It seems there are new companies and brands popping up everyday. Finding ways to stick out from the competition is tough, but can be the difference between having a success or failure on your hands. Companies of all sizes are realizing the need to push the envelope and innovate in order to stay relevant. Traditional TV spots and banner ads are no longer enough, people are bored of them, and quite frankly, have become desensitized to them.
Check out some of the innovative ways below to start marketing your company in unique ways to get noticed by people who may not have ever heard of you otherwise!
- Play off trends: While far from a permanent solution, piggybacking on trends or fads is a creative way to quickly get your name out to the world. Take Pokemon Go, for example. A huge success in its own right, the mobile game has also brought success to local businesses through the use of PokeStops and Lures (to attract virtual Pokemon and customers). One company, took it a step further by offering free insurance to Pokemon Go players. The Russian company is offering up to $500 worth of coverage absolutely free in order to improve customers’, mainly younger ones, financial literacy. Covering Pokemon Go related injuries, and there have been a surprising number of them, is a great way to use another company’s success to help promote your own.
- Stand out at events: There are so many conferences, events, and festivals out there, that finding one to sponsor and get your name out should be of relative ease. Offer conference and festival goers something that will benefit them during their time at the event. Take Google at South by Southwest, for example. Knowing how hot it can get and just generally how tired event goers get, Google rented out an entire building near the main convention center to offer guests a cool place to chill with games and drinks.
- Pop-Up shops: If you’re an online retailer, chances are you’re not paying for a full-time store front. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have the occasional physical presence. Cities are full of unoccupied buildings that people are happy to rent out for short amounts of time. They can be a great way to promote your online business in the physical sphere without the commitment usually required for a “real world” presence. Businesses like baublebar have worked with the likes of Nordstrom to create pop-up stores in an effort to unload inventory and create buzz around their brand and their main place of business, their website.
Getting noticed in the sea of other businesses is no small task, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It simply means that you’ll have to think outside of the box if you plan on making a dent in the droves of other marketing ploys and advertising techniques. These three ways listed above are great examples of ways to promote, but this is just the beginning, use your own uniqueness and creativity to come up with your own ways to stand out!
