Finding ways to stand out is essential in today’s fast-paced world. Using the same marketing techniques all the time will eventually get your company stuck in a rut,which can be difficult to get out of. Mix up your marketing techniques by incorporating some of the following underutilized marketing methods!
Below are the seven most powerful marketing methods and marketing techniques:
1. Your local community is a great marketing tool.
One of the best marketing methods for small business is urban or guerilla marketing. Using your offline environment to your advantage is a great way to stand out from your competitors in a mainly online world. Hiring local artists to paint a mural, leaving flyers in cafes and writing on the sidewalk with chalk are all excellent ways to connect with your local community.
Another marketing method you have a business is to look for sponsorship opportunities in your community. If your company pays for new equipment or renovations for a place important to your community, you can advertise your involvement. A common example of this is buying exercise bikes for a local gym and designing the bikes with your company’s logo to expand your reach. Your company can also sponsor people from the community to attend local events.
2. Promote the content of other people in your industry.
Most companies only focus on promoting their own content, but there’s benefit to sharing content from other people in your industry. First, it shows that you’re confident in your relationship with your audience. Many companies don’t share their competitors content because they fear their customers will leave. However, if you produce quality content and give a high level of service, you don’t have to worry about that.
The goal of sharing content from other’s in your industry is to help your audience. Anytime your audience sees that you’re trying to help them, it builds a stronger level of trust and loyalty. Knowing what type of content your competitors are producing also forces you to step up your own content creation game. Sharing your competitors’ content is a great way to attract new people to view your social media channels and content.
3. Engage your audience offline.
Mail is still one of the most fruitful marketing methods because of the personal experience it creates. It takes a lot of trust for someone to give you their home address, especially in today’s online world. Building trust with your audience online and slowly transitioning offline is a great way to make your relationships more personal.
Every company has an email newsletter, but not many people can say they’re excited to read the many newsletters that pop up in their emails. Introducing an offline newsletter is a great way to boost engagement and the quality of your content. Because your offline newsletter will go out less often, you’ll have more time to research topics your audience truly cares about. An offline newsletter gives you the excellent opportunity to educate, engage and promote to an audience who’s actually looking forward to what you have to say.
4. Create a contest for your targeted audience.
Contests are another underrated marketing technique. No matter who your audience is, everyone wants to win something for free. Contests are a great way to get people to engage with your company while generating new sign-ups to your email list.
The best contents revolve around user-generated content. Video or photo contests force your audience to be creative which usually results in some great submissions. Promoting the user-generated content on your social media profile is another way to take the engagement with your audience even further. Original submission contests are great since they give you an opportunity to acknowledge each submission even if they didn’t win.
5. Prepare literature to inform potential customers.
Having sales materials ready is a great way to make the sales process easier when targeting new customers. People love to do their research so having materials prepared for them is a great way to subtly guide them through your sales funnel.
Sales literature is an excellent opportunity to highlight what people have to gain from doing business with your company. Don’t make the mistake of listing boring facts and statistics in your sales literature. Potential customers always want to know what’s in it for them which is what your literature should focus on. Many company’s skip sales literature in today’s online world which gives you a chance to stand out.
6. Set up a text message based promotion.
Text message marketing is another underrated type of marketing method. Text messages have extremely high visibility when compared to email and paid advertising. Text-based campaigns are also excellent for advertising to the general public, which is especially great for businesses trying to attract foot traffic. Text message marketing works extremely well in combination with contests since you can get people to text their entries. Keep in mind that text messaging is a very personal form of marketing so don’t abuse the trust of people that have given you their phone numbers.
7. Host local marketing events.
Sponsoring events both offline and online is another example of an underutilized marketing technique. The events don’t even necessarily have to be related to your company; you can act in a sponsorship role to promote your brand. Collaborating with local businesses offline is a great way to create a large community event. You can also collaborate with other business owners online to host a webinar or online contest.
