As the saying goes, there’s nothing new under the sun. When it comes to business marketing strategies, it’s fair to say that we’ve collectively run the gamut of the strategies that all our advancements and technology allow, at least for now. But what’s important for a business to succeed in marketing isn’t necessarily what strategies they use, rather it’s how they use them. And for companies with unique platforms, products, and services, navigating the ‘how’ is even more essential to success.
With that in mind, here are a few ways for companies to use marketing strategies in order to appeal to consumers.
- Use viral marketing, but play to your strengths
There is something incredibly disengaging about watching a brand throw themselves after viral attention, often imitating successful ideas but ultimately falling short. What experience has shown us is that virtually anyone can go viral for nearly any reason — so brands shouldn’t try so hard to simply imitate success stories. Instead, brands should play to their strengths and use the tools that make their business special in creative ways in order to go viral.
On the other hand, P&G’s “The Talk” ad showcased how viral campaigns can take more of an emotional tone, where parents attempted to explain racial bias to their kids as part of a relaunch of their initiative My Black is Beautiful, an initiative to celebrate cultural identity. This just goes to show that brands should not feel that they have to rely on humor to go viral — sentiment works just as well.
- Don’t underestimate the power of word-of-mouth
When a word-of-mouth marketing campaign is done right, it can potentially be the most powerful asset for a brand’s growth. According to research, 74 percent of consumers identify word-of-mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decision, and 92 percent of consumers prefer recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising.
One successful example of word-of-mouth marketing is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that circulated on social media in 2014. The challenge asked individuals to spread the word and to challenge their friends and family to also participate. The fundraiser campaign ended up raising $115 million, which goes to show how powerful word-of-mouth was in this instance.
- Constantly offer deals, in a way that will make consumers feel like they’re missing out
Offering discounts or deals for a brand’s products and services is nothing new, but these days, simply passing on a virtual coupon or other similar methods won’t be as appealing to consumers as one might hope. By creating variety in your offers and doing so consistently, you can entice consumers into feeling like they are missing out. Eventually, you might offer them a deal that they simply can’t refuse.
Marketing strategies may seem easy to understand on the surface, but they are difficult to execute. By staying true to what makes one’s brand unique, marketers can harness whichever strategy they deem best in order to gain the attention of consumers in creative ways.
