Advertising any business is, generally, all about creativity. It’s about doing something new and different from your competitors to advertise your business. You can do this in many ways, but you’ll likely want to prioritize low-to-no-cost advertising options as a new business. This means you’ll need to get creative.
The importance of creative advertising
Advertising is one of those things that you can either do well at or fail at. And the cost of doing a lousy job is that your business doesn’t succeed. Being creative, as most businesspeople are, requires you to think outside of the box regarding advertising.
- What are you able to do that’s different from the competition?
- How can your business be different in its advertising campaign?
- Can you be creative and funny in a way your competition isn’t?
Creative advertising is all about setting yourself apart from your competition. That said, here are eight creative ways to advertise your business.
1. Put yourself on the map
Remember those paper maps at tourism bureaus that nobody picks up? Well, many people still do. It might behoove you to find out how much it costs per month to put your business ‘on the map,’ literally. People looking for places to eat or shop will often look at their maps to find this out. A blazoning slogan on the side of the map advertising your business might be a great way to get eyes on and feet in the door.
2. Reference popular culture
There’s a reason why popular culture is named so. It might help you to reference popular while running particular advertising campaigns, whether this is through the use of puns or even using memes or other internet cultural icons — every little helps in attracting eyeballs to your business.
3. Give away merchandise
Free stuff is one of the best ways to get people to come to your business, including business merchandise like t-shirts and other swag (stuff we all get). You can use the allure of free stuff to attract people to buy or offer the free thing as an additive to a purchase.
4. Get creative with your business cards
Business cards are a staple among almost any business worth it’s salt. But what about being creative with a business card? It will take some investment, as they aren’t cheap, but offering something like your name different from your traditional cards is a surefire way to get customers interested in your business proposal template.
5. Print and post up flyers
One way to advertise your business for an extremely low cost is to create and print a range of flyers that you’ll then post around town on noticeboards, lampposts, and other places. Ensure your flyers are eye-catching and legible from a comfortable reading distance or to those driving/walking by.
6. Hire a graphic artist to create an ad
One of the more impressive things you can do, which may cost you a little more upfront, but will likely reap the rewards of new business, is to use creative video animation. If you have an artist you particularly like the style of, why not see what they can do with your products or business logo? Having a graphic designer’s/artist’s touch can be the difference between a great logo/product art and run-of-the-mill stuff.
7. Use social media to your advantage
Social media has been around long enough and is often used as a creative marketing tool. However, there are different ways to use social media platforms as creative advertising outlets. For example, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook/YouTube Shorts are great ways to advertise your business in thirty seconds or less to catch the attention of the masses.
8. Email marketing
You may think that email marketing is just an annoying thing you get once a week from company X. While that may be true, many people will click on the advertisements in the email to get rid of that little note in their inbox. On doing so, however, they may be intrigued by the contents of the email and maybe buy something.
There are great ways to craft engaging email copy that doesn’t annoy the reader and gets straight to the point of sale. No matter what your business is, everyone can benefit from knowing how to market your business creatively and get those feet through the door and that money in your business account.
