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7 Unique Marketing Strategies for a Profitable Business

If you’re a business owner, then you know how challenging it is to gain a competitive advantage. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, half of all businesses fail within their first five years. 

Although many different factors can lead to business failure, an inability to attract new customers is often a leading problem. To stay ahead of the crowd, you need to be innovative and smart with marketing. So what can you do?

Keep reading to learn about seven unique marketing strategies that will help your business stand out from the crowd. 

1. Host a Contest

Companies are always looking for viral new marketing techniques. One of the many tried and tested tactics is to host a contest. Contests help your business garner the attention of customers you have, as well as potential customers. 

For example, users can submit photos of themselves using your product. After a period of time, you can then decide who the winner is. The user with the best photo can win free products and recognition on your page.

Social media will be your best bet for getting the word out about your contest. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are great for attracting attention, as interested people can then share things to their own pages. 

2. Brick and Mortar Marketing 

While many marketing strategies seek to increase online sales numbers, brick and mortar marketing aims to increase the number of people who visit your store. This may seem challenging to do given the prevalence of online shopping, but there are some strategies you can employ.

One classic way to get people into your store is by hosting in-store events. This can include anything from a cooking class to a food or wine tasting event. The goal is to get people into your business where you can showcase your products or services.

Many companies also use loyalty and rewards programs. These sorts of programs reward customers who frequent your store with discounts, rewards, and other perks. 

3. Give Out T-Shirts

Everyone loves free stuff, even if it usually isn’t “free”. Giving out t-shirts and other brand apparel is a great way to increase brand awareness while also getting your customers excited.

It might sound too simple to be true, but this sort of marketing technique has worked before. Reddit gained popularity largely through stickers, and today it’s one of the most used sites on the web.

If you don’t want to offer t-shirts for free, you can also sell them. Buy them in bulk from a supplier, then advertise them on social media and other platforms. Customers will buy them, and you’ll end up with new brand advocates all over. 

4. Provide Gifts With Purchases

In a similar vein, you can also look into gifting customers small items with each purchase they make. This works as a great incentive to help them buy more.

For example, Diamond Candles gives customers a ring with each candle they buy. The more candles they purchase, the nicer the ring is. This encourages them to buy in bulk in order to get nicer, more expensive rings. 

Providing customers with gifts can also be a good way to convince customers to try out a new product line that they may otherwise feel hesitant towards. If you can’t think of a suitable selling proposition, a gift can be a great idea. 

5. Scent Marketing

Humans are sensory creatures, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that scent marketing can also be one of the most effective marketing techniques.

For example, Cinnabon uses the smell of their cinnamon rolls to their advantage. They put stores in locations where people don’t expect good smells, such as by the subway. When people exit the train, the pleasant surprise of the scent of fresh cinnamon rolls entices people to buy them.

Casino marketing experts have also come to appreciate the value of scents. While casinos have traditionally relied on visual and auditory stimulators, many establishments have found that the right scents can also help encourage people to play more.

6. Create a Hashtag

Have you ever noticed how certain companies use the same hashtags over and over? Your business should be doing this too. It helps attract new customers, while also encouraging the ones you have to use it as well.

In addition to hashtagging your company name, you can also create a specific hashtag for your brand. For example, Coca-Cola launched the famous #ShareACoke campaign. 

You can also encourage customers to use a hashtag to participate in different promotional events. Consider holding a contest where participants need to follow your account and upload a photo using your hashtag. The winner can receive free products. 

7. Offer a Challenge

One problem with viral marketing is that many people can’t decipher what a company is offering. They may enjoy watching a funny video, but it’ll all be for nothing if they don’t know how to act on it.

Turning your product into a challenge is one way to combat this. Make your products the centerpiece of any advertisements you put out, and customers will respond with enthusiasm. 

For example, if you have an app that helps people to learn languages, you can challenge your customers to learn Spanish. If people can learn Spanish easiest on your app, then all of that recognition will convert to success. 

Give These Unique Marketing Strategies a Try

If you want to succeed in the world of business, you have to be prepared to try new and creative things. By trying out these seven unique marketing strategies, you’ll be able to attract new customers, while retaining the ones that you have. 

Do you now have a better understanding of some new and unique marketing ideas? If so, make sure to check out some of our other articles for more guides and tips.