How to be Innovative with Your Marketing

With the constant growth and advancement in technology, it’s important for business owners to adapt, which includes making changes to marketing techniques and strategies. Marketing innovation can help you stand out from the competition and put you in the forefront of consumer minds. Here are a few options to consider:

Blogging
Many companies don’t understand the benefits of having their own blog, so they simply don’t have one. However, blogging is a great way to ensure organic reach, especially when you utilize search engine optimization.

Keeping up with a blog may seem overwhelming to some, but it’s worth the investment because it will regularly attract customers to your website. Your blog will allow you to focus on your areas of specialization, products, and/or services in an informative way. You can explore different topics, increasing SEO on your website and furthering your organic reach. Quality SEO can also improve your search engine rankings, attracting even more consumers who may not have even been looking for your specific company or product, but found you because they were looking for something similar. When you embrace blogging and use it to discuss various areas of knowledge and expertise, you open yourself up to bringing in an even larger audience.

E-books
E-books may not be at the forefront of your mind, but they give you the opportunity to do something truly unique. Research done by the CMI showed that 51% of B2B marketers used e-books as a part of their marketing mix. This number rose to 64% in the next year, and has continued this upward trend since then.

Recently, KFC embraced the e-book concept, trying out an unusual (but fun) marketing strategy for their fried chicken: they wrote a 96-page romance novel, released in honor of Mother’s Day. “Tender Wings of Desire” comes complementary with a $20 Fill Up, and is also available on Amazon’s e-books. The marketing strategy KFC is focusing on is proving mom’s with a “family meal they don’t have to cook, and some alone time with a captivating novella.”  Although KFC’s novel is fantasy based, e-books can help set any company apart from the competition. Your e-book could feature the services and/or products your business provides and illustrate how they can benefit consumers.

Podcasts
Podcasts have been growing in popularity as we shift to a constant on-the-go lifestyle. Smartphone users can download digital audio files directly to their phone and listen anywhere, anytime. Apple phones are even pre-loaded with the Podcast app, making them easily accessible.

Like blogs, podcasts can cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to your company. They also offer an added benefit over blogging, which is that they are audio – instead of sitting down and having to focus and read, consumers can perform other tasks while listening. Podcasts are a great way to connect to younger generations, who prefer things to be quick, accessible, and convenient.

Community Involvement
Getting involved on a local level is great for any business. Whether that be sponsoring a local event or organization, hosting free seminars, speaking at career day, the list goes on.

Just to give a few examples, if you own a local finance company, you could host an informational seminar explaining interest rates to the community. If you’re a family-focused business, like an insurance agency, you could sponsor a local athletic team. Gestures of this nature are memorable and customers are much more likely to remember your name if you have helped in the community in a positive way. It really can be as easy as checking your local newspaper or radio station for events and getting involved!

Develop an App
In a world of smartphones, offering an app for your business is a surefire way to stay relevant. If an app makes sense for your company, it’s worth investing the research and development to set yourself apart from the competition. You won’t just be visible to your clients when they drive by your store or get an email blast, you’ll be right there on their smartphone, a device they use countless times each day. Apps also allow you the ability to send notifications, which will alert customers to upcoming sales, events, etc., offering you just one more way to connect.

Personalization
What do Kylie Cosmetics℠, Poshmark, and Etsy all have in common? Personalized notes are included with each order. Offering personalization to customers helps to strengthen your bond with them, and their loyalty to you.

There are a lot of different ways you can personalize consumer experiences. For instances, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign had customers feverishly searching for their name on Coke bottles in convenience stores, at the grocery, and other retailers. The concept isn’t altogether new, after all Pandora and Amazon have been using personalization techniques for years, but centering campaigns around the people, well, it makes them feel connected. As technology develops and grows, tracking user preferences and interactions, individuals continue to experience even more personalized interactions.
Through use of innovative marketing techniques, you can elevate your business to a new level. If you’re not sure where to get started, or if you’re looking for assistance with other marketing strategies and planning, we can help! Contact us today for more information.