Extraordinary times call for extraordinary ways of attracting attention. Advertising is an aging market; in a time when everyone seems to know how to market themselves, innovation is key in branding yourself and spreading the word about your business.
Here are some great innovative marketing ideas:
Innovative Marketing Idea #1: Make It Personal
Personalization and relatability form the foundation of great marketing. What makes you stand out in a crowd, though, is when you and your business take that to the next level. Maybe that means getting to know your clients better; maybe that means customizing your product or service on demand to fit the expectations of the individual; or maybe that means being a little bold.
Like bringing back grade-school marketing tactics, for example. Michael J. Zwick, Esquire at Assets International LLC, finds that his most innovative strategy is the kind of old-fashioned sales technique we all Trick-Or-Treated with: going door-to-door.
The trick is that, these days, door-to-door is so old — it’s new. And when it comes up in unexpected places, it’s bound to make waves. Assets International is a private investigation firm; would you ever expect that the business’s best contacts have been made by “going door-to-door at law firms and banks and then simply introducing” themselves and their unique service? I know I wouldn’t!
Meeting people face-to-face doesn’t always quite cut it, though. Networking and building relationships might be the golden rule for branding a business, but the real way to leave an impression is to get to know your clients not just as clients — but as people.
You can do this in a number of ways. One of them is conversing with a client in a manner that’s believable and that speaks to them. Paul Bruno, webmaster at Contractor Gallery, uses his side profession as a waiter to subtly self-advertise — “to pitch people without them even knowing that they are getting pitched.” Now that’s self-advertising with style.
Another unique, cool way to stand out in a crowd and cater to the client is by making personalized advertorial materials. Diane DiResta, the CEO of DiResta Communications, Inc, not only personalizes greeting cards to “stay on clients’ radar”, she also related the following story:
I have a client who collects small rubber ducks and puts them on her cubicle. Yes, I bought her one.
When I was I vacationing in Cape May, NJ, I saw a window display with a tub full of oversized yellow ducks. I took a picture of it and sent it to her saying “This has your name on it.”
She loved it and that led to a conversation about what’s going on in the company and a date for another seminar. It has also become her screensaver. Guess who she’ll think of every time she turns on her computer?
DiResta has also boldly sent her clients framed photos of themselves for honors they’ve received and even sent postcards of herself to clients — to “stay in touch, let them know I’m out there doing exciting things.”
Whether you twitter or write hand-written notes or even call your clients on their birthdays, make it a little more personal and personable.
Innovative Marketing Idea #2: Inspire in a Big Way
Inspiring people about a cause will definitely inspire them to invest in your business.
Getting noticed in a big way sometimes requires grandiose actions — whether that means arranging a big event well or taking innovation public to accomplish the previously unheard-of.
Take inspiration guru Croix Sather, for example. To brand himself, Croix likes to accomplish the impossible; this time around, he’s running 100 marathons and conducting 100 seminars — all in just 100 days. To Croix, inspiration is the key to getting “the superstars to want to help you.”
Dr Tom Potsik of Whole Health Products, takes an entirely different approach. When Potsik’s business was losing customers, he drew inspiration from old manuals of his own trade, chiropracting, and produced a unique advertising ploy that would definitely draw a lot of eyes. “The giant spine was the hit of the parade,” Potsik writes. “That year I treated a record number of patients, and went on to build one of the largest chiropractic offices in the world. I’ve been the “giant spine chiropractor” in the town’s parade year after year.”
Henry Ward Beecher once said that “a person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road,” and he may have had something there: Humor inspires and uplifts people every day — and it’s terribly undervalued as a great marketing source.
While humor’s potential in the business spectrum is unlimited, many people fail to utilize it beyond funny advertisements. Michelle Gamble-Risley, President of M Communications/3L Publishing, takes a different tack. “We use humor in our newsletters and blogs to attract attention and maintain readership,” Gamble-Risley writes. “This, coupled with lots of great news, keeps our newsletter readers as fans… they stand and wait when we have display tables at events to tell us just how much they enjoy reading our funny newsletters.”
Gamble-Risley’s company also wears brand colors at events — which, by the way, inspire in their own right. A well-planned and well-advertised event can really pack a punch, especially if it’s interactive or dramatic.
Mesh Interactive marketing expert Kelly Dinoff once arranged such an event for the YMCA: “my team and I planned a community health and wellness fair which would culminate with a unique, experiential event – the assembling of over 1,300 people into a human ‘Y’ logo to be photographed by an aerial photographer, setting a Y USA record.” The event involved many local businesses and media and was a huge success.
Which brings us to the next marketing idea:
Innovative Marketing Idea #3: Get Involved In The Industry
If you’re looking to attract attention within your industry more than attention from the public, the best way to boost your PR is to get involved with industry events and causes. There’s plenty of opportunities to do this — think of all the seminars and networking events out there — it’s just a matter of how.
One way to do it is to volunteer for industry events and conferences. Desiree Kane, Director of CLTBlog.com, comments that “volunteers get an added benefit most people don’t when approaching someone they’re trying to catch the eye of: a reason to approach, a reason to be talking with them AND they are becoming familiar with you.” It’s not only a great way to network, but to subtly advertise your product or service in a forum where it’s needed — and where people are looking for companies like yours from the beginning.
Another way to approach the industry is to offer your services as a public speaker. “Public speaking is a fantastic way to make a name for yourself with the people/clients you want to attract,” says Leslie Guria, of SpeakingBonanza.com. “Just get yourself booked to speak at an event where your target audience congregates [. . .] present a topic within your realm of expertise that your audience is curious about, educate them.” That way, says Guria, you’ll build clients, referrals, and perhaps even more speaking offers.
Volunteering and public speaking are great ways to get your name out and build your credibility. While it might not seem like the most innovative marketing idea, it’s a fun way to build clientele — and one you may not think of immediately.
Innovative Marketing Idea #4: It’s All in the Name
Sometimes, however, the key to innovative marketing is having advertising in mind from the beginning: with your product’s or company’s name. A name can really make or break your advertising potential; this means careful planning and the knowledge that, in the business world, a rose by any other name wouldn’t sell.
While you might think initially that a catchy name involves the right number of syllables or some pretty wacky spellings, one of the best ways to name well is to be bold, loud, and unusual. Neurologist and Autism expert Michael A. Gruttadauria best illustrated this concept when he named his new book, Beat Autism Now! The Truth You Won’t Hear On Oprah. He admits that in doing so, he actually had “hopes of Oprah getting wind of the title” and, perhaps, having him on her ever-popular talk show.
And the truth is- that even if Oprah never has Dr. Gruttadauria on the show, he has latched himself in the title to someone famous- which makes it more likely that he will get buzz and media attention from his book. It’s like when you see a seminar offering “free copy of Donald Trump’s book for the first 100 attendees.” By doing so, they have attached credibility to what they are doing, even though the only thing that they have with the Donald is that they bought 100 copies of his book at Amazon.
Same goes for the book Living Oprah: My One-Year Experiment to Walk the Walk of the Queen of Talk, which turned aspiring writer Robyn Okrant into a published author and coverage in Forbes, Entertainment Weekly, and The Guardian in teh UK- and on CNBC.- even though she never met Oprah, and merely followed her advice for one year… and leveraged herself very well by doing so.
Don’t want to go quite that bold? You could still name your business in a way that catches ears and eyes. Christine K. Clifford and her business partner did just that. They secured an all-day seminar in the Twin Cities and sold out all of their Vendor tables in record time — just “by creating a name and platform that is out of the ordinary” and has “attracted enormous media attention.” Who couldn’t, with a name like Divorcing Divas?
Whether you name to sell or network, volunteer, and inspire your way to success, the resources for innovative marketing ideas are everywhere! Watch what the smart are doing and think about WHY different things are being done.
Great info Rabbi! Well done! I’m the doctor who made the Giant Spine. For those interested, I have details about that fabulous marketing promotion posted here: http://www.reclaimthejoy.com/?p=286