When most people think of businesses, they think of a bunch of people in suits who aren’t that creative or exciting. They seem them as completely interchangeable from business to business and brand to brand. This is why it’s essential that you stand out - and there a few more effective ways to stand out in the world of business than getting really creative.
We’re going to take a look at the creative ways in which you can get people’s attention, as well as the areas of your business that are best aided with more creative approaches.
Give stuff away
Perhaps the point of your business marketing strategy is to get people to come to your website or store in order to get them to buy things. In which case, giving things away doesn’t seem to be all that smart a strategy on the face of things, right? But free stuff really helps bring attention to your brand simply because there are many people who will take whatever you’re offering without even giving it much thought. All of a sudden, they own or have consumed something from your business. They now have experience with your business - and that’s the precise thing so many businesses out there are trying to attain among members of the public.
Make sure you’re giving away something that’s actually useful to consumers, however. There are a lot of rubbish things you could give away for free, but things that people might actually wear, eat, or use is definitely recommended. Even something as simple as pens and notepads is great because, well, people use those things all the time. Heck, you could even give them some good reading material. Speaking of which...
Write a book
Every small business should have an e-book. Your small business is not an exception. You may not have thought you’d ever write a book (except for that epic fantasy series you planned and quickly abandoned after you left college), but those who want to turn more eyes towards their business should definitely be looking at this strategy. It provides a lot of benefits for you. For one, free e-books have proven to be great incentives for getting people to sign up to a newsletter. But the process of writing an e-book about your service or field of business expertise also encourages forced cognition, which will help develop your skills in your business area.
Do not underestimate the power of an informative and free e-book! It helps give you and your brand authority in your field. E-books are definitely the best way to go about this; printing your own books and trying to hand them out simply isn’t quite as effective. If you’re at an event and want to promote a free e-book, give people a card that features a download link, or get their email address so you can send it to them yourself.
Be unique with web design
Yes, simplicity is the key. But a lot of business owners take this too far. They end up creating a website for their business that isn’t just simple - it’s basic. Banal. Boring. Simplicity is important because you don’t want to overwhelm the person who stumbles upon your website, both in terms of sheer visuals as well as the actually process of navigating the website. But your website should still stand out visually.
Don’t think that the art of simplicity precludes the possibility of being creative about the design of your business website. Your website says more about your business than you may think. A user who thinks your website is boring is probably going to think your business is boring, lacking innovation and creative insight.
Get creative with content
There are a bunch of bad SEO techniques out there that a lot of business owners seem to think will get them attention, and many of those techniques end up with businesses either creating bad content or ignoring the importance of content entirely. So let’s make things clear by reiterating something you may have heard before, an adage that’s over two decades old but has lost none of its truth: content is king. More accurately, good content is king. Or queen, or whatever gender-neutral monarchic term you wish to use.
Creating good content is one thing; creating original content is something else entirely. I don’t mean original in the sense that you need to ensure you’re actually writing your own stuff instead of relying on some immoral copy-and-pasting; we’re talking about content that makes it clear that the writer is thinking outside of the box and has brainstormed the text to death. Original and creative content isn’t quick and easy, but you’ll find the time and effort is well worth it.
Go guerilla
Let’s step outside the digital realm for a moment. A lot of people seem to think that all marketing worth paying attention to takes place online these days, but the fact is that you’ve still got a bunch of other mediums to think about. And we’re not even talking about television here (which, these days, kinda falls into the category of “digital”, anyway), though television adverts are still worth considering for certain businesses. We’re talking here about print; physical, tangible marketing that really gets in people’s faces. The art of great physical advertising isn’t dead, and the fact is that it may give you more room for sheer creativity than any other medium when it comes to marketing.
Guerilla marketing is a strategy that allows for creative and unconventional ways to market your business; generally, it involves some form of interaction with a given piece of the environment in which the advert is placed, giving the marketing campaign a thrilling ‘meta’ feel. Strategically placed posters and billboards are the most popular ways of achieving great and creative guerilla marketing, but even stickers can be effective and incredibly fun. Make sure you give the pulling off of a guerilla marketing campaign some thorough research, as there are quite a few ways in which it can go wrong if you’re not careful.
Don’t let people think your business can’t think outside of the box. Get creative!
Comments