Marketing is a tricky and fickle thing… You may have a fully-strategized campaign that you’ve spent months planning and it fizzles out within a few weeks in the marketplace.

Meanwhile, there may be a spur-of-the-moment marketing idea or social media post that you push out which does better than you would’ve imagined.

Truth is, we all can use a little help getting the creative marketing juices flowing from time to time.

One push in the right direction or introduction to a marketing outlet you hadn’t previously explored can be the difference in seeing significant ROI on the campaign.

With that in mind, here are 9 creative marketing ideas to get you started on the next viral marketing trend for your business.

1. Handles and Hashtags Everywhere!

First off, if you don’t have a personal hashtag for your business, it’s time to hop aboard that train to get things rolling.

If you DO have one, you need to be pushing that on every piece of marketing equipment possible.

Does your company sell physical products with labels on them? Good… put your hashtag on it.

Is your business going around to local companies giving presentations on “how to gain more clientele”? Perfect… ask everyone at the end to post your handle on social media.

Think outside the box on this. The more the market sees your hashtag, the more it’ll be used in the marketplace.

2. Takin’ It to the Streets

Just because we live in a digital age doesn’t mean physical marketing is dead.

Now that the market is flooded online, there’s something to be said for those companies that take advantage by investing in advertisements and flyers to post around their city.

Plant the seeds wherever you believe your customer avatar heads to on a daily basis with those hashtags printed on them that were previously mentioned!

3. Giveaway Contests

In this case, “free” is your friend. 

Clients love taking advantage of giveaways and handouts, especially when the only thing they need to do in return is post or tweet about your company.

This can be anything you want it to be: giving out shirts to all accounts that post your hashtag, free swag bag for anyone that shows up to an event you’re at with a “secret code”, etc.

Customers always dig a contest they can easily win; make it a fun contest to participate in and you’ll have people flocking to you in days.

4. Scavenger Hunt

This coincides with the “giveaway contest” idea listed above.

There are a few different ways to start a scavenger hunt contest: a treasure map layout, a full-on scavenger hunt layout, or a destination-specific layout.

If your company is setting up a sales table at the local “beers in the park” event on a Saturday afternoon, make a contest for people to meet you there!

This will be beneficial for you, the client receiving a reward for their effort, and the event itself. 

5. Differentiate Your Swag

Are you looking for a way to liven up the marketing swag you’re handing out, itself?

The marketing edge that you’re looking for may just be in switching it up from ‘the norm’ of your industry’s typical hand out swag.

For instance, if your industry is typically handing out stress balls and customized writing pens at events then switch yours to something entirely different, such as customized challenge coins.

This marketing idea, although small, will help your brand stand out from the pack among your competition.

6. Involve More Statistics in Your Advertisements

Statistics are factual evidence of the claims that you make to your customers in the marketplace.

Whether it be on a billboard beside your local highway or a post on your company’s Instagram account, stats stand out to clients on their social feeds.

For example, if your company has a 99% customer satisfaction rate, then post a picture of a gargantuan “99%” next to your logo and then explain the statistics in your description.

The “99%” will catch your client’s attention, the description will solidify you as their top choice for your industry’s services/products.

7. Integrate More Pets in Your Social Media

“Cute and Cuddly” is the new black.

People go crazy over seeing pictures of our furry friends across their social media accounts.

Regardless of what your industry is, there’s always a way to incorporate more posts of dogs and cats in your content. 

The pet posts also open up your brand as friendly and caring, two traits that line up well for a good reputation in any market.

8. Research the Trends

Even with the most groundbreaking posts and high-definition pictures to go along with it, sometimes there’s nothing better than following the current trends.

Hashtags are your friends, people. Research the top-trending hashtags to place on your posts and watch your reach grow tremendously.

Some proactive customers are searching for specific content through twitter handles, let them know your content is worth giving a look and a follow!

9. Promote, Promote, Promote!

Regardless of your latest posts and marketing ventures, make sure to stay consistent with self-promotion across all your platforms.

If you had a killer post on Instagram, make sure to place it across Twitter and Facebook as well (if you have accounts for them). Even sites such as LinkedIn can be a great resource for companies, be sure to push on there as well.

Lastly, use the collection of emails you’ve gathered to your advantage. Flaunt your marketing to them every chance you get and keep them updated with your campaigns.

Time to Change the Marketplace with These Creative Marketing Ideas!

All of these suggestions for creative marketing will help get you started down the right path.

However, that doesn’t mean you should ever turn away out-of-the-box ideas you have in-house for advertisements and social media. It’s those ideas that can turn the tides for your business forever.

Best of luck! Don’t forget to load up on coffee while you attack your marketing plan.

© New To HR