In today’s tight economy, consumers and business owners alike are taking a closer look at their spending habits and evaluating which purchases make the most sense to invest in right now as they continue to hope for brighter days ahead.
Here, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members each share one idea to help company leaders and their teams create more engaging advertising and think outside the box so that more potential customers will be interested in spending their hard-earned money on their products or services.
1. LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING.
Take the time to talk with your clients and actually listen. You would be shocked by how many brands don’t do this and then act surprised when their messages fall flat. One CEO recently told me that asking customers what they want is a “waste of time.” While customers may not know everything, they usually provide a refreshing, outside-in view. – Rio Longacre, Slalom Consulting
2. CREATE IMMERSIVE USER EXPERIENCES.
Instead of traditional advertising, create an interactive storytelling experience that immerses potential customers in a narrative where they play an active role. This could be done through an online interactive adventure using immersive user experiences. The story should be compelling and relevant to the brand and product, putting the user in the driver’s seat. – Goran Paun, ArtVersion
3. ABIDE BY THE BEST PRACTICES TO ACHIEVE BETTER PERFORMANCE RATES.
Don’t “force” your message on a platform. Instead, use each platform’s best practices to engage with your audience the way they prefer to engage on that platform. Focusing on that will open the door to creative ideas and better performance. – Derek Ting, TextNow
4. PARTNER WITH MICRO-INFLUENCERS.
A great way to boost awareness and create more engagement is by partnering with micro-influencers. These creators, though they have smaller followings, often boast higher engagement and authenticity. Collaborating with them allows companies to tap into these niche communities, creating more personalized and impactful advertising that resonates with potential customers. – Danielle Wiley, Sway Group LLC
5. SPONSOR SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGES OR CONTESTS.
One idea is to leverage user-generated content. Encourage clients and customers to share their insights and experiences with the product or service through social media challenges or contests. This approach provides authentic and relatable content and involves the customer base in brand promotion, potentially attracting a wider audience. – Kristin Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
6. CHANGE YOUR NARRATIVE WITH VISUAL STORYTELLING.
Explore diverse industries for creative and progressive strategies that challenge the typical narrative associated with your product or service. Remain concise and leverage visual storytelling. Visuals are emotionally impactful and easier to understand and retain. Create a vision from observed campaigns that will share engaging elements, push boundaries, and align with your company’s mission. – Spencer Steliga, Shuddl
7. ENSURE ALL CREATIVE ROADS LEAD BACK TO YOUR COMPANY’S ‘WHY.’
While you’re making decisions in the creation of an engaging advertising campaign, all roads have to lead back to the “why” of the company. Otherwise, you might have an advertisement that is outside the box but not engaging. – Alexander Kwapis
8. INCORPORATE STUNT MARKETING TO MAKE WAVES.
Stunt marketing can help your product or service break through the clutter. Our team incorporated an augmented reality experience onto the cover of a marketing catalog, which drove massive traffic to our website. Other examples include LEGO when it sent MRI LEGO sets to hospitals to benefit children, or when McDonald’s flipped its “M” on the logo to promote Women’s Day. Stunts executed well can make waves. – Jeffery Keilholtz, Broadway Licensing Global
9. GET CUSTOMERS TALKING ABOUT YOUR BRAND.
It’s essential to get customers talking about you. One of my favorite examples is when Burberry created a crowdsourcing site called “The Art of the Trench,” encouraging everyday people and photographers to send in photos and stories about when and how they got their Burberry trench. The best images were selected to be on a living website wall of beautiful inspiring imagery. This invigorated interest and sales! – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
10. OFFER CUSTOMER INCENTIVES FOR PROMOTING THE BRAND ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
A great idea is to take traditional advertising and bring it to life. I am a big fan of giving away branded swag. This could be given when customers post about your product on social media. When they post and engage, contact the customer, send them items from your company, and ask them to post them. It’s a great way to create a customer for life and have your customers share their experiences. – Jo Ann Herold, Herold Growth Consulting
11. AVOID BLOWING YOUR BUDGET ON A SINGLE UNTRACKABLE, UNSUSTAINABLE CAMPAIGN IDEA.
Look at old-school tactics. So many people will be embracing AI and augmented reality. That is all sexy and exciting, but it can be costly and hard to measure. Look back at what used to work, and a rewind on tactics wouldn’t hurt. Implement strategies for direct mail, email, and SMS. Find out where your audience is and be there. But don’t blow your budget on one big bang impact if you can’t track or sustain it. – Kristi Melani, Telesign
12. BUILD A MICRO ADVERTISING MOMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
Leverage the potential of micro-moments in advertising. These are short and impactful ads that deliver your message in the brief moments before a video plays or as a short TikTok or Instagram ad. These ads capture attention quickly but leave a wider impression and are the perfect starting point for those brands who want to reach a wide audience with a small budget in a paid campaign. – Gergo Vari, Lensa
13. SHARE INFORMATION THROUGH WORD OF MOUTH.
Word-of-mouth efforts, when perceived to be authentic, are more effective than paid ads. Most people skip paid ads. But when something gets in the news and feels authentic, the impact is stronger. People do pay attention; therefore, maybe they will want to try your product or service. – Zain Jaffer, Zain Ventures
14. HIGHLIGHT CUSTOMERS IN YOUR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
Put your actual customers in your advertising; use their words and stories to show how your company has brought them value. Engage them throughout the creative process to ensure their perspectives are authentically captured and shared. Then, create downstream cross-channel marketing campaigns to bring the ad campaign to life. – Mack McKelvey, SalientMG
15. EXPAND YOUR MARKETING MIX TO INCLUDE VIDEO AND AUDIO.
Expand your marketing mix and invest in mediums like video and audio. Over 80% of marketers have claimed video content has helped their company increase sales with improved audience engagement. Video content is easier to share, reaches a more targeted audience, generates new conversations, and creates interesting communities. – Caroline Winnett, Berkeley SkyDeck
16. LEAN INTO THE ECCENTRICITY, ABSURDITY, OR QUIRK THAT IS YOUR BRAND’S AUTHENTICITY.
I’m reading The Diary Of The CEO, by Steven Bartlett, and here is something that stood out: “Useless absurdity will define you more than useful practicalities.” If you consider business leaders who disrupt and draw engagement from it, it’s typically their public story that is centered around some eccentricity, absurdity, or quirk that leads the way in how they are defined. – Ginni Saraswati, Ginni Media