Excel at Marketing With Unconventional Ideas

Marketing has evolved drastically over the last decade. I am sure that the previous generation can remember that promotional advertisements relied heavily on television and radio. At the same time, now, due to the influx of technology, you see ads no matter which app you use. There are several ways that companies are marketing their products and I am sure that you may have heard about new marketing terms such as content marketing or digital marketing perhaps. However, one drawback of having access to technology is that nearly everyone can utilize it to achieve their goals which means that the competition is tougher now compared to what it was in the previous decade. Allowing small businesses to compete with huge multi corporations online, quite easily. As a marketer, one of the most important things is to be creative since everyone can apply the standard marketing techniques which we are taught in standard books. One way you can be creative is by trying unconventional ideas. A quote by Ms. Lacky who is an author by profession perfectly applies in this scenario “If it looks stupid but it works then it is not stupid at all.” Hence, you should know that there is no harm in trying out some of the techniques which are mentioned below.

1. Talk to your customers:

Marketers are highly vulnerable to falling under the traps of marketing myopia. Instead of developing their products to satisfy the needs of their customers, they market products according to their company goals. An important way to overcome this error is by talking to your customers. As a marketer, you need to know what your customer wants in the product that they purchase and develop your product according to their needs. It is worth remembering that the customer is the most important stakeholder in the field of marketing. If you fail to satisfy your customers, you are not going to achieve success. Despite the era of globalization, people are generally impressed if someone physically makes the effort of interacting with them, so you must be in constant contact with your target audience. For example, if you are an eBook maker, you should ask your customers what they generally desire in the product and you should develop the product to meet their needs within the resources that you have.

2. Establish contacts within your industry:

In the world of marketing, interacting with others is an important skill that you should have if you want to establish yourself as a marketer. There are a countless number of bloggers who are available within every industry, yet only 15-20 bloggers are considered to be leaders by most of them. These leaders attract a huge audience, and what they share is often transmitted by other bloggers to their respective target audiences. You do not become a thought leader by the number of blogs you have written or how established your website is but if you have the respect of your colleagues within the industry. This has many benefits since it would drive a huge amount of traffic to your website which you can take advantage of to market your products. It will be easier to connect with others who are present in the industry since they will likely know you and want to take advantage of your expertise. You can become a thought leader by achieving expertise within your industry. Another easy way is to start speaking at conferences. This is because the audience will likely consist of members from your industry and it will give you the perfect opportunity to earn their respect by showcasing your skills.

3. Develop personal relations:

Although you should not shy away from public speaking if you want to be a marketer, if it is a little overwhelming for you to speak in front of a large audience, that does not mean that you do not attend these conferences as an audience member. Since the audience members will likely be a part of your industry, you can speak with them and establish contact with them. Another important thing is that you should try to get in touch with those individuals who are speaking at the conference and talk with them. If you are not a thought leader, you need to have a certain number of influencers who can give you advice when you want it.

4. Be transparent:

Gone are the days when marketers could get away with spamming and increase the sales of the products. Nowadays, people generally do not have a lot of time, so if you commit this mistake with people, the chances are that your sales would begin declining instead of increasing since the customers’ perception of your product would decrease. People are more aware of what goes on behind the scenes so the best idea is that you should be transparent with your customers and show the real picture instead of overstating your performance. If you look at the highly successful corporations right now, you will find a common trait that all of them are transparent and showcase the true picture of the company with their customers. If you believe that you might be able to get away with manipulating the facts and figures, you should know that the truth will be out sooner rather than later and it will lead to disastrous consequences for your company.

Conclusion:

I am sure that you would be surprised by reading these techniques; however, they are known to be highly effective and are used by marketers in established corporations to maintain their dominance. There is nothing wrong with trying out a new technique that might help you in establishing a competitive edge over your customers. Such techniques although may look trivial at first but can become a huge difference between you and others if you implement them at first since other rivals will most likely catch up with you from that point on. Remember that a successful formula for marketing is to keep trying out new things, so you should apply these techniques and enjoy its benefits before others can take advantage of it.