Sometimes, businesses fall into a marketing rut, at which point the strategies you’ve been employing hit a plateau and you’re no longer seeing any significant results.
This is frustrating. But there are tons of marketing ideas you can try. You just might need to think outside the box a little.
That said, here are four creative ways to market your brand or business.
Run A Photo Contest
Running a photo contest is a great way to boost engagement. Plus, you can acquire a bunch of user-generated content that you can reuse for other marketing purposes.
And since photo contests don’t take a lot of effort to enter (contestants typically only need a smartphone and an Instagram account), it isn’t hard to persuade people to participate, especially if you also offer an enticing prize, like Harpoon Brewery did…
In its #JustAddFriends photo contest, Harpoon Brewery told participants to “take a sip, snap a pic, and win a trip” (the trip being to Harpoon Octoberfest in Boston, MA).
Here are some of the submissions the brewery received:
Other types of contests, like video and caption contests, can be effective marketing strategies as well. Entry for these types of contests is just a bit more labor intensive for wanna-be participants.
Whatever type of contest you create, you can enhance its reach by offering bonus entries to anyone who shares news about your contest via social media. You can use a tool like Rafflecopter to keep track of all your contest entries.
Do A Podcast
Not everyone likes (or has time) to read content. Some people prefer to learn through visuals, while others would rather listen to information.
So for all the auditory fans out there, plus anyone strapped for time who enjoys listening to content while multi-tasking, a podcast is a great way to earn more followers and build brand awareness.
You just need to make sure your niche has enough varied content to produce your podcasts regularly enough to maintain interest. Potential topics of discussion include industry news or you could conduct interviews with experts in your field.
Create A Comic
Podcasts appeal to auditory learners whereas comics appeal to people who love visuals. Creating a comic is a way to introduce some humor and personality to your business or brand, making it a lot more memorable.
Creating a comic obviously isn’t suitable for every niche or topic, however, and you need to ask yourself whether or not a comic will resonate with your audience. But Virpi Oinonen says, comics “really come into their own when used to explain abstract, complex, or ‘unsexy’ ideas or products.”
Check out the comic Google used during the launch of the Chrome web browser:
And you can use free tools like Pixton or Strip Generator to create comic strips of your own.
Partner With A Charity
Consumers love socially conscious companies. According to Forbes, “85% of consumers would switch brands to one associated with a cause [and] the number is even higher for millennial consumers.”
So if you want to give your marketing efforts a significant boost, try partnering with a relevant charity or cause. For example, Warby Parker donates a portion of each sale it makes to help cover the cost of a pair of glasses for someone in need. Similarly, every purchase you make with Sudara helps victims of sex trafficking gain job skills and long-term career opportunities.
Partnering with charities is a win-win. You get to help a good cause and, in turn, your business gains more positive exposure.
What do you think of these marketing suggestions? Do you have any other creative ideas you can share? Contact us via social media and let us know!