3 Ways To Stand Out By Doing The Unexpected
Marketing is one of the most challenging aspects of running a small business.
In order to be noticed you need to stand out from the crowd. That means that you need to be willing to different. Here are three ways you can move away from the trends and make your own distinct path. Your customers – and your bottom line – will thank you.
1. Turn a Challenge Into An Opportunity.
When the big-box video stores started to mushroom across the country in the 1990s, you can bet that the independent store owners were worried. Sure enough, most of the ones who just tried to imitate the big companies went down before the onslaught of Rogers and Blockbuster. That left only the die-hard specialists who supplied the videos people couldn’t get anywhere else. Now that we all have Netflix and PVRs, even Blockbuster is gone. But a few of those brave owners who saw their niche are still in business.
Too many small businesses don’t recognize the early warning signs of big shifts in demographics, technology, and regulation. As a result, they miss out on a great opportunity to pivot their own focus and catch that next demographic or technological wave.
Need help? Invest in market research and/or survey your existing customers. There are many online programs that allow you to do this yourself – just remember to ask open-ended questions and keep it short. People appreciate it when you value their time.
2. Be Strategic About How You Integrate Social Media.
Social media has been an integral part of the small business marketing package for nearly 10 years. However, it’s no longer “free”, nor is it simple to build thousands of followers and expect business to walk in the door. Wise users of social media carve a niche out for themselves in a couple of carefully-picked platforms. For instance, if your target market is other business people, you may want to be active on LinkedIn. If you create a beautiful visual product, as hair stylists do, then spend your time on Instagram.
Even more importantly, find out where your customers hang out. Then be strategic about connecting with them by targeting them in boosted posts and with segmented audiences. Don’t take up your time with meaningless social media broadcasting just because “Everyone is on Facebook”. Find the reason to be there, and focus on that strategy above all else.
3. Stand Out by Keeping Your Offering Simple.
Are you familiar with the experiment where some people are offered a choice of two jelly beans, while others get to choose from 30? In the experiment, the participants who chose one of two were happy with their choice. On the other hand, those who had to pick from the larger selection second-guessed themselves and weren’t as happy. The fact is, we often get distracted and overwhelmed by the amount of choice offered to us. So do your audience a favour, and keep your communications simple, from your product offering to your messaging.
Consumers appreciate simpler, more meaningful options. How can you simplify what you are doing so that you can increase customer satisfaction AND use of your time and effort?
By staying innovative, serving your niche market and keeping your focus sharp, not only can you distinguish yourself from other marketing campaigns, you can simplify many aspects of running your business. If this sounds like the kind of promotion that you want for your business, contact us.