Effective marketing campaigns are worth every penny and more. Of course, ineffective marketing ideas drain valuable dollars from the budget without generating new sales. As economic conditions shift across the country, it becomes even more crucial to maximize the impact of your marketing. If you are re-examining your marketing strategy for 2023, here are five must-try marketing ideas you need to consider before making a final decision.
1. Billboards
It doesn’t matter if you live in a city with millions of people or a rural community of a few hundred, you can probably rattle off the locations of nearby billboards. That’s because this age-old marketing strategy continues to reach large masses of people regardless of the market size. In one astonishing example, Raleigh billboards generate more than 163 million impressions. Raleigh billboards prominently display brand campaigns throughout North Carolina’s capital city, which has less than 500,000 people.
In spite of the lower population, these billboards garner far more views because of many local entities that draw people from around the world. These include prestigious universities, such as North Carolina State, Duke, and the University of North Carolina. All of those campuses are within a 30-mile diameter. Combined with the robust commerce in the area, Raleigh billboards are seen by countless people passing through the city. If you live in a similar region where the number of people driving through town outpaces the official population, you may be missing a golden opportunity with billboards.
2. Wallscapes
Although it carries a higher cost, this marketing idea presents a unique way to stand out from the crowd. Typically attached to prominent real estate locations in high-traffic areas, wallscapes can often be seen from long distances. Depending on the image or design, these can also become viral with people taking photos and sharing the pictures on social media. Furthermore, your company’s image will remain visible for a long amount of time because these are typically not replaced as quickly as other marketing campaigns.
3. Bus Wraps
If a large static image on a building doesn’t fit your budget, a powerful alternative for less money might be a bus wrap. These dynamic images stand out in traffic and are clearly seen by anyone using the public transit service. Depending on the market size and the bus route, bus wraps can provide optimal value because the bus will be seen by thousands of people in high-traffic areas the bus travels through.
With the size of the imagery and the endless number of puns related to a moving vehicle, you can let your creative team run wild with a clever way to grab people’s attention throughout the city. If this is still beyond your current marketing budget, you can be extremely creative with a smaller advertisement on the side or back of the bus. Though not as eye-catching, these ads will reach a similar number of people as a bus wrap.
4. Trash cans
Why would you want your company to be associated with trash cans? It’s a reasonable question. Depending on your wittiness and design ability, trash cans can gain valuable impressions in high-traffic areas for minimal cost.
Think about how many times you have been looking for a nearby trash can and can’t locate one. With the right design and slogan, you can stand out quickly because your ad will be in a place where people least expect it. This causes people to process your company’s image more fully and remember it later. In the same vein, restrooms and elevators can be unique locations where people aren’t expecting an advertisement, but they will have time to see your ad without being slammed with other ads to drown yours out.
5. Targeted Locations
Any successful marketing campaign hinges on whether or not you reach your ideal customer. If you have a precise demographic you want to reach, location-based advertisements can provide the best bang for your buck. Advertising at the local minor league baseball stadium can put your business in front of people looking for affordable family entertainment. Purchasing strategic ad locations on college campuses will market your company to a large number of young adults along with a highly-educated community of professors and staff.
Conclusion
Although this isn’t a comprehensive list of marketing ideas, it represents some unique ways to maximize your marketing budget. Some strategies like billboards or wallscapes can put your business in front of far more people than the city’s population. Others will cause your company to stand out from the pack and be more memorable. Whichever strategies you consider, strongly weigh the pros and cons to spend your marketing dollars as efficiently as possible.