One of the main challenges of running a business is growing it! Keeping it afloat in today’s uncertain economic tides is hard work in itself. But, it’s another thing to find ways of making it grow and increase turnover and profit.
The Internet is awash with articles that all say the same things when it comes to business growth. What if you’re looking for unconventional ways to grow your business? You know, by doing the things that many entrepreneurs may not have thought about?
Here are 6 unconventional yet successful ways to build your brand and be more profitable:
1. Educate your customers
Let’s face it. People love it when they get things for free. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to give away your products and services! Instead, what you could do is educate your customers on how best to use what you sell.
For instance, a building products company could give free workshops on bricklaying. An IT firm could run seminars on how to protect business networks from viruses. And so forth.
2. Sponsor a local youth group
Youth sports teams and even charitable groups often gather plenty of supporters and spectators. Did you know that sponsoring such groups is a brilliant way to advertise your brand?
Why? The answer is simple. Other people become walking advertisements for your brand! You could have your branding embroidered onto team apparel. Another option is vehicle branding. At special events, you could even have banners and stands with your branding on it.
3. Use a digital marketing agency
There are a wealth of advertising opportunities on the Internet. Did you know that some brands advertise through channels such as sponsored blog posts? To increase your brand exposure online, consider using search engine optimization services.
Doing so means you don’t need to waste time and money learning how to do that yourself. Especially when your time could get better spent elsewhere growing your business. Most businesses avoid this option because of cost, but you can explore it and consider your options.
4. Let other companies pay you to brand your products as their own
Product licensing is big business! Many companies license out their products to other brands. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. Your company will receive royalties each time a product gets rebranded. And the other firm doesn’t have to spend money developing products from scratch.
It’s an interesting way of earning money from the products you developed. It’s also one of the easiest too!
5. Carry out a publicity stunt
One of the fantastic ways to increase brand awareness is through publicity stunts. For instance, let’s say that you want to promote a new car for your dealership.
You could set up a racing game simulator in a busy public place like a shopping mall. And the winner of the game could win the new model you are trying to promote!
6. Form an alliance with other businesses
If you sell wine, you could form alliances with local restaurants to offer it to their customers. The restaurants get discounted wine from you. And your business gets to sell more bottles of wine on a regular basis!
It’s not uncommon for businesses to form alliances with each other. You’ll often see firms doing this in a variety of industries. But, it’s not always an idea many entrepreneurs first think about!