What are your top priorities as a business owner? To turn a profit? To build a company that will last? To develop a team that can run the business after you are done? To do what you are passionate about? To help people with your products?
No matter what goals you set as a business owner, achieving them will be a challenge. Whether you are facing a saturated market, customers with short attention spans, or high overhead costs, the decisions you make will impact the future of the company.
Marketing is a segment of business that is crucial for success. Your audience needs to know that the company exists and that its offerings can meet their needs. This means you need a communication plan to convince people that you are the best choice. There are plenty of marketing tactics, so here are five that you should consider depending on the audience you are selling to.
1. Unique Ad Space Buying
Buying advertising is a common tactic for businesses. The hardest part of the strategy is figuring out where to look for ad space. Common placements include websites, Google’s search console, magazines/newspapers, or on television and radio. However, there are even more unique ad spaces available that you can purchase to advertise your products in unique locations. For example, Wal-Mart offers brands in-store advertising via self-checkout screens. Some companies have even made deals to advertise in video games, which can be incredibly effective for the right niche. Unique ad spaces can help you access the attention of customers in memorable ways.
2. Social Media Communities
Social media platforms themselves are ideal tools for marketers. They come with built-in audiences and it is a great way to develop a following. Plus, you can interact with customers in multiple ways through posts, shareable content, comments, and likes. Perhaps the greatest advantage offered by social media is the opportunity to develop a community. Social media are designed for connecting people, and developing relationships between brands and consumers is simple on these platforms. Once you determine which platforms contain your target audience, you can start interacting and developing a community of shared values.
3. Branded Merchandise
Never underestimate the power of physical marketing products. Though the world may be prioritizing digital methods of advertising, there are still highly effective channels that involve physical marketing tactics. Promotional products are one such channel. Investing in giveaways for potential customers, current clients, and employees can effectively spread brand awareness. Finding the right product for your audience niche is key, whether you invest in custom-printed umbrellas, sports towels, bags, drinkware, or office supplies. Your logo being seen in public is great for brand visibility and can yield positive results for your marketing efforts.
4. Craft Buyer Personas
The marketing channel and the messaging itself are the two main components of any piece of collateral. But having the right data to inform these two components is crucial. Based on your audience research, you should craft several buyer personas that can help guide your marketing campaigns. These personas are fictional profiles that represent your ideal customer. Having several personas will allow you to communicate effectively with different segments of your audience. Crafting effective buyer personas takes work, so invest time into data collection so that they accurately represent your customer base.
5. Create Brand Ambassadors from Customers
The best type of marketer for your business might be the person that uses your product. Customers are the ones benefitting from what your brand offers, so they can help convince others to experience those same benefits. Harnessing your happy customers and turning them into brand ambassadors is quite simple. A referral program can provide incentives to clients that bring more attention to the company. You can also use branded merchandise to award loyal customers and reap the benefits of additional exposure whenever they use the items. Skeptical audiences often want to see reviews of products to see what other people thought of them, so ask your customers to review your offerings so you can share that feedback as marketing material.
Thinking Outside the Box for Marketing is Not Just a Cliche
It is easy to say that your marketing department should think outside the box. After all, there is a lot of advertising clutter to cut through, so unique strategies are more likely to catch the attention of consumers. Though it is a cliche, it is also true. Consumers are inundated with hundreds, if not thousands, of advertising messages every day. They show up on signs, in inboxes, in the mail, on websites, and everywhere in between.
Grabbing the attention of your customers sometimes requires creativity and unique approaches. While the strategies mentioned above may not be unique, how you use them can be incredibly creative and effective. Invest in better marketing tactics to promote growth for your organization and carve out a greater market share of customers.
