One of the challenges for any business owner is constantly finding new ways to market your business. You can get a lot out of the traditional marketing strategies but eventually, you may find yourself plateauing. When this happens, you’ll want to think outside the box a little bit and try out something new. Below are 6 unique ways to promote your business. Consider trying them out in 2024 and see if they bring you any results.
Give Out Swag
A great place to start is by giving out some swag. Swag is free stuff you give to customers and non-customers alike that has your brand name and logo on it. A classic example of this is banks giving out pens with their names on them. Swag not only promotes your brand to the person you’re giving it to but to anyone else who sees it.
Try to choose swag that is noticeable and that can display your brand name clearly. Clothing is a great option, as it advertises your businesses wherever the person wearing it goes. Have some t-shirts made up, or better yet order some union hats (like those from Frank Doolittle) to support a worker’s union. Then give out this swag at your next event, in your store, or as a gift when someone makes a purchase. Just remember to make your swag attractive and useful so that people actually use it.
Open a Pop-up Store
If you have an entirely online business, you may get some benefits out of opening a pop-up store. A pop-up store is a temporary store where you can sell your products. With a pop-up store, you can promote your brand in a local area, interact with customers and gather feedback about your products. Pop-up stores cost some money to run, but if you can open one at the right time and in the right place, you can get some great benefits from it. This guide explains pop-up stores in more detail if you’d like to explore this option.
Hold a Contest
Contests are a great way to promote your brand. They get people excited about your products and you can even use the rules of the contest for marketing purposes. For example, you can run your contest on social media and enter in anyone who shares your post. Within moments your post can reach exponentially further, all for the cost of a single product. When hosting a contest, choose a prize that gets people excited. It should be worth the cost of entering the contest, whether that be providing you with their email address or sharing your post on Twitter.
Another great strategy is to have your audience create content for you and enter it as a part of the contest. For example, you could create a contest asking your audience to submit a video of their most creative use for your product. You could then award the winner a prize but use all of the entries for a future marketing campaign. It’s a great way to generate content, get your audience involved, and make the winners even happier.
Create a Loyalty Program
Rather than focusing on bringing in new customers, try focusing on bringing back old ones. A loyalty program is a great way to generate return customers, which are often more valuable than new ones. With a loyalty program, you provide some kind of benefit to repeat customers. For example, you can give customers points for every purchase they make, then allow them to redeem those points for discounts or products. You can then market your new products or services to this group of loyal customers, who are much more likely to buy your new thing.
Become a Sponsor
Sponsoring an event is a great way to promote brand awareness while also supporting a local organization. Look for a charity or non-profit organization in your area that is looking for sponsors. This could be a youth little league or a hospital that’s hosting a 5K race. By providing this organization with some funds, you can get your name included with the other sponsors and prominently displayed at the event. This not only promotes your brand but associates it with the local community and with a sense of giving.
Besides events, there are other things you can sponsor. A great example of this is Citigroup sponsoring the bike sharing program Citi Bike. With Citi Bike, users can borrow a bike to get around NYC for a small fee, then drop it off at one of hundreds of locations when they are done with it. Citigroup has their logo on each of the bikes and rental locations, giving them great promotion throughout the city.
Speak at Conferences
Finally, consider speaking at conferences. If you have some sort of expertise within your field, giving presentations is a great way to promote your brand. Your name and business will not only be included in the conference materials, such as their website, but you can talk about your business during the presentation. This is an especially useful strategy if you are a B2B business owner, as you can make a lot of important connections at these events.
There are conferences taking place all over the world and in every niche. To find a conference that interests you, use some of the resources mentioned in this guide. Then, once you found a few that you like, reach out to the organizers of the conference and see if they need any additional speakers. Even if they do not need you do this year’s event, they could keep you in mind for future conferences so it never hurts to reach out and state your credentials.
Think Outside the Box
However you decide to market your business, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Try new things and see what works. Some of our most innovative marketing strategies came about from someone trying something new. By embracing new ideas and being willing to test them out, you’ll likely find some great new marketing strategies that are perfect for your business.
