Some of the grandest marketing successes are elaborate enterprises that looked like they required a lot of manpower and money. For example, as cited by AdAge contributor and Creativity editor, Ann-Christine Diaz, these experiential moves appear to have specific budgets with their productions.
We’ve attributed such innovation to large companies that could afford to bring their creative strategies to life.
However, you don’t have to spend a lot of money for a good idea. Most of the time, the best ideas won’t cost you anything.
Here are three ways you can execute your plan under a budget:
1. Prioritize the Customer
Don’t put your brand directly in your output. Focus on building content first. To get yourself noticed, go with a strategy that impacts your customers emotionally.
For this purpose, content marketing exists to cater to people’s different preferences. Companies now focus on creating relevant content for their target audience before endorsing themselves.
This is because they know clients want to see information related to their interests, be it cooking, car mechanics, or even electronics. Similarly, knowing what the audience wants, and relating your content to commonly shared values are the first steps to mapping out your plan of attack.
Tug at basic human emotions and observe actions to draw your next inspiration.
For example, Coca-Cola, which has always been well-known for its impressive campaigns, launched Share-a-Coke in 2011, which continues up to the present. As its name suggests, Coca-Cola’s campaign banked on forming and strengthening human connections, which most people naturally relate to.
Similarly, tap into your audience’s preferences to relate to them better and convince them to invest their time and money on you.
2. Go Viral
One of the most cost-effective ways to attract many customers without overstepping your budget is to go digital.
Today, social media plays a dominant part of everyone’s lives, allowing everyone to share content from all over the world with the simple click of a button. With something as connective as the Internet, it would be a loss not to take advantage of the opportunity to reach out to a greater number of people.
Viral marketing as cited on Web Marketing Today, by internet marketing pioneer Dr. Ralph Wilson, explains the nuances and principles behind the viral marketing trend, some include providing effortless transfer to others and utilizing existing communication networks to reach more people.
Once you have your great ideas in place, put them together as catchy content like a blog post, infographic, or better yet, a video.
Upload your content online. If the audience takes the bait, it will only take you a minimal promotion to turn it into a widespread Internet sensation for a couple of days.
3. Keep it Going
Viral marketing can only last for so long before it’s replaced by the next interesting thing.
Don’t let your name die out with the hype. Formulate a strategy to keep your brand up in the market for as long as you can. Take advantage of the publicity by introducing your product or service to your target market. Offering promos and sales discounts to potential customers will attract people to your brand.
Attending trade fairs can also get you noticed. This expands your network with peers in the industry as well as with clients. Having an established identity in the market can take time, especially if it’s a saturated one. It often takes more than one successful campaign to become a famous business.
That’s why after your first idea comes to fruition and you’ve gotten the most out of the publicity, you’ve got to go back to square one.
Think of a new idea, find another strategy to make it go viral, and maximize the attention you’re given.
Go Big or Go Home
Creativity is a never-ending process. You need to constantly look for inspiration to benefit from it.
Before you even draft up your plan, consider your audience. If you’re on a very tight budget, using available resources instead of trying to match up to those used by major brands can reduce cost.
Tap into viral content online to reach out to more people, but don’t stop there. Strike while the iron is hot and show off your brand offerings.
Who knows – they might even invite you for a live sales pitch! For those presentation needs, our SlideGenius experts have your back. Contact us today for a free quote!
References
Diaz, Ann-Christine. “Here Are 15 of Marketing’s Most Memorable Experiential Moves.” Advertising Age Agency News. March 11, 2014. Accessed December 7, 2015. http://adage.com/article/agency-news/15-marketing-s-memorable-experiential-moves/291975
“Social Culture: The Digital Key to Connecting with Audiences.” Digital Information World. Accessed January 14, 2016. www.digitalinformationworld.com/2015/10/social-culture-digital-key-to-connecting-with-audiences.html
“What Is Content Marketing?” Content Marketing Institute. Accessed December 7, 2015. http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing
Wilson, Ralph. “The Six Simple Principles of Viral Marketing.” Web Marketing Today. Accessed December 7, 2015. http://webmarketingtoday.com/articles/viral-principles
