Have you tried every conventional marketing trick in the book, only to realize none of them seem to work? Well, the keyword there is “conventional.” Maybe it’s not the way you execute the tricks that’s the problem; maybe the problem lies in the tricks themselves.
See, when you use the same marketing strategies as your competitors, it’s difficult to stand out. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with conventional strategies; there are good reasons they’re “conventional,” after all. However, if you think you’ve done everything right, and you’re still not getting results, maybe you should try the following:
1. Tap into Your Inner Circle
If there’s one thing you need to know about localized marketing, it’s this: Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth.
When you tell friends, family and close acquaintances about your product, and you let them try it for themselves, the effects can be “devastating” — to your competitors, at least. They’ll talk about your product, with or without your encouragement, on their respective social networks, get their respective contacts curious, and send contacts-turned-customers flocking to your door faster than a fleet of jets. Not bad for something that didn’t require you to lift a single finger!
2. Inject Personality into Your Website
Sure, ready-to-use WordPress templates are cheaper and easier to install. But if you want to make a unique and indelible mark in your online customers’ minds, your website shouldn’t look like it was copy-pasted from someone else.
To customize your site, you can build it from scratch using your knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other things that web designers specialize in. Better yet, hire a professional web designer to do the work for you, and let them translate your business personality into the eye-popping marketing machine that is your site.
3. Show Up for Every Local Networking Event
Okay, maybe “every event” is pushing it. At the very least, though, you should show up often enough to be remembered by the people — and business prospects — who attend those events, such as a forum on brick and mortar business strategies or a conference about local search.
The moment you get wind of any business expos, conventions or the like in your area, reserve a strategic spot for your booth as soon as possible. Set up the booth in an area with heavy foot traffic (e.g. right next to the entrance), and ready the freebies to be handed out to passersby. The more freebies you’re able to successfully hand out, the more likely people will pay for the non-freebies you offer.
4. Offer Exceptional Customer Service
Want to know a marketing secret? A product, regardless of its actual value, will sell if people associate it with good things, such as topnotch customer service. It seems obvious enough, but you’d be surprised at how many businesses fail to take care of their customers consistently. If you put your customers above everything else, your customers will put you above your competition too.
Whether you’re marketing on a local, national or global level, the core principles remain the same. Get to know your target market inside out, plan a campaign tailored to that target market, and use every ounce of creativity you have to establish your business as a force to be reckoned with. With the tips above, achieving the last one shouldn’t be impossible.