Brands big and small all have something in common and that is letting people know about them. A good chunk of their operational budget will usually funnel into marketing strategies and campaigns. Bigger organizations have a lot more room in their budget for marketing while smaller startups usually have to stick to one or two ways. Below are some effective methods of how brands could effectively market themselves.
- Guerilla Marketing
When talking about guerilla marketing, it often entails imagination, creativity, and originality. This method of marketing is usually undertaken by small startups who usually have a very limited budget for marketing campaigns. Guerilla marketing is especially popular among young entrepreneurs and employees as it requires breaking the norm and leveraging tactics bigger organizations would never dabble.
Going guerilla could mean hiring artists to paint an eye-catching mural on a storefront. It could also mean organizing a flash mob to draw attention from crowds and subsequently promoting the brand and its product. Or it could be as simple as handing out stickers to people and including it in their purchase.
- Social Media
Any startup is well aware that in order for their organization to flourish, they must use all the tools available to them to draw in customers and this includes turning to social media. As a booming marketing enterprise, social media has a lot to offer. Businesses could go the route of advertising on home pages in the form of banners. They also have the option to specify who their demographics are and creating targeted ads. And there is also the option to collaborate with a social media influencer which we will talk about in a bit.
- Valuable Content
It isn’t only customers who love good content but Google as well. There are a ton of ways to create online content which includes creating videos, blogging, hosting a podcast, or designing infographics. Customers will perceive you to be an expert within the industry and will come to trust your opinion as well as what you have to offer. If you’re not particularly gifted at creating content, you can certainly delegate the tasks to assistants and freelancers such as writers and graphic designers.
The main takeaway is to create content that offers value to your audience, one that will entice them to explore your brand and get to know how content ties in with the brand’s message and even on their products.
- Giveaways
A very effective way to draw people’s attention to your brand is by giving them free items. Holding contests and giveaways do two things that benefit your brand: one, customers are endeared to your efforts of giving them something for free; and two, it piques people’s interest and increases brand awareness.
You don’t need to give out expensive products but you have to offer something that people find valuable. It could be a white paper or online books. If you do plan to give out products, make sure you are clear on the mechanics of the contest or giveaway. The worst thing that can happen is people complaining of unfairness regarding the contest and damaging the brand’s image.
- Coupons
On the same vein as holding contests and giveaways, offering coupons is also a great way to market your brand and your product. Experts like Arcane Marketing believe that coupons can be used to attract new customers. People are always willing to go out of their way to use a coupon given to them. Coupons can also help with return visits. Offering a discount coupon for future business ensures that customers will have a very likely chance of going back because of this incentive.
- Referrals
A tactic that not many people do or even talk about that has a huge impact on brands is referrals. The problem comes down to being too shy or intrusive when asking for customer referrals. A good majority of customers are willing to provide referrals if they are asked but only very few take the time and initiative to do it. Referrals are an easy way to get new customers in the door and if you’re not asking for them, you might be missing a big opportunity to market your business.
- Influencers
No matter your stance on social media influencers, it can’t be denied that they do quite an effective job at marketing a brand, especially when they do it right. But being so new, influencer marketing has a lot of things to flesh out. For one thing, a brand needs to know the right influencer to partner with.
It’s almost a requirement that you study the influencer, their online personas, and their audience to determine if the partnership is worth it. Keep in mind, not all influencers are going to do wonders for your brand. Audiences want an organic relationship between the influencer and the brand before they start making purchases.