Uninspiring marketing campaigns are a dime a dozen, so it takes a brand with the chutzpah to create one that resonates with its customers.
The best marketing campaigns are those with real creativity, a unique edge that eschews the tried-and-tested methods and makes them stand out from the crowd.
So if you’ve lost your marketing mojo, fret no longer. Read on for five ways that you can achieve just that by incorporating creative content into your marketing strategy.
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Enjoy a quick win with user-generated content
User-generated content is the darling of the creative marketer. It’s free to the source, virtually unlimited, and it’s super engaging. And the statistics support it too. UGC is 35% more memorable than any other type of media, and 50% more trustworthy. In short, it pays dividends for your brand.
User-generated content is also highly versatile. Use it to promote a product by curating your customers’ selfies, or boost brand awareness by getting your follower to tag your brand in their photos.
Create a branded hashtag and start a UGC competition to get your customers to submit their best shots based around a theme. These are quick wins for driving engagement and brand awareness on social, and it provides you with lots of free content that you can repurpose (with your followers’ consent) for later campaigns too.
Takeaway tip: a successful UGC competition is one that aligns with your brand. The entrance method and prize should reflect both your brand and your target customer segments. For example, if your target customers are makeup lovers aged between 16-25, a cosmetics selection box will garner more submissions than a more generic prize like an iPad.
Embrace the power of visual storytelling
Your About Us page is a core part of your brand identity. It’s where your customers go to learn more about who they’re shopping with and why they should shop with you.
You’re About Us page connects you with your customers on a personal level, and it’s an essential string to your marketing bow.
But rather than provide reams of copy about your brand, why not inject a little life into it with some visual storytelling? The video is the obvious choice – it’s a medium soaring in popularity, with 78% of consumers watching video online every week.
But with infographics, slideshows, or even interactive timelines at your disposal, the options open to you are virtually endless. Check out the examples here for some inspiration.
Takeaway tip: About Us, videos are a common creative marketing asset, but take yours further with an interactive timeline of your company’s history. Create gifs or graphics to highlight memorable milestones in your brand’s journey.
Take your Insta Stories to the next level
Instagram Stories have exploded in popularity of late. They’re current, engaging, and offer a dizzying array of features for users to customize with.
For brands, the benefits are enormous. You can boost your brand identity, increase your follower count, and even drive sales with the Stories swipe-up feature. And the type of Stories open to you is numerous. Your business can use Stories for:
- Product promotion
- Behind-the-scenes peeks at your brand
- Live event coverage
- User-generated content spotlights
- Competitions and giveaways
- Influencer takeovers
Stories let you be present where your customers are active most, making them a creative must for your marketing strategy. And with options like the above open to you, there’s plenty of scope for some creative pizzazz.
Takeaway tip: Instagram offers dozens of cool features for its Stories function, so make the most of them. Make use of polls and questions stickers to create conversations with your customers. And with Instagram’s recent share music feature, you can let your followers know what you’re listening to in the office. It’ll inject a dose of personality into any tame social campaign.
Ramp your email marketing up a notch
Email is a staple of every business’s marketing strategy. Despite the plethora of social platforms available, the humble email is still the platform of choice for many consumers.
Even with the tech-savvy millennial generation, 78% of them point to email as their preferred communication channel of choice.
But email’s ubiquity means brands need to put extra work into standing out from the torrent of marketing emails their customers receive. It starts with snappy subject lines that grab your customers: eschew the generic catch-all emails and target them with personalization tokens and list segments.
Take this further with email copy that is conversational rather than formal. Every brand, even the most prosaic B2B ones, benefit from a readable, informal copy that communicates with customers as though they are friends, not businesses.
Takeaway tip: beyond bright copy and smart segmentation, there are other unique ways to take your email marketing to the next level. The email automation platform Moosend, for example, offers a built-in weather function to tailor your emails according to the regional weather in your customer’s location. Is it raining in Dallas? Send your Texan customers an email giving them some ideas for what to do when they’re stuck indoors. It takes personalization to new heights and adds a creative twist to any dry marketing campaign.
Take the plunge with live video
Live video can be a daunting prospect. Raw and unscripted, it’s a terrifying prospect for some. But for many marketers, it is these same qualities that make a live video so appealing.
While the live video for brands is still in its relative infancy, plenty has taken advantage of everything it has to offer. General Electric equipped drones with Periscope to provide birdseye tours through hard-to-reach GE facilities, and Experian often hosts live video Q&As for their followers to learn about financial issues.
A successful live video is one that is personable and conversational. Strong improvisational skills and a playful eye will set successful brand live videos apart from the crowd.
Takeaway tip: while you can’t script live video, you can plan for it. Create a rough sketch for your video’s direction, highlighting key points you want to address. But remember, this is just a guideline. Don’t be afraid to ditch your plan if an opportunity arises – follow (and trust) your instincts.
Every brand from every industry can embrace creativity in their marketing strategy. Follow the tips above and craft a campaign that gives your brand the edge against your competitors.
