3 Ways to Market Your Business That Aren't Social Media Advertising or PPC

It seems that marketing has mostly come down to just two key areas: social media marketing on the 3 giants Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and PPC on Google. While there is nothing wrong with using these highly successful methods, you should rightly be asking yourself what your can do to make your business stand out a little bit more. A social media strategy alone isn’t enough.

If your business is a local business, mainly providing for people in the area, does it really make sense to send all your marketing budget to these massive companies? No, you should be thinking outside the box to find other ways to get people to talk about your business and brand.

Here are 3 ways you might like to try.

Organize a Competition

Admittedly, you will probably want to use social media for this, but since you could easily do this as an organic post, it doesn’t really count as social media advertising… A competition is a brilliant way to improve brand awareness and to show a fun side to your business that might otherwise be missed.

Competitions are everywhere so creating one that people will enter will take a bit of imagination and a fun prize that’s a bit of a treat. People are more likely to enter competitions when they don’t really need to do very much to be in with a chance to win. This might narrow the options but be prepared to be bold and find new ways to interact with your audience. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

In-App Advertising

Again, not stepping too far away from targeted social advertising, in-app advertising is a great way to capture your audience’s attention. You can refine your audience in a similar way to social media ads and, like PPC, you will only pay for the clicked ads, not the reach.

Sponsored Events

If you are looking to step out of the screen altogether, there is no better way to do so than organizing or sponsoring an event. You might, for example, sponsor a local kids sports team to get your name in front of their parents, or you could sponsor a one off charity event by offering your services for a reduced cost (or even for free!).

The advantage of all of these events is that you won’t just be raising your own social profile, but you will also be demonstrating your social conscience to your clients. Organizing an event yourself will be more work but you will get the freedom you need to expose your brand and make the most of your efforts. Again, think outside the box and find something a bit unique that will make your event stand out against a million and one charity bake sales happening in the area.