For every day that your business survives, the need to think of new marketing methods to give your enterprise a boost remains constant. To be able to win your existing customers’ loyalty and to gain new ones, should always be on top of your priority list, although many entrepreneurs can attest that this is easier said than done.
This is especially true when there are a number of products in the market that is similar to what you are selling. Such a circumstance automatically puts you in a position where you have to always come up with unique ideas to keep your product interesting and how you approach your target audience.
To be fair, the need to be exceptional isn’t exclusive to established brands as they are also in a continuous pursuit of effective marketing schemes. If, for anything, they are more compelled to pull off potentially influential campaigns that can go viral, as well as inspire budding entrepreneurs to do something as good.
On the other hand, owners of startup businesses also feel the pressure to do something that their target audience hasn’t seen before, whether it’s legitimately original or a fresh twist to a brilliant concept.
Case in point: if your business is to keep on surviving tough competition and stay in the market, you need to relate to your target audience and make them appreciate your brand’s message. While producing quality products is critical in making an impression, a strong connection between your brand and your audience is as golden as every sale you can make after you do it right.
But what points do you really score for thinking outside the box? Before you get intimidated by the notion that you can’t be as innovative as the people behind the marketing strategies that made you turn your head, here are some of the perks that await you once you decide to squeeze your creative juices.
You Develop a Unique Selling Point
Also known as the USP, having something unique about your product as well as how you sell them can develop into a signature style that will make your brand memorable. This can serve as a nice leverage, especially when you’re just starting out.
A distinctive method of presenting your merchandise can do a lot in making sure that your target audience remembers you, and when they do, you up the chances of them walking in to your store and buying your goods the next time the need arises.
You Keep People Interested
While it’s all right to make your business subscribe to a tailored mission, there will be times when you need to adjust your sails according to the seasons. By incorporating unique ideas to your selling techniques and on a regular basis, you will keep your customers engaged, waiting for what you’ll do next.
Being creative also stimulates your customers’ intelligence, a gesture they will truly appreciate because it only means that you appeal to what makes them tick.
You Get to Maximize the Potential of Your Brand
Not all entrepreneurs have the privilege of gaining a clear perspective on how they want to market their product—at least, not in the beginning. Some are merely armed by their desire to share their goods to a wider range of audience but are not necessarily equipped with a long-term vision. This is not exactly bad news. However, if you’re undergoing the same dilemma, a creative approach can help you in this department.
While it’s crucial that you stick to your brand’s message, you can play to the different slants of presenting and selling your product. By exploring what works (and what doesn’t) for your merchandise, you will also discover the potential of chosen marketing tactics once they’re applied to your overall strategy.
Language access through translations, improving accessibility via different methods are some things most entrepreneurs don’t think of, so you can easily take advantage of using those opportunities.
Out-of-the-Box Marketing Options
The next question is how exactly do you think out of the box? Any sensible entrepreneur would know that making a sale is not the ultimate goal of your business. It is equally important that you strengthen your connection with your target audience by keeping them engaged and inspired.
Interested customers can do well in keeping you driven which is a good practice if you want your business to thrive. The good news is that you don’t (always) have to pull these ideas out of thin air. Here are 10 additions you can inject to your existing marketing plan.
Social Media Campaigns
If you haven’t tried one, the best time to do it, is now. Social networking sites make for a great venue to promote and sell your products, and the fact that you don’t have to pay anything to register makes it even better.
Among the most common social media sites are Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, but while it’s tempting to sign up to all of them, keep in mind that every social networking channel serves a unique purpose.
You don’t always have to use everything that is available to you. Instead, use only the ones that will really help your campaign and maximize the features of your chosen social media channel. For instance, if you want to trend on Twitter, think of a catchy phrase about your business and use it as a hashtag.
Video Marketing
This is a relatively new concept which allows you to give your business exposure by posting short videos (say, your products or your company) on your website or your YouTube channel (yes, you should make one). As some customers prefer to watch videos than read articles, you can come up with two or three-minute videos which can serve as a teaser for your audience and lead them to read the rest of the content you have available.
Sponsor an Important Cause
A great way for your business to establish a good reputation is by associating it to other brands that support an advocacy. By doing so, you can convey your concern about issues that matter to your target audience while promoting your own brand. Just make sure that you tailor your campaign to the one that your chosen group is upholding, to avoid contradictions in both parties’ vision.
Give Talks at Related Events
You’ve seen successful entrepreneurs speak at conferences and share the wisdom they gained through the years. You may still be a startup entrepreneur, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t do your share of public speaking.
Check if your community is holding events where you can participate and if there are opportunities for you to share to the locals what you’ve learned about putting up your business. This will not only give your brand exposure, it can also help you expand your network.
Develop a Rewards Program
Keep your customers coming by offering them a rewards program that is exclusive to members who will sign up to, say, your newsletter. You can also give them a rewards card where they can get a freebie or major discount after purchasing a certain number of items.
Hold Flash Sales
You can also give your customers something to look forward to by holding flash sales. But before you do this, study which products are getting the most and the least attention from your customers, and then think of ways on how you can use one as a leverage to sell the other.
You can tie these products in a bundle, and then offer them at a discounted price. This way, not only your customers get to avail of their favorite item, they can also experience the ones that they didn’t use to buy in the past.
Incorporate Customers in the Inventory
Feedback is one of the best things you can get from your customers. Apart from soliciting their opinion, you can also observe their buying behavior through your sales. Your bestsellers are often expected to be present in your inventory all the time.
Rent Ad Spaces on Facebook Covers
Nearly everyone who has Internet access has a Facebook account and this is an avenue you can take advantage of. These days, there are people who are willing to rent their Facebook covers to brands who wish to advertise to a wider range of potential buyers; you only need to look for them online.
Make sure that you use creative photos, whether it’s a picture taken from a shoot or an image created by your graphics designer. Also, keep the text to a minimum and if you must include some, make it a call to action. You can also choose to make the image a teaser to a contest you are holding or an upcoming launch of a new product.
Sell Limited Edition Pieces
Many customers are driven by the experience more than the mere ownership of something limited and this is a common consumer behavior you can bank on.
Provide Free Samples
Building a small-scale business is a relentless process of experimentation and trial-and-error. If you are to make your enterprise flourish, you need to try different things all the time until you develop a classic and non-negotiable framework for your marketing campaigns.
Don’t be afraid to cross the borders of tradition especially if you think that unconventional methods will help you advance your business. Finally, always touch base with your audience and ask for their feedback. When you use their input as inspiration to further improve your products and your marketing approach, you can do better at keeping them engaged and loyal customers.
Also if you don’t have a website for your business you could always create one. What you need is a domain name, reliable hosting and an excellent website builder like WordPress. There are lots of helpful websites with guides and tutorial on how to create your own website that you could use to build a website.
About the Author:
Vincent Sevilla is a web designer for Websitesetup, and he also has a background in online marketing. Vincent has written on Metapress, Designerfx, and Techwyze. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+
Thanks for sharing such an informative article. This is very much useful to build and setup a small scale business. Social media has always been proven as a best tool to expand business on a large scale with very less capital.