Marketing is a creative industry that requires innovative, out-of-the-box thinking to attract your ideal customer. A customer’s age, gender, and geographical location are important in marketing, but it takes more than demographics to make a real connection with a customer. Combining creative ideas in order to maximize your reach will help drive traffic and get customers through your doors.
If you find yourself lacking inspiration or simply want some new ideas for finding new customers and making more sales at the same time, here are 20 things you can do:
1) Collaborate with someone else - Building an adequate support network is essential for success. By collaborating with others, you will be able to share knowledge and ideas while helping each other achieve your goals.
2) Find new places to advertise - From social media to local flyers, there are infinite options for advertising out there. Whether you decide to market on a food truck or the side of a bus, the opportunity is always available if you look hard enough.
3) Host an event - Organizing events for customers and potential customers is a sure-fire way of bringing people through your doors. It can be as simple as organizing a happy hour in your store after hours once a month or hosting an annual art show.
4) Go door-to-door - Get up close and personal with your customer by knocking on their doors with samples or coupons. You may not know all of them, but even one selling opportunity is better than none.
5) Do more for charity - Getting involved in your community and showing customers that you care can make all the difference. Donating to local charities or volunteering your time will go a long way with potential customers and existing ones alike.
6) Make new connections - Invest time into getting to know other businesses and people in your industry. Who knows where they may lead? Opportunities for collaborations, joint ventures, and even partnerships are everywhere; you just have to take the risk of asking first.
7) Expand your horizons - Reach out past your normal networks by attending conferences, trade shows, selling events, etc., where you can meet potential customers face-to-face as well as connect with new contacts from across the industry.
8) Video Marketing - Whether it’s on YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram, video marketing is sure to catch some attention. Video can help you communicate with customers more authentically while also conveying your brand values and marketing messages.
9) Enter Contests - Getting creative by entering contests will give you the chance to have your work seen by thousands of people. It may be that your piece wins or gets shortlisted for entry into an exhibition that opens up sales opportunities.
10) Sign up for newsletters - Customers are always looking for new and innovative companies and products to try out, so signing up to relevant newsletters and mailing lists is an excellent way of letting potential buyers know you exist.
11) Publish a book - Both fiction and non-fiction can be great ways to get your company's exposure. Writing a book is an intensive process, but in the end, it will definitely be worth it when potential customers come across your work in their local bookstore or online at Amazon.
12) Buy ad spots - TV, radio, and other advertising platforms are great if you can afford them, but lack of funds should not hold you back from making a splash out there. Buying ad spots on bus shelters, billboards, etc., that may end up around where your target market lives or works is a sure-fire way to get noticed.
13) Sponsor something - Get down to the nitty-gritty by learning about what motivates people to become active and involved in the things they care about. Once you know what moves your customers, think of something that aligns with those passions and offer them a sponsorship opportunity for it.
14) Do Public Speaking - When you can speak well, you can sell effectively, so go out there and start sharing your knowledge to project yourself as an expert in your field. Be comfortable enough to present yourself as such, and others will believe you too.
15) Participate in competitions - Whether it’s online or at a local radio station, you never know where people may find out about your business if you participate in their competitions. It’s worth a shot!
16) Go door-to-door again (with samples this time!) - Get up close and personal with your customer by knocking on their doors with samples or coupons. You may not know all of them, but even one selling opportunity is better than none.
17) Get a Small Business Loan - Sometimes, it takes some cash to make some cash, so if you have a good idea for a company, go get the funds you need to start it up properly.
18) Rent space at local events - Be visible within your community by renting space at local events where there are already lots of potential customers gathered eating, drinking, etc.
19) Spend time in coffee shops - Coffee shop owners are always looking for new companies to partner with, so take the chance to sit down with them about what they could do for you as much as you can do for them. Being visible in the community will lead to more traffic into their shop and, hopefully, your reach.
20) Get a job - Yes, it may seem like an odd approach, but you never know who you may run into when out there doing your regular day-to-day things, so increase your chances of finding new customers by working somewhere they go on a daily basis.
As a creative industry, marketing requires creativity. Combining your ideas intelligently will help you reach more customers and make more sales. If you are lacking inspiration or need some new ideas for finding new customers, contact us today to learn how we can help with our team of experts. Let's get started!