No matter what business you’re in, chances are the market around you is saturated with competitors, all doing their best to get ahead. As the saying goes, it’s a dog eat dog world out there.
So how can you make sure you’re the one who goes on to achieve success? In terms of business growth, there’s nothing that helps quite like good marketing.
At it’s best, a solid marketing campaign will improve your reach, heighten your profile, and draw in countless more consumers to your brand. Your aim is to turn these visitors into repeat customers, ensuring loyalty to you above your competitors.
However, as with anything to do with business, marketing itself can be a minefield. Businesses are always searching for new and exciting ways to attract the public, and sometimes a fresh marketing idea can mean the difference between stagnation and growth.
So, it’s time to get your thinking hat on and find some unique ways to market your business.
Social Media
It might not seem the most innovative solution, as almost every business in the world has some form of social media presence. However, there are many exciting ways to use those platforms that can really set you apart.
Many big brands have adopted the risky strategy of ‘bantering’ with their consumers, providing witty and amusing ripostes to tweets and comments.
This has paid off for many companies, and a tongue-in-cheek, personalized approach to social media can make customers love your brand much more than simply posting business updates and offers.
You can use social media to directly engage with potential consumers, and create a brand personality, rather than a profile, that will market you more effectively than any official campaign.
Video
Another important part of social media, underused by many up-and-coming companies, is video content.
It might feel like a lot of effort to create engaging, polished videos, but the rewards are high. Engagement with filmed content is much, much higher than with text or images.
Consider how you might use video in innovative ways, on social platforms such as Twitch, TikTok. The Vine model is a great one, as it leads to the creation of short, snappy, infinitely shareable content with a much greater chance of going viral.
Focus on entertainment rather than down-the-line marketing, and people will naturally find their way to your company if they enjoy what you are creating.
Competitions
Contests are a great way to draw consumers towards your brand. These can be run through social media, other online channels, or even in person if you have physical premises.
People love the idea of winning something, and it can create a huge interest in your products whilst only costing you the price of giving away one or two free items.
Of course, the bigger the prize you offer, the more attention you will gather, so this is a balancing game you will need to play.
By enticing customers with competitions, you can hook them onto your products or services, and start to gain their loyalty. Of course, competitions can also be run with existing clients in order to offer extra incentives to keep buying from your company.
Loyalty Cards
Many new businesses forget about loyalty cards – they’re not just for coffee shops and hairdressers!
Again, these may not help attract new customers, but they will certainly go a long way towards ensuring brand loyalty.
Keeping your clients coming back for more is a key part of growing a business sustainably. You can choose how many ‘stamps’ your customers need to earn before receiving their prize, but a good number is usually between 5-10.
Any less, and you risk losing money, but any more and people can feel like the goal is too far away to motivate them.
Eco Fashion
The market for environmentally-friendly goods is sky-high right now, and there are ways you can cash in on this trend for marketing purposes.
If you can offer eco-friendly fashion that looks great, you can get your customers walking around in products sporting your logo. Not only are you receiving free advertising, but they are actually paying you for the privilege.
From something as small as a wooden badge to quality t-shirts and tote bags, eco-fashion is one of the more exciting and fresh ways you can start to grow your business’s profile and reach.
Promotional Products
Alongside fashion, there are a host of promotional products that might help grow your business.
The days when leaflets and posters were enough to make people sit up and take notice are gone; nowadays, consumers are impressed by more innovative solutions.
Have you ever sat in a bar and seen the coasters are advertising a local business? This is a far more effective way to get people’s attention than popping a few leaflets around town.
What other products can you think of that might help market your business? The best options are usually those with a practical purpose, items that people won’t throw away because they can make use of them.
By producing items like these, you could have a constant reminder of your company inserted straight into people’s lives and homes.
Urban Marketing
This may only work for certain types of business, but urban marketing is a great way to reach younger audiences without using the internet.
The phrase essentially refers to using marketing in urban spaces. This can mean leaflets and posters, but there are many more exciting ways to accomplish this.
You can use street art, sidewalk chalk, and other methods to advertise your business with fun, colorful, and interesting designs.
Do you remember the stories of the yarn bombing activists, who were covering lampposts in brightly-colored yarn? Why not take some inspiration from this, but put it alongside your brand logo and information?
As long as you take care to stay within the law, this can be a fantastic way to get people’s attention.
Conclusion
Marketing doesn’t have to just be about leaflets, paying for targeted ads, and getting posters up in bus stops. It can be far more interesting, and finding exciting ways to reach new customers will give your business the profile boost it needs to see you soar above your competition.
Stock Photo from Floral Deco @ Shutterstock