Aren’t you tired of seeing the same things over and over again? Don’t you wish people were coming up with fresh, new ideas? Does everyone seem to be copying each other? We think so too.
Here’s a challenge for you: go against the grain. Venture out and try something new. Change your mind and start investing in marketing. If you’re tired of seeing copycat advertisements everywhere, odds are that other people feel the same way, and people want to see a new, different concept.
When you boost a post just for the sake of impressions without following up with second and third ads, you’re throwing out your money. Think long term. Think strategy. You never want to go into something, whether it’s marketing or spelunking, without a strategy of some kind.
A few questions:
Here’s a question for business owners: why would they buy from YOU? With so much content and multiple versions of a product available on the market, why would anyone specifically want to buy yours?
Here’s a question for consumers: what makes you want to buy from a certain company over another one, even if the products are almost identical?
In order to be able to answer either of those questions, we need to analyze what makes a business successful. Having good reviews, a solid reputation, and a slew of customers is usually a good start. But there’s another factor–an X factor–about these companies that makes people want to buy from them. That’s where marketing comes in handy. When a marketing team is able to come up with a concept that people haven’t seen before, that tends to stick with them. That leaves you with more questions that will be answered in time: How do you peak your audience’s interests, get them to get to know you, and eventually become comfortable enough to buy from you?
Be a pioneer
Make sure that everything you create stands out. Whether it’s an ad, a Facebook post, or just general activity surrounding your company, it has to be something different. Come up with new ideas and concepts; don’t be a copycat. You want to draw as much attention to your brand as possible in order to attract potential customers. They need to remember you. Be smart, be clever, and be one step ahead of your competitors and your audience. When you eventually do create a campaign, you already have the next step in mind.
If you’re tired of seeing the same emails from different companies, be different. In digital marketing, some of the most overused words and phrases are “free tips,” “secrets,” “tricks,” and so many others. In the movie industry, people are continuing to remake old movies instead of coming up with new ideas. While these ideas might have been innovative ten years ago, they certainly aren’t anymore.
On the other hand, you don’t want to be remembered for having an ignorant, politically incorrect, or offensive advertisement. Remember the Pepsi debacle featuring Kendall Jenner from a few years ago? That was a bad move for everyone involved, and people are still talking about over two years later. Execute your ads with thoughtfulness, care, and always make sure to get a second, third, fourth, fifth, and twentieth pair of eyes on it before it has a chance to circulate.
Seinfeld, anyone?
Remember the television show Seinfeld? In one episode, two of the main characters, Jerry and George, are asked to come up with an idea for a show. After thinking for a while, George finally has it: “Let’s make a show about nothing. Everybody is doing a show about something. We’ll do a show about nothing!”
At first, it seems like a ridiculous idea, and it barely even seems like an idea at all. But, wouldn’t you know it, the show was a hit. George came up with a new idea and a new concept for a television show while everyone was still doing the same old stuff. Though it’s a fictional show, it’s a concept that would likely work out in our nonfictional world, too.
Never stop creating
Everyone starts somewhere. Take concepts you have already thought of and build on them. Keep thinking, improving, and doing. The Geico gecko concept probably wasn’t crafted in a day, nor was the Aflac duck. Everyone knows those commercials and can quote them perfectly. Even after so many years of showing on television, the marketing team behind them keep crafting new ideas for new commercials to keep audiences enthralled with the talking animals.
Treat your marketing concepts as if they were Super Bowl commercials. Some people watch the Super Bowl solely for the ads, and that’s where eventually you want to get with your brand. Think outside of the box and always strive to be the person to do something before anyone else.