Creating a marketing strategy that is both cost effective and gives great results may seem like an impossible task. However, if you are well versed in the psychology of your target audience and latest marketing trends, you are likely to achieve results.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a huge brand or a start-up, marketing products in a unique manner is going to earn you lots of attention from customers.
Below are some tips for promoting your products distinctively.
1. Turn your product into a challenge
A huge challenge with viral marketing campaigns is that it’s often difficult to link the campaign back to the companies products. However, this can be offset by using your product as the focal point of the viral content.
For example, Lays had a viral marketing campaign which asked their customers to create the brand’s next flavour which not only helped them find this new flavour, but also got lots of new eyes on their brand through the process.
If you present your customers with a challenge that they need to solve it will keep your brand top of their mind throughout the process.
2. Sending unusual promotional gifts
Sending out unusual promotional products is a great way to get your brand in the homes of your customers and seen everyday. This cost effective marketing tactic is sure to gain you some more customers and help increase your brand awareness.
If you’re interested in unusual merchandise, a blog post outlining 35 of the most unusual promotional products you can give your customers is linked here.
3. Bringing in another brand
Want a new target audience? More exposure for your brand?
Bring in another brand (not a competitor) to help you meet your goals!
This is a great way for both brands to gain eyes and can create a unique viral campaign.
Take Uber and Spotify for example.
This was where streaming app Spotify partnered with ride-hailing app Uber to create “a soundtrack for your ride.” This is a great example of a co-branding partnership between two very different products with very similar goals — to earn more users.
And this successful campaign did just that…
4. Jump on trends
With the internet everything is always changing, current trends come and go in the blink of an eye and if you’re not up to date your brand can get left behind.
It’s important to keep an eye out on current memes and trends, and jump on the ones that work for your brand in a unique and creative way .
This ensures your brand continues to stay relevant in the public eye.
5. Teach people something useful
YouTube is one of the biggest platforms in the world where you can learn anything from cutting an apple to building your own company.
Offering your own expertise on subjects you are well versed in will help you engage with viewers and build a community of people who will appreciate your content, making you stand out as an authority figure in your field.
When these same viewers are shopping your brand will be the one they turn to.
6. Start a Tiktok challenge
I’m guessing you’ve heard of Tiktok by now given its huge popularity in recent years. This video app is able to garner millions of views on short videos and spread them around like wildfire.
The thing with TikTok is it loves a good challenge…
If you’ve got a decent budget you can create an official TikTok challenge, but if not you can easily start a TikTok challenge with a good idea and creativity.
Create your TikTok, use a good hashtag, and encourage your followers to pick up the trend.
(it’s even better if your product is the centre point)
7. Reach out to a specific community
Building a large user base doesn’t need to be done from scratch.
If you have a clear understanding of what your ideal customer looks like you can create a piece of content specifically targeted towards this community.
The more specifically you can target this group, the more effective your campaign will be
For example this is the strategy dropbox adopted to go from 5,000 to 75,000 people on its waiting list overnight.
This was done by engaging with the Digg community by creating an explanation video of Dropbox’s key feature filled with inside jokes only the Digg community would understand, showcasing the power of engaging with existing communities.
8. Purchasing unusual sponsorships
Urban living results in some unique marketing opportunities you won’t find elsewhere. If you can think creatively there’s a great opportunity to promote your brand
An example of this is plastering your company logo over rental city bikes for moving brand awareness at a fraction of the cost compared with traditional bus promotion.
9. Offering a free gift with products
Offering a free gift with your product is a great way to show appreciation for your customers and makes sure that they continue to do business with you.
This is even more effective if the free gift has your brands logo to ensure that your company is at the forefront of your customers mind.
if you’re interested in purchasing some custom branded items you can order some here.
10. Guest posting on other sites
Although the SEO value of guest posts is debatable, there is no question it’s a useful way to get your brand in front of a new audience.
A great site to start writing blog posts on is Medium.
11. Business cards
Sometimes going back to basics is key.
Business cards have been around for a long time and are still a great way to get your information out there, you never know who you might meet.
Make sure your business cards contain all your relevant information, including your website address and any social media accounts you may have.
12. Offer mini versions of your product
If you’re able to, creating a mini version of your product or service at a discounted rate is a great marketing tactic.
It will entice new and existing customers to purchase this new mini version and get in on the buzz.
13. Take advantage of forums
No matter what you’re doing, there are plenty of forums and communities out there to join.
Many people use forums to find answers so if you have knowledge to share you may attract new clients.
Don’t forget to add links to your website in the posts to make sure people know who you are and where to find you.
14. Create and give away stickers
Most people don’t think of stickers as a great marketing tactic but in fact they can be an extremely cost effective way of marketing.
You can create a giant user base by simply placing stickers of your brand in public places where people can see them.
This strategy was actually adopted by the site Reddit, in which the founder spent $500 on stickers, which was the only investment the company made in their marketing.
By giving away these stickers and putting them in visible places Reddit’s brand awareness grew exponentially and helped it become the huge site it is today.
15. Listening to your customers
Probably the most underutilized marketing tool… listening.
Every company is desperate to create, post, snap to giant attraction from new customers, with very few companies actually take the time to listen to their existing clients.
If companies took the time to pay attention to those who already love them, they would find a wealth of marketing opportunities!
Don’t forget your SEO
Although doing SEO isn’t unusual it’s still hugely important when it comes to people finding your website for your products and services.
It’s essential you make this a priority, you can either hire an SEO firm to help or even do it yourself!
A great tool to help manage your SEO campaigns is Moz.
Conclusion
Hopefully this list gave you a good idea of some unique marketing tactics that you may have not employed. Remember, you don’t need a huge marketing budget to garner a large audience, just some hard work and creativity.