Inventive techniques to get the market’s attention

By Henry Brown

As a small business in a competitive world, getting the market’s attention can feel like a constant uphill battle. You’re competing with big corporations that have developed their brand reputations over the course of years or decades, and national and international companies simply get the market’s attention by using their existing brand name to dominate the industry. Entrepreneurs who run startups and growing businesses can get the attention of potential customers in different ways. You’re more grounded than big brands – you need to use that to your advantage. Take these inventive techniques on board to get the market’s attention, or use these ideas as a form of inspiration.

[amazon_link asins=’047052068X’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’succeedingi0d-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a4d205c5-e74f-11e8-a332-032398828af8′]Get to know your current and potential customers.

If you want to get the market’s attention, you should aim to understand your current client base and potential clients as well as possible. It isn’t enough to simply offer the products and services that excite you. You need to view things from the perspective of the target market. Put yourself in their shoes. What would you want from a business in your industry? You should do market research to get some feedback directly from the market. Find out what they like and dislike about your company and the industry as a whole. That way, you’ll be able to figure out what kind of solutions you need to present to separate yourself from the competition. That’s how you’ll get the market’s attention.

Do marketing differently.

Marketing is vital to getting customers’ attention. But if you want to make an impact, you have to ensure that your marketing strategy is inventive. Remember, your rivals are probably advertising their brands just as loudly as you. How are you going to stand out?

Start off with your digital campaign. Big brands might just throw money at online marketing to get the best ad space, but promoting your business on the internet is all about creating good content. Search engines rank websites based on content. To show up at the top of search result pages, focus on making your company’s website as professional as possible.

[amazon_link asins=’1119236916′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’succeedingi0d-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b11b77b6-e74f-11e8-bef9-119d15f1363d’]We’re talking about more than relevant keywords and meta descriptions here; we’re talking about making your website responsive to all devices and browser types. We’re talking about creating straightforward payment solutions, a clear layout, and backlinks to your own website. Getting backlinks to your site from other web pages, blogs, and social media profiles is a clever way to boost your SEO too. Do digital marketing differently and you’ll climb the ranks to get the market’s attention.

You should also consider developing some unique offline marketing solutions. This might be a digital age, but people are still bombarded with branding and advertisements in the “real” world. You don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune on billboards or posters to deliver an inventive physical marketing campaign, however. Be unique with your advertising approach. Hand out branded pens and other useful items that people will actually want to keep; a business card might just get thrown in the bin. Speaking of bins, you might even want to consider trash can and recycle bin advertising solutions. Plastering your brand or a specific ad campaign all over your bins is just another way to increase brand recognition in the industry. You need to do marketing differently if you want to make an impact. A combination of digital and physical advertising is still important in 2018.

Show gratitude to your existing customers.

If you want to get the market’s attention, you need to work on your reputation. Consumers pay attention to growing brands that are getting rave reviews. Of course, to achieve that status, you need to focus on your existing customers. If you’re always chasing the next potential client, you might neglect the customers you’ve already secured. To make an impact, you need to deliver an exceptional standard of service. One-time sales aren’t good enough; you need to start creating lasting relationships with customers so they keep coming back.

Show gratitude. With the holidays well on their way, this is the perfect opportunity to make grand gestures to your customers. Send them free gifts as a way of thanking them for their loyalty. Unique branded presents (e.g. a scarf or a winter flask) will also help to boost brand awareness for your business. Start paying more attention to your existing customers and you might find that your company gradually increases its brand presence in the overall market. Word-of-mouth marketing is a very powerful thing, so give your customers an incentive to start talking about your small brand.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.

 

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