Make your business stand out from the rest

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Make Your Business Stand Out From the Rest

 

Marketing a business represents a major endeavor for most companies, with Gartner reporting that the average business spends 10% of their total budget on advertising and self-promotion. If you’re not booking clients every day, consider one of these unconventional marketing strategies.

Magnetic or Vinyl Car Ads

Everyone knows how popular billboards are as a method of advertising, as you see them on nearly every stretch of road across America. Popularity doesn’t necessarily mean efficiency, however, since the average person spends only about a third of a second looking at the content on a billboard.

Most drivers pay far more attention to the cars on the road in front of them. Why not use this to your advantage and turn your car into a moving advertisement? Include your logo, business name, services, and a contact number and the next time you’re stuck in traffic, your company will get prime time ad space.

I was coming back from an organizing job with a colleague one time when she actually received a call from the woman in the car behind us! Just make sure you have Bluetooth or another type of hands-free technology, so you don’t endanger yourself or others or break any laws by answering the phone while driving.

Wear Your Business on Your Sleeve

Or maybe on the front of your shirt. Many organizers order polo shirts with their business logo on them to wear while organizing. They’re comfortable to work in, you don’t have to worry about damaging expensive dress clothes, and of course, they’re great for branding.

Sponsor a Team

Although there’s much concern that today’s young people don’t get enough exercise, millions of kids participate in organized sports every year. And that translates to millions of parents visiting parks and arenas to watch their young athletes. In reality, much more time in a sports game is spent doing nothing, especially in the case of a baseball game that may feature all of fifteen minutes’ worth of actual action. The rest of the time, the audience is sitting or standing around, waiting for their child’s turn on the field or ice. Take advantage of this captive audience by sponsoring a local sports team or buying advertising space at the arena or ballpark.

Stand Out

Banner stands are an excellent tool for showcasing your business at trade shows and other events. These stands can do everything from generating interest with a curiosity-piquing phrase to demonstrating the impact of your services through photographs, whether they’re pictures of projects you’ve completed or professional stock photos.

The Sky’s the Limit

Skywriting isn’t just for marriage proposals and the odd celebrity apology (Shia Labeouf, anyone?). You can reach hundreds of thousands—and perhaps even millions—of customers by taking your message to the clouds. Skywriting may cost more than other methods of marketing, but it’s certainly going to catch people’s attention, and will definitely get people talking about your business.

Have you tried any unconventional methods for marketing your business? What were they, and how did they work out for you?

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Janet Barclay

A former professional organizer, I now eliminate stress for my clients by hosting, monitoring, and maintaining their WordPress sites so they don’t have to worry about security, downtime or performance issues. When I’m away from my desk, I enjoy reading, photography, watching movies, and cooking.

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8 Comments

  1. Avatar Seana Turner on April 1, 2014 at 11:07 am

    I love this post. I definitely didn’t have sky writing on my radar, but maybe?? So fun to think about new and innovative ways to market. I would add being a “giver” at charity auctions, etc.

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on April 1, 2014 at 1:55 pm

      I’ve donated to charity auctions before. It didn’t result in any new paying clients, but it did give me a chance to work with people who wouldn’t have known about my business, and the more people who know what we do, the better!

  2. Avatar Jacki Hollywood Brown on April 1, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    Some auto insurance policies consider your car a “business vehicle” once you put ads on it (even temporary ones). Your insurance company may not provide coverage in a claim if you only have “personal” vehicle insurance.

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on April 1, 2014 at 2:02 pm

      That’s a good point, Jacki – thanks for bringing it up. I did in fact have to upgrade to commercial insurance once I put the signs on my car as shown above (which I no longer have, by the way). However, the cost difference wasn’t an awful lot, and of course you can write it off as a business expense. Best to find out before you place your order!

  3. Avatar Jill Robson on April 1, 2014 at 1:13 pm

    Great list Janet, actually the car magnet signs are in my budget for this year, and the shirts with my logo. Thank you for the reminder.

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on April 1, 2014 at 2:06 pm

      You’ll have to post some pictures of you in your shirt in front of your car!

  4. Avatar Jill Annis on July 13, 2016 at 8:52 pm

    I used magnetic car signs for a few years and would always ask a new client if the signs were okay to have on my car. If not I could quickly remove them before going to that client’s house. I like the idea of sponsoring a team. That’s one I never thought of.

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on July 15, 2016 at 6:49 am

      That’s a good reason to go with the magnets. I opted for vinyl, because I’d heard stories of people losing their magnetic signs while driving on the highway or having them stolen from parking lots.

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