How did you find out about Smokin-It?

DivotMaker

New member
I think user-input on how we came upon Smokin-It could really help Steve grow his great company.  I researched smokers for about the last year, and finally just "happened" upon these!  I'm not even sure how I found the website now - I was on one of those manic Google/Bing trips, going from link to link, and literally just stumbled upon it!

Hopefully, we can get lots of users to chime-in on how they found Smokin-It, and hopefully this will help these guys get more exposure and feedback on what's working, and what's not with their advertising.

Any marketing ideas out there? 
 
I was searching google for electric smokers.  Found a bunch of electric smoker reviews.  Saw the cast of characters you know who they are.  I kept see smokin-it.  I searched amazon, good reviews, found the smokin-it web site around super bowl sunday.  I then started reading as much info on smokin-it.  I ended up emailing Steve about some extra goodies (missed the valentine's day sale), he told me to sit tight for a while. I kept reading this forum and then I read a post on smokingmeatforums from old sarge, who indicated Steve was giving away a free cover, rib hooks, and cord holder with the purchase of a #3.  I also asked a bunch of questions of your guys, and finally in early May pulled the trigger.

 
Good info, Ed!  Thanks for the input.  I don't know how I missed it for so long.  I was probably just "looking past" it because it was such an unknown, and different from all the "usual suspects" on Amazon and the like.  When I finally did research it, I ended up ordering direct - much better price than Amazon.  It's great they're on Amazon, but it'd be great to see a lot more traffic driven straight to their website! 

I just did a quick search on Bing for "electric smokers," and Smokin-It.com isn't ranking anywhere on the first 2 pages!  Some SEO is definitely needed.  I think they could build their rankings fast with just a little more effort. 

Hope Ben and Steve aren't offended by my analysis - just trying to help!  I know how it is to get your site ranked - it requires lots of little content changes, and good SEO to drive it to the top (or at least first page).  This forum needs to be searchable; tons of keywords in here that would help rankings.  Just my 2 cents...
 
Funny I was dead set against electric smokers until maybe 4-5 months ago.  I know a few people who have them like the MES and the BRadley. POS both i`m sorry to say.  They always seem to have something broken or out of pucks or needing 90 minutes to reach temperature etc....
I was ready to buy a Kamado style smoker when i read a post about the Smokin-It on the smokingmeatforums
Intrigued, i read every last word ever posted on it  ::) 
then decided that it was actually good quality and I would be happy with it.....
Tomorrow my second attempt !!!
I got 2 shoulders , both 3.5lbs. just in case  ;D
 
Good info, Zed!  Hope your shoulders go as planned!  Hmmm...so cross-posting on other forums got you here?  Ben, you getting this?  :D
 
The best way to spread the word is to join many forums not specific to a particular brand, and give your honest opinion to those with questions on what to buy or problems with what they already have. The important thing to remember is we all had questions and doubts in the beginning so never make anyone feel foolish. Maybe even PM a few folks.  It is sort of like going to work, with this site being your home. You go out, answer a few posts, make a few comments, come home at the end of the day. It helps to keep the same name on all sites so folks can follow you if they so desire.
 
Maybe I should tell everyone about    http://www.letstalkbbq.com

This forum is dedicated to outdoor cooking on all types of equipment. I am a global moderator over there and would love to see you hang out. Very friendly non-combative atmosphere....kinda like here  :D We even post about our bad cooks  :o

There is a thread dedicated to electric smokers...so come on over.....spread the news about your Smokin-It smoker.

Just be sure to come home at the end of the day  ;)
 
I have used the same moniker of that site as well as smoking meats. Before this year, Smokin-it did not have a forum so spreading the word was pretty much "missionary work" in that one had to go forth.  It still works but with Smokin-it having their very own forum, life is good.  It would be good to see some nice videos from those with the talent and equipment posted on youtube.  There are a few but they are somewhat dated. Me?  I am sort of crippled in the camera area.
 
I will freely (and gratefully) admit that posters on other sites, Old Sarge and Chef Willie chief among them, were a definite influence on my purchase and Sarge's point on spreading the word in a grassroots manner is spot on.

I was down between the Cookshack SM009-2 and the SmokinTex 1400 when I saw a lot of chatter about the Smokin-It models.  Since I'm an analog smoker living in a digital world, and since the #3 was at a better price point than the others with increased capacity it was a no-brainer.
 
I did a lot of research toggling between charcoal, propane, and electric.    My research was mostly through watching a lot of youtube videos.  I wanted a smoker that I could use on my deck and I felt that charcoal (Weber SM) was too risky, and I could not get definitive answer on whether propane would be too hot on a wooden deck, so I decided to go electric.  I saw a lot of electric smoker youtube videos on products other than smokin-it, but the reviews on those products were less than stellar.  Literally at the last minute, and I don't know how it happened, I found references to smokin-it.  Every review that I found on the product raved about the units, so a quick call to Steve to confirm that the unit would work on a wood deck, and then I placed the order.  And I could not b happier with the result!

I think Steve et al would do well to have a few folks put up some youtube videos using the smokin-it..I did see a couple that were pretty good, but the other electric smoker companies have dominated the youtube scene.
 
This is great stuff, guys!  Exactly what I had in mind when I started this thread! ;D  I appreciate everyone's participation in how the "moment" happened!  Like swthorpe, I don't know how it happened, either.  I was literally days away from ordering a different brand when I found Smokin-It!  So glad I did, but sure wish I could remember exactly where I found out about it!

Thanks again, and keep it coming!! :D
 
smokeasaurus said:
Maybe I should tell everyone about    http://www.letstalkbbq.com

This forum is dedicated to outdoor cooking on all types of equipment. I am a global moderator over there and would love to see you hang out. Very friendly non-combative atmosphere....kinda like here  :D We even post about our bad cooks  :o

There is a thread dedicated to electric smokers...so come on over.....spread the news about your Smokin-It smoker.

Just be sure to come home at the end of the day  ;)

Hey Smoke - just registered!  How's about greasing that "approval" email! ;)
 
DivotMaker said:
smokeasaurus said:
Maybe I should tell everyone about    http://www.letstalkbbq.com

This forum is dedicated to outdoor cooking on all types of equipment. I am a global moderator over there and would love to see you hang out. Very friendly non-combative atmosphere....kinda like here  :D We even post about our bad cooks  :o

There is a thread dedicated to electric smokers...so come on over.....spread the news about your Smokin-It smoker.

Just be sure to come home at the end of the day  ;)

Hey Smoke - just registered!  How's about greasing that "approval" email! ;)

Did you sign up as divotmaker??
 
Ditto here ... I submitted as "UWFSAE" a bit after noon CST today if you're going to be greasing the wheels of progress, Smoke.  ;)
 
I tipped off the admin's that we got some folk coming aboard  ;)
 
I am glad you asked. I never thought (nor did my family or friends) or even think I would own or use an electric smoker. I bad-mouthed anything that did not use charcoal and/or wood. It was my CB stick burner that made me feel like hey I could become a BBQ chef.  I am not sure what sparked my interest (fathers day maybe), but when something does I love nothing more than researching the heck out of it on the internet. I read all about electric smokers. I ran across the Smokin-it on Amazon and checked out their web site. It looked good, but not many reviews on the net. It came down to the Cookshack, Smokin-it and Smoken-Tex.  I went as far as ordering the Smoken-Tex 1400 and paid for it using PayPal. It was due to ship the next morning. That night I was watching YouTube videos on electric smokers and saw an out of box review of the model #2 by garygardens and a first smoke of the Smokin-it model #3 by Daniel Slagle. I also saw several other Smokin-it videos. I did a little more searching and found Smokeasaurus's out of the box review of the Smokin-it # 3 on the LetsTalkbbq.com. Oh man! I had buyers remorse in a bad way! I got up the next morning (at 5 AM) and started calling the company I bought the Smoken-Tex from. No one answered the phone so I left a couple messages and sent an email. Well, about two hours later the owner of the store (MyRubberNeck.com) called me. I explained I made a mistake purchasing his smoker and wanted to cancel. He understood and  refunded  my PayPal account with-in a half an hour. I have had my Smokin-it smoker a couple of weeks now and never looked back.
 
Bigumdaddyo said:
I am glad you asked. I never thought (nor did my family or friends) or even think I would own or use an electric smoker. I bad-mouthed anything that did not use charcoal and/or wood. It was my CB stick burner that made me feel like hey I could become a BBQ chef.  I am not sure what sparked my interest (fathers day maybe), but when something does I love nothing more than researching the heck out of it on the internet. I read all about electric smokers. I ran across the Smokin-it on Amazon and checked out their web site. It looked good, but not many reviews on the net. It came down to the Cookshack, Smokin-it and Smoken-Tex.  I went as far as ordering the Smoken-Tex 1400 and paid for it using PayPal. It was due to ship the next morning. That night I was watching YouTube videos on electric smokers and saw an out of box review of the model #2 by garygardens and a first smoke of the Smokin-it model #3 by Daniel Slagle. I also saw several other Smokin-it videos. I did a little more searching and found Smokeasaurus's out of the box review of the Smokin-it # 3 on the LetsTalkbbq.com. Oh man! I had buyers remorse in a bad way! I got up the next morning (at 5 AM) and started calling the company I bought the Smoken-Tex from. No one answered the phone so I left a couple messages and sent an email. Well, about two hours later the owner of the store (MyRubberNeck.com) called me. I explained I made a mistake purchasing his smoker and wanted to cancel. He understood and  refunded  my PayPal account with-in a half an hour. I have had my Smokin-it smoker a couple of weeks now and never looked back.

That's a great testimonial, Daddyo!  My hope is that all these great ideas will help Steve and Ben really grow their company!  They definitely beat-out some of the "big boys" in your case!
 
This one's kinda gone cold...  Anyone else out there want to share their story of how they found the best smokers on the market today?? 
 
I found out about Smokin-It after researching smokers on the internet to replace my old Brinkman charcoal smoker (which was always a hassle to use). I was trying to make up my mind whether to go with a gas or electric smoker. After reading dozens of reviews on both I decided to look for an electric smoker due to the ease of use and not having to worry about running out of propane or stoking a fire. I stumbled on a link to a video on YouTube of a guy unboxing a Smokin-It model #2, seasoning the unit and doing his first smoke. I was really impressed with the way the unit looked. I decided to investigate further and found several other videos which demonstrated the ease of use and quality construction of the unit. After a visit to the Smokin-It website and reading  several posts on the forum I decided to pull the trigger and order a Model  #2.

I am happy I did. Not only do I feel that I found a quality product but also have found a community of fellow Smokin-It owners for support along with a company that cares about it’s customers.

Happy Smokin'
 
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