Thousands of different brands pay for a myriad of advertisements in a day—yet not all of them get the right attention. In fact, their target audiences ignore them because of ineffective messaging.
Out of the thousands of ads produced every day, only hundreds of potential customers actually notice them. And, out of those hundreds, only a very few have successfully generated customer engagement.
Creative marketing ideas that make your brand stand out
If you want to grow your business, you can try these creative marketing ideas.
Offer unique merchandise
Giving gifts to customers have always been an effective marketing strategy. However, you might want to avoid cliche and generic giveaways, such as mugs and pens. You can do so much better than that.
Think of a fun and interesting representation of the service or product your company is offering.
For example, if you provide IT solutions, the first thing that comes to mind may be something like a mousepad or USB device with your company logo. Sure. Those are nice giveaways.
However, what if you give your customers padlocks, instead, to symbolise your cybersecurity services?
Entice your audience to talk about themselves
Another way of getting people to like your brand is getting them to talk about themselves.
Have you noticed how many people are enjoying answering sponsored Buzzfeed Quizzes?
Some people would want to share how they would like to die in “Game of Thrones” if they are part of the show or how they would feel if they become a guest or a host in “Westworld”.
The trick is to let your audience feel that you are interested in their opinion. In turn, they will feel good about themselves. During the process, they will also become more familiar with your brand.
Post videos that tell stories
Posting inspirational videos is another tried and tested marketing approach. The more your video touches the hearts of people, the more they will engage and share. One way to do is to sponsor a charitable drive or organisation.
Facilitate Live Streams
Periscope and Facebook Live are taking the spotlight these days. Of course, posting video ads are great.
However, live broadcasts are more raw, as they allow your audience to have a peek at your company culture.
Another great thing about these platforms is that they alert your connections whenever you are live.
Use pop culture references
Referencing pop culture is a surefire way to get your brand noticed. An advertisement featuring a pop-culture icon will definitely catch anyone's attention.
Who doesn't know Kim Kardashian or Taylor Swift these days, anyway? Right? Depending on your target audience, you can make subtle references to a popular movie, song, or famous person.
Give away creative business cards
A bottle cap opener, a tiny cheese grater, or anything that people would use often with your company name and logo on it is a great example of a creative business card. This is also a good way to ensure that people do not throw away or misplace what you give to them.
Partner with influencers
However, do make sure that you partner with someone who has the same values and ideals as you and can perfectly represent your brand or small business. They should also have followers who are your target audiences.
Make an Instagram grid
Many musicians use an Instagram grid on their album covers. Likewise, different brands can also use it to announce pop-up retail shops.
You, too, should use it to your advantage. The secret to this marketing strategy is to make each picture as attractive as possible. They should also blend well together.
Avoid these mistakes when advertising your brand
Not all creative ideas will be effective. You also have to avoid some bad habits or pitfalls when advertising. Here are some of them.
- Avoid associating your business with anything that has no relevance to it. Pictures of babies and animals catch people's attention. However, if your business has nothing to do with them, don't use them in your ads.
- Avoid falling into the trap of 'event sales'. What's the point of just having a sale on the same events where all other retailers are participating? If you're gonna have a sale, then have a sale. Don't wait for a certain reason to do so. And, avoid running the same promotional and advertising schemes other businesses are running. Don't blend in. Stand out!
- Just because you are using a different media platform doesn't mean you should also change your ads entirely. You can just fine-tune your core messages and ads to fit the new platform. Don't change them unless your business has also changed.
- Avoid advertising everywhere, especially if you have a limited budget. Instead, figure out the social media platforms your target audience uses. You might want to invest most of your advertising budget in those channels.
- Don't overspend on your ads. Use your money wisely. Instead of creating too many ads, you should focus on creating a few but impactful ads. Customers don't care how many ads you have if they don’t pique their interest. Remember—quality over quantity.
Let the experts at Ardor SEO help you out
Coming up with creative marketing ideas is challenging, but it is also a very rewarding experience.
Just to be clear, there's nothing easy about the whole “creative” process. For every successful ad you've seen, hundreds of terrible ideas preceded it which got thrown away. So, don't get discouraged if your first ideas fall through.
The important thing is that you don't stop trying and pushing yourself to do better. Keep working, reflecting, and learning— soon enough, you will surely develop that winning idea that perfectly represents your brand and the message you want to convey.
Now, for the best results in your search engine marketing efforts, you should create and implement your ads with the help of professionals. Here at Ardor SEO, we offer a wide range of marketing solutions to help advertise your brand.
We can help you come up with advertising ideas that will put you closer to achieving your business goals.
