Increased competition and the recent economic downturn have combined to make effective marketing increasingly difficult. The advent of guerilla marketing tactics, as well as a host of other unconventional techniques can intimidate even the most adroit marketing professional. The “fighting fire with fire” adage is cliched, but true nonetheless. If you’re looking to separate your product or service from the seemingly infinite number of competitors in the marketplace today, you have to use increasingly unorthodox approaches to marketing.
One of the most effective ways of selling yoru product or service is first getting it past the media gatekeepers. One way this can be accomplished is through extreme thinking. Peruse the Guinness Book of World Records and try to find something in it that is related to your service or product. Next, you can attempt to break this record in some type of public forum. Such a bold move will surely garner attention and, as long as you avoid making a spectacle of yourself, attract positive publicity from at least a few media hounds that gather to witness the event. Another strategy would be to sponsor a local event or sports team. The coverage the event or team draws will provide your company name with publicity.
Along the same vain, you may want to support a local philanthropic group or charity that in some way applies to what you are trying to sell. If you don’t have the capital to make a straight donation to such a cause, try giving out a percentage of your monthly sales as part of a promotion. Ideally, this will give customers added incentive to buy your producdt. If possible, you can then advertise your generosity by placing informationa about the charity on your product.
One more way of getting your product more exposure is to send out a bi-monthly or monthly form of literature to serve as advertisement for your business. Given the continuing trend toward visual communication with respect to marketing, try sending out a photo book in lieu of the traditional flyer or newsletter. Promoting your business through photo books could be a very effective way of displaying your products as well as separating yourself from the crowded marketplace. Online photo book sites such as MemoryEscape.com allow you to upload images, select distinctive templates and backgrounds, and choose a personalized cover – all in a matter of minutes. A retailer, for example, may include photos of their newest products, and even add some copy mentioning coupons or promotions. If your business provides a service rather than a product (e.g. hair salon, photography studio, etc), a photo book is a great way of informing your customers of updates while providing them with visual images that stand out from the crowd. If you are finding it difficult to come up with ideas, MemoryEscape.com has an entire page devoted to ways you can use photo books to promote your business.
With the advent of social networking sites, it behooves the savvy business owner to encourage open dialogue between the company and its customers. Your website can serve as an ideal forum for such dialogue. By creating an area specifically for customer feedback and comment, you can show your commitment to your customers and learn new ways in which you can improve your business. This should be a type of forum where customers can ask you questions as well as interact with each other.
While new forms of marketing continue to emerge and others are replaced, one technique will never become obsolete: Creating something free to give away to customers. Such items can range from pens to hats – basically any free merchandise will work as long as your company name and information are printed on it. It is crucial, however, to make sure the item will be useful to your customer. Also, try to make the object something relevant to your company. For example, it you own a hair salon, give away combs, brushes, or samples of hair styling products.