At a certain point in our business timeline, we all seem to hit a slump. Sales plateau starts to fall off, new customers are few and far between, and even the marketing content that is being produced is uninspired. When that happens, it’s definitely time to bring in the big guns.
At a certain point in our business timeline, we all seem to hit a slump. Sales plateau starts to fall off, new customers are few and far between, and even the marketing content that is being produced is uninspired. When that happens, it’s definitely time to bring in the big guns.
In fact, all of these creative marketing ideas can be executed with minimal money backing, and some can even be done simply using your existing marketing materials.
Let’s take a look at some ways to change your business drastically just by getting creative
1. Showcase Your Brand Personality
One of the fastest ways to transform how your offline or online business is perceived is by enhancing the personality behind your brand. This is especially true if your brand isn’t particularly “personality-heavy” to begin with.
Branding is about more than just relying on a logo creator to plaster your design on visuals or advertising. It’s about transmitting the personal traits that drive your brand, including the values that you hold dear as well as the sense of humor, integrity, and family-friendly vibes that you want to promote.
That brand personality should be on display in all of your marketing efforts — and should also be easy to see across your website, blog, and social media platforms. Focusing less on “let’s sell this product” and more on “let’s make connections with our customers” is a great way to increase engagement with your audience.
One method to consider is by creating dialogue for your company. Respond to comments and reviews in the guise of your brand, as though it really were a “person.”
2. Rethink Your Visuals
Sometimes all that your business needs to break out of a slump is a little fresh air. Visuals are some of the most consistently produced parts of marketing campaigns. They’re also some of the most important — for instance, research shows that there is a significant difference in retention of written content compared to image-based information, as much as 10% versus 65%. So if you create memorable visuals, your business will grow.
Visuals to address could include your basic marketing materials, such as your roster of stock photos. They could also include your logo, the images on your website, and even the design of your business card.
Rethink your visuals to more accurately reflect your brand personality, and draw more attention. And make sure that your visuals are all branded, such as by having your own creative logo or the name of your company.
3. Include User Created Content
User-created content, or user-generated content (UGC), is a great way to encourage attention and engagement with your site. Just as your brand is all about building your personality, allowing a focus on your customers also creates a connection on a personal level.
And let’s face it, we all love it when we see our name, comment, or other content included on a professional site or branded media account!
Using user-created content gives your customers a voice and makes them feel more invested in your brand. It’s one of the best ways to turn your audience from passive to active, involved in your business.
There are a variety of ways to invite UGC and make it readily available for visitors. Put up a guestbook feed on your website, or feature comments and reviews in a slideshow.
4. Create Videos — Especially Informative (And Funny) Videos
There’s a reason why “viral videos” are a thing. Everyone loves videos — they’re easy to watch, easy to identify with, and easy to share with everyone else. In fact, in terms of marketing, 43% of marketers identify that video is their top choice as the most successful type of content.
And while it’s true that often people just watch videos of cute cats to fill their time, statistics show that watch 70% of viewers on YouTube for a purpose — for help with an issue or a problem, whether in their work, school, or hobbies.
So creating videos is definitely recommended across the board, and the value for your business goes up substantially if the videos are informative and educational. This helps to prove the value of your business, and when people like videos, they share them — with pretty much everybody.
In fact, creating content that lends itself well to being shared is one of the best ways to turn your business slump into a successful high.
And, of course, if you can wrap “entertaining” and “humorous” into the video along with being educational, your business is that much more likely to reap the benefits of a “viral” video.
5. Create Giveaway Branded Content
One of the most creative ways to market is to…not market at all.
Target areas in which you can create actionable content, such as checklists and tutorials. Use a site like Canva to design the content, with bonus points if the content is free and optimized for download and printing. Again, you’re proving the worth of your company to your customers, just like you did with the videos mentioned above.
And again, this “sneak attack” marketing is a great way to build recognition (and appreciation) for your company, all without taking traditional marketing paths. Just make sure to brand your content, and link back to your site or relevant blog articles whenever possible.
Marketing Outside The Box
It’s easy to get into a slump with your business, but it doesn’t have to be difficult to get out. A simple application of some of these creative marketing techniques could be all that it takes!
The main point is to make sure that your brand personality is showcased at all times, in all marketing areas. This will help to keep your marketing coherent, as well as encourage unique methods of strategizing.
