8 Smart Marketing Techniques to Surprise your Customers

Believe it or not, running a business is nothing less than a rollercoaster ride with countless ups and downs. Entrepreneurs hold the bag to manage finance, handle business operations, and put every effort into making their brand known to the world. Some stick to television advertisements while others are chasing after social media forums.

Even though classic marketing strategies generate results, but it doesn’t help you stand out in the crowd or grab customers. Those marketing campaigns of giant brands are always impressive while making other businesses jealous. Don’t you ever wonder why didn’t I think of that first? Surprisingly, getting more customers doesn’t mean you have to outspend everyone. 

Marketing is all about putting your creative skills to use and making a big splash by thinking outside the box. Alongside promoting your brand message, you have pick strategies that are captivating for the customers. After all, the purpose of marketing is to impress customers and direct them towards your products and services. 

Can’t think of anything unique? Here is how you can surprise your customers with these smart marketing techniques. 

Design an eBook 

Have you heard of inbound marketing? It is the heart of internet marketing as it brings potential customers to your business. Similarly, excellent content draws attention and works as a fuel for inbound marketing. If you notice, there are enough blogs and articles online, which means you have to focus on something different, like eBooks. 

Instead of giving a brief overview of the topic, it is more of a comprehensive guide to enriching customers with knowledge. Learn about your audience before picking a subject for your eBook because choosing anything random won’t work. At the same time, use eBook design software to create an appealing design since many judge book by its cover. For instance, if you are writing about fitness – design the eBook with visuals of equipment and healthy food on every page. 

Launch A Referral Program

In the 21st century, people influence other people. Don’t you rely on recommendations from a trusted friend? As word-of-mouth becomes popular, you might want to consider starting a referral program. It aims at increasing new clients through references by offering incentives and rewards to existing customers. In short, you invite customers to become your company’s advocates. 

Alongside building stronger relationships with existing customers, it increases your marketing reach. Most importantly, don’t start asking for referrals immediately since people need enough time to judge the product or service. 

Conduct Photo Contests

If you wish to surprise customers, focus on building connections. Photo contests work as an incredible engagement tool where customers share their stories while you get to promote your brand. Users have to upload a picture of your product and tell their stories. Feel free to create tags on Facebook and Instagram – for instance, #appreciation stories, #empowering others, or #memorable moments. It would provide you with user-generated content, allowing you to use it on other channels. Pick a winner with the most relatable story and offer them a prize or discount. After all, digital marketing has to be engaging. 

Become Socially Responsible 

With sprouting environmental concerns, people are switching to eco-friendly practices to minimize the damage. Why not do this on a professional level? If you notice, all giant brands have social avatars. Starbucks produces sustainable coffee beans; Tom donates shoes on each purchase, while Airbnb started a campaign on short-term houses #wecare for Syrian refugees. Take some inspiration and engage in similar practices to achieve global recognition.  

If you are operating on a small-scale – take baby steps towards CSR. Stop using plastic, use biodegradable packing, and focus on automation to have a paperless workplace. Similarly, create incentives for employees because customers appreciate companies who care for their workers. 

Open Yourself to Collaborations 

Do you want more audience? Think about joining hands with another brand that can help you meet your goals. Nevertheless, make sure you are not picking a rival brand since you both would have the same target audience. Likewise, it is not mandatory to choose a brand from the same niche. Look at Spotify and Starbucks; they use app integration – customers who like a song at Starbucks can use the brand’s app and play it on Spotify. Hence, you also have to focus on a collaboration that brings eyes and ears to both brands. 

Amaze Customers with Giveaways 

Although giveaways are not a new concept, it is still a marvelous way to drive interest. You have to recognize what your customers love and then surprise them with free stuff. Offer something worthwhile and ask customers to follow participation rules. It could be welcoming to share the post, tagging friends, or following the page. However, don’t overwhelm your followers with a long list of participation rules as it turns people away – keep it simple and precise. If you want something new, take giveaways to the next level. For instance, you can add a valuable gift for orders above $500. 

Run A Coupon Deal 

Customers love discounts and coupons. This is why websites like Raise are so successful, as they offer a wide range of coupons and discount codes for various different shops (if you haven’t had a browse yet, try this out!). No matter if you sell a product or offer a service, reap the benefits of coupon deal sites to promote your business. These sites amass massive audiences, categorizing them by different demographics. It exposes your business to a large pool of audience, increasing brand awareness, and bringing new customers.

The goal is to get people on your door and make them try your products. It works like a customer retention strategy, as many new customers will browse your website. Once your deal is up on the site, expect an influx of customers, and offer incredible customer service. 

Give a Shot to Podcasts 

It might sound astonishing, but on average, people spend 17 hours tuning into podcasts. You might miss out on a potential chunk of the audience if you haven’t started creating podcasts. The demand for audio continues to explode, but only the pleasant ones capture listeners. Hence, instead of making it look like a sales pitch, you have to entertain audience\s to keep them hooked. You can discuss controversial topics, trending gossips, and something informative. Allocate days for issues like motivational Monday, friendly Friday, or trendy Tuesdays. 

Final Thoughts, 

When it comes to marketing, you don’t have to chase after the social trends as you will end up following others. Marketing has to be unique and innovative with the right amount of creativity, especially if you want to surprise customers. Focus on strategies that reflect your brand message and offer something unique to the customers. So, ditch your conventional marketing practices and put these smart marketing techniques to use.