5 Non-Traditional Marketing Ideas to Cut Through the Clutter
Whether we would like to admit it or not, consumer behavior has changed as a result of the pandemic. Marketing playbooks are shifting. We find ourselves still zooming and flooded with promotional emails talking to us about “these uncertain times.” While we hope to move out of the current situation quickly, things aren’t going to snap back to the way they were pre-pandemic. Instead of focusing on the traditional means of communicating and activating your audience, we wanted to take a fast look at some less traditional means of engaging with your customers. Any of the following can be tied in with your traditional marketing mix to enhance a campaign. We have found that some of the most engaging marketing campaigns during the pandemic have incorporated less traditional means for reaching your audience.
Quizzes
Quizzes are all over our social media feeds. If set up in the right way, they are hugely successful because human psychology has shown that people love feeling validated and correct. Late last year, we utilized a quiz in order to promote our consent management platform and to educate new prospects. In Odyssey, Omeda’s marketing automation platform, we ran personalizations and email campaigns with the embedded quiz. We were able to assess interest in the platform through the form post-quiz. Using the integration with CredSpark, we fed all of the information back into our database so that we could create automated campaigns for prospects who showed interest in the product.
Personalization on Your Blog or Elsewhere
A personalization modal is a strong way to convert unknown to known. However, it’s also a great way to speak to your known audience to cross-promote and deliver new content. For example, do you have a personalization modal running on your current blog page? Your blog section of the website is a spot where both clients and prospects go to learn more about you. What can you offer them there? Can you promote a virtual event or Newsletter sign up?
Run a Contest or Promotion
Promotions and contests can spark excitement and help your audience engage with your brand on a more personal level. Regardless of the medium for the contest, make sure that the contest is on-brand and gets your audience to associate positive brand associations. Also, be certain you’re following local regulations regarding contests and sweepstakes. There are multiple ways to run contests on social media from caption contests to sweepstakes. In addition to getting your audience to engage, contests can work to attract more followers.
Last summer, Blue Bunny ice cream recognized the need for people to come together outside and do something social. They created sweepstakes where their audience could enter for a chance to win a private movie theatre screening in their driveway with the Blue Bunny Ice Screen Truck. The program was successful because they identified the unique need for gathering outdoors and being able to watch movies in a safe environment. There was a lot of buzz and interactions with new audiences across media channels and they were able to grow their audience.
Send a Package or Unique, Personalized Direct Mail Piece
While direct mail is categorized as more traditional, consider sending a more unique package that cuts through the clutter. Since many of us are still working remotely, we look forward to unexpected mail every day. Depending on your audience, many may still be working at home. If you can reach them with an amazing direct mail piece or unique package with a strong offering – you can break through the usual stream of emails communication and target them in a less common spot! One of our team members received a puzzle that communicated strong messaging after he put it together. Some of these less traditional pieces get your attention and stay in your mind long after the communication.
Video and Podcasting
Last but not least, consider video and podcasting. According to Forbes, “Video popularity was on the rise before the pandemic—Cisco had already estimated that, by next year, a staggering 82% of all created content would be video.” There is no denying that the pandemic has changed the way we consume video content and has changed it forever. We all have watched as streaming services add programing and increase in price. TikTok has exploded over the last year as people want to generate their own content as well. Both video and podcasting mediums live long after they are created. They can fill a library that your audience can visit over time. The content should always be authentic and should deliver on-brand messaging.