Creative Marketing Is All About Spending Energy, Not Money

In terms of marketing, the dream is to have a thirty-second advert play during halftime of the Super Bowl, your business being hurled in front of almost every person in *the world (*America). Even with a 4% conversion rate, business will start booming. The problem is, not everyone can afford to spend $4 million on a TV advert where a scantily dressed girl eats a burger or whatever they are doing.

In fact, not every business can even afford a marketing consultant, which begs the question: how on earth are you meant to get your name out there (aside from going down the Facebook-slash-Instagram route, which is nowhere near as effective as Facebook-slash-Instagram would have you believe)?

Well, the answer could be offline marketing. If you are big on ideas, bravery, and creativity, then you could achieve huge marketing success for very little cash, which is because great offline marketing is all about achieving conventional goals through unconventional methods. It is about spending energy not funds.

Of course, we’re not just going to leave you to dwell on that little piece of wisdom. No. Instead, we have spent a little bit of time pulling together a list of unconventional marketing approaches that should get your business noticed. Just remember, be brave and have fun.

Business Cards Provide A Great Opportunity

Business cards still have a huge role to play in the world of marketing, especially when it comes to networking events and things like that. The problem is, hundreds of business cards tend to get thrown around at these events, which is why you need to make yours as memorable and standout as possible. If this is something that is right up your strasse, but you don’t have the funds to spend on a design agency, then perhaps you could hold a competition at the local university and see what comes back.

Big And Bold Branded Merchandise

If you’ve ever been to a networking gig, or an industry event or a just a business fair of any kind, then you will know first hand just how much branded merchandise you tend to walk away with. Well, it is time you started joining them. We’re talking about getting infusion bottles from Dynamic Gift all branded up with your logo, and coffee mugs, and pens, and mouse mats, and bookmarks and everything. That way your brand will be seen everywhere, from people holding your bottle while running in the park to local libraries handing out your bookmarks to companies drinking from your mugs. Yeah, the merchandising route is an epic one.

Make Your Mark On The Community

There are a thousand ways for you to become celebrated by your community through subtle marketing techniques that will get chins wagging and make your brand stick. It could be that you and your staff get involved in a charity cycling event, or you do a fun run, or set up a stall at a local fete or sponsor a local sports team. The list is long and extensive, and each entry provides you with a chance to become part of the local community. That is such a great way to build trust because trust is what creates customer loyalty. Period.

Is Your Startup Setup To Fail?

When you begin a new business venture, there is no talk of failure. Even though more than half of new firms go out of business within the first year, the mood is positive. However, after the honeymoon period ends, realisation begins to set in and you come around to the fact that your company might not be a market leader. Usually, the reason for this is due to the fact that the firm isn’t hitting the right targets at the right time. If your company falls into this category, these are the signs that you won’t be able to ignore.

No Dedicated Accountant

As a new company, there needs to be an emphasis on saving money. Only when you cut costs can you save enough to keep the liquidity flowing. Now, lots of bosses think they can do it alone because it is general maintenance work. The truth is that a dedicated service such as Qdos accounting is essential due to their expertise. For example, professionals know which accounts to put the firm’s money in to build up reserves. They also know when to pay arrears and when to hold back to ensure the business is not vulnerable. More than that, they understand how to legally cut your tax bill, which accounts for a big chunk of your budget.

Marketing Isn’t A Priority

It is hard to talk about modern marketing without listing techniques such as SEO. But, the reason they are part of the conversation is their effectiveness. Quite simply, using search engine optimisation is the only way for an SME to compete with the big boys. Thanks to backlinks, tags and strategic keywords, a company’s traffic can skyrocket. Plus, with the help of social media, there is the opportunity to create shareable content which can go viral. These features raise brand awareness and increase revenue streams without breaking the bank.

You Don’t Have Alternate Money Streams

Most businesses don’t make money for a while. And by a while, it means at least six months to a year. Unless you have a huge budget, your company won’t be able to survive by cutting costs alone. To keep your head above water, you need various cash flow options. The main one is a bank or credit card loan which most lenders are happy to provide. With a few extra grand in the account, the business might be able to last until the money begins to roll through the door. Without it, the debts and expenses will kill off the company.

Little To No Growth

Any enterprise which plans on lasting the test of time needs the resources to grow. Without them, the Grim Reaper won’t be too far behind ready to pounce. An essential resource is foot traffic. Boots on the ground mean that the company has people to market to who are interested in the products/services. If your analytic software says the traffic is minimal, this is one sign you can’t ignore.

After all, no business can prosper without the help of its clients and customers.

Is Your Talented Team Not Performing? Here Are the…

Are you starting to notice that the team you have assembled is not quite doing what you expected of them? As a business owner, this is a worry and a concern, and it certainly shouldn’t be ignored. There are many things that could be causing this problem, and it’s up to you to get to the bottom of those issues. If you don’t they will just persist, which is not what you want.

They Don’t Feel Valued or Appreciated

It might not seem like a massive problem, but when people feel like they’re being taken for granted and not appreciated properly, it has repercussions. People only ever feel valued when they are congratulated and thanked for good work. If you only ever talk to your employees when there is a problem that you want them to fix, then they will feel down and demoralised more of the time. That’s not good for your team, and it’s not good for the business either.

You’re Not Providing Them With the Right Tools

They say a workman’s only as good as his tools, and this is something that still holds true. If you are holding your employees back by not equipping them with the things that they need to do their jobs better, then the fault might lie with you rather than them. Investing in new technology and new tools for your employees to use is always important. And if it’s something that you just ignore, you will run into problems sooner rather than later. So, make those investments.

Your Pay Grades Aren’t Up to Scratch

Let’s face it; everyone wants to be paid fairly for the things that they do. If they don’t feel like they are being paid a fair wage, it’s not surprising that they are not giving their all for the business. Using salary benchmarking services from Croner might help you assess the situation. Of course, your business can only afford to pay a certain wage, especially if it’s small. But if the company is doing well and you’re making a profit, then why not share the rewards with your employees? It will benefit the business in the long-term, so it’s not like the money would be wasted.

You Judged Them Incorrectly When Recruiting

It’s always possible that you judged those employees incorrectly when you initially assessed them during the hiring process. If that’s the case, you should look at your hiring process and what went wrong. If you thought they could do certain things but were proven wrong, it’s a sign that something wasn’t done correctly when you were hiring. Maybe you didn’t check their references or notice signs that they might not have the skills or experience necessary for the wrong. Whatever it is, you need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

It’s frustrating when it seems like your talented team is not performing to the standard you require of them. But there is always a reason for that, and you should work hard to fix those reasons.