consumer.

If you are selling directly to the consumer than you should be looking at sites like Ebay and Amazon. You should also set up your own website and develop a good affiliate program. Finding quality affiliates can be a lot of work but if you can make them profitable they will continue to sell your product for you.

If you are not selling to consumers than you need to understand how similar products go to market. Most are sold through a channel, for example they move from the manufacturer to a distributor to a reseller and finally to an end user. This is common for most products from electronics to produce. If you physical product is well suited for web sales then I would be looking at distributors and resellers who carry similar products. For example in my line of work a company like AVAD who resells the products from about 100 manufactures.

Depending on your product you may want to look at local resellers. If your selling hand made products or things you often see at local markets this may be a good fit. Many small companies get their start by approaching local stores to sell their products. This will allow you to gradually grow your business through sales revenue as you continue to search for larger opportunities.

Hope that helps.