Awesome Marketing Ideas for Your New Lifestyle Brand
- (Photo : Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash)
You've finally done what you always said you would: you turned your brilliant idea into a business! Turning a passion project, whether it's an independent clothing line, a health food startup, or an arts and culture vlog, into an actual company takes a lot of hard work, so you have every right to be proud. However, the hard work doesn't stop there.
You also have to build up your brand and gain a following, a task that is a lot harder to do now than it used to be. According to Oberlo, there were 31.7 million small businesses in the U.S. in 2020. While the influx of small businesses is good for the economy, it also means a lot of competition.
Thanks to the worldwide shift to online retail, the digital marketplace is a lot more crowded than before the pandemic. Whether you're just starting out or trying to grow your brand further, you're going to have to work smarter, not just harder, to get the word out about your business.
Low-Cost, Creative Marketing Ideas for Your Up-and-Coming Business
When you're just starting, you likely have to work with a limited marketing budget. Thankfully, however, there are many ways to build your brand and grow your customer base without spending a fortune.
To get you started, try out these offline and online marketing ideas.
Use the "Velvet Rope" Strategy
Finding the right balance between accessibility and exclusivity is tricky, but it's worth it. The right amount of exclusivity can help build desire among your customers and turn your product or service into a "might buy" into a "must-have."
The velvet rope strategy is best for businesses whose target audiences are interested in luxury or high-end products or services. For example, if you have a perfume business, you could release a limited line of fragrances. If you design clothing, a collection of one-off pieces will make your customers feel special and might entice them to buy.
Give Free Stuff
Everybody loves getting stuff for free. You can use this universal truth to your advantage in many ways.
Incentivize opt-ins to your newsletter with discount codes and vouchers-this encourages your customers to buy from you again and rewards them by saving them money with their purchase. Make sure that your offer is clearly communicated on the call-to-action text of your sign-up links.
You can also do it old school and give away actual physical items. Stickers, keychains, and other goodies used or seen regularly will help remind your customers of your brand. You can include a freebie in every purchase or run a contest and send a swag bag to the winner.
Add a Blog to Your Website
Starting a blog is a low-effort, low-cost way to dip your toes into the world of content marketing and its many benefits. Creating quality, sharable content and posting it on your site:
- Drives traffic
- Builds your credibility
- Establishes your brand as a leader in your niche
- Helps convert website traffic to leads
- Boosts engagement
- Provides value to your customers
If you have a vlog or a podcast, you can repurpose your video or audio content by turning it into a written post. Just export the transcribed text from your media, and edit or tweak it to make it more readable and engaging.
Use Your Car for More Than Errands
If you spend a lot of time driving to and from your day job, sitting in traffic, or driving to the store, consider this an opportunity to promote your brand offline. You could put magnetic car signs on your vehicle with your website address or even a QR code leading to your social media page.
They can help you promote everything from a new clothing collection to a virtual members-only event for your loyal customers. Plus, unlike painting your car or decals, they're not permanent, and they won't leave your car with sticky glue residue. You can remove them or put them back anytime you want.
Partner Up With an Influencer
According to a report by CivicScience, nearly 15% of Americans between 18 and 24 years of age have purchased something in the last six months because an influencer recommended it. Working with an influencer can widen your reach, increase awareness of and build trust in your brand, and boost your business' credibility.
It's not just big brands that can work with and benefit from influencer talent. Even small businesses and independent brands can reap the benefits of influencer marketing. The key is to find a promising new influencer who shares your company's values and has a similar audience to yours.
By nurturing and supporting your partner influencer and maintaining your relationship, you get to benefit even more when they hit the big time.
Of course, you'll need to do your due diligence. Make sure their followers are real, ask for references, and check the numbers-their engagement rate, follower count, and other important details.
For Best Results, Mix It Up
Successful marketing strategies use a mixture of online and offline marketing methods. You'll need to experiment a bit to find out what works best for you. But, you must create clear goals at the outset and find ways to measure how well your marketing efforts are doing and if you're getting good ROI.
Try to focus on high-impact, low-cost methods for now. When your business grows bigger, you can delve into larger-scale strategies that deliver bigger rewards.
If you have a physical store for your brand, showing your branding colours and logo across your store would increase customer engagement. Digital signage for stores is the easiest and cleanest way to show your brand identity to customers and potential investors.
