From tech to design, ecommerce to professional services, the competition is fierce in just about every industry these days. Globalization means we are now all competing in a global marketplace, and need to compete against not only other local companies, but all our competitors across the world.
The key to being a strong competitor and rising above the rest to secure our customers’ business is great marketing. Marketing itself is becoming more competitive, with brands launching break taking campaigns and using innovative tactics to capture consumers’ attention. However, even if you don’t have a large marketing budget or a huge team, with a little creativity and a couple of hacks up your sleeve, you easily compete on this intimidating stage.
Here are 6 creative hacks you can use to market your business and make 2020 your most successful year yet!
- Go Urban with Your Marketing
Digital marketing is important, but these days more old-school forms of marketing can be a very effective breath of fresh air. Hit your local area with flyers and posters, putting them up in cafes, community centres, other businesses, anywhere you can think of! Set up a booth at local community events and fairs and hand out even more materials.
A great way to literally hit the pavement with your marketing ins through sidewalk chalk advertising. This is one of the oldest forms of advertising: writing your business name, slogan, and/or a special offer on a piece of high-traffic pavement in chalk. Put it in the right place and you’ll get exposure to a large number of potential customers. You could even take this a step further and get permission to put up a mural on a prominent wall in your target area.
- Run Social Media Contests
Social media is a key marketing tool for businesses: figures show that over 90% of US businesses are on social media. Although a great way to engage with your customer base and sell your products, this very crowded space also makes it a competitive one. Many businesses invest large sums of money in trying to stand out with their digital marketing, however some of the most effective social media strategies are also the cheapest ones.
Arguably the best social media strategies are the ones which your users to most of the work for you, like contests. Offer a free trial, product, or similar, in return for users tagging your business, sharing your post or using a certain hashtag. Not only does this require little investment from you, it also is great for ramping up user engagement, as well as exposing your business to your followers’ own social media networks, a whole new audience.
- Create Shareable Content
Another great way to tap into your followers’ networks and let them market you is by creating shareable content. Content marketing is huge: 60% of marketers say it is a key tactic, and for good reason. By creating something valuable – whether it is a blog post, a video, an infographic, a podcast, a free resource, or something else – you’ll create something that people will want to share around. Your content will then take on a life of its own, and circulate the internet, complete with your brand name and a link back to your site (if you do this right, that is). If you do it very well you may even go viral!
- Hit the Trade Shows with Individuality
Trade shows continue to be a great tool for businesses, being the ideal platform to launch products, build engagement, and establish brand awareness. However, the trade show floor is a noisy place, with dozens or even thousands of other exhibitors vying for attention.
This means it is critical to represent your brand’s unique personality when you show up at the trade show, to stand out from the noise and capture your customers’ attention. By investing in bespoke exhibition design, you can create something special which will draw in visitors and help you to reach your trade show goals. Interactive elements are perfect for not only getting attention, but also keeping visitors at your booth longer, which is crucial. Think interactive displays, product demos, or even just plain fun elements like games.
- Make Your Own Videos
People love video. According to one study, 79% of consumers would rather watch a video than read about a product. Perhaps this is due to our shrinking attention-spans, or our Netflix-based lives, but whatever the reason, you can tap into this hunger for moving pictures by making your own videos to promote your business and your products. Thanks to video making platforms, you do not need to hire a professional to do this anymore, but can make them relatively easily yourself. Once you have the finished product, you can put it on your website, push it on social media, set up a YouTube channel, and even embed it in your email campaigns.
