Unconventional Marketing Strategies That Actually Work

There are various marketing strategies that can be employed to drive leads and signups. While some campaigns may seem unconventional, all work to help businesses realize their goals.

Undercover marketing is a form of unconventional promotion that introduces products directly to consumers without appearing like advertisements; other methods include product placement and guerrilla marketing.

1. Undercover Marketing

Undercover marketing can be an effective way of advertising products without ever directly advertising them. Also known as guerilla or stealth marketing, this tactic often utilizes actors or influencers as promotional ploys without alerting audiences that this is actually promotional content.

These types of tactics have become increasingly common online, where companies hire actors to leave positive reviews in discussion forums and comment sections for them. This strategy generates word-of-mouth recommendations and establishes credibility for a brand before investing in more traditional advertising methods.

Undercover marketing tactics may backfire if not executed effectively, for example when an actor is seen using certain products in public – leading to suspicion that the brand is trying to manipulate people through public consumption of its product. Furthermore, certain countries prohibit this form of promotion, leading to legal complications for businesses involved.

2. Flash Mobs

Flash mobs are an effective form of guerrilla marketing that can capture the attention of target customers while creating buzz about your business.

Planning is key for organizing an effective flash mob. Select a public and well-known location so as to attract the attention of passersby; send out mass emails containing time, date, and location details directly.

Branding the flash mob is equally essential. To do this, include the campaign name or hashtag in the performance and make it highly visible. Also, conduct rehearsals with all participants so they understand all instructions and can perform properly to achieve desired effects of stunt.

3. Event Marketing

Organising and marketing an event takes extensive work. There are various tactics and strategies marketers can employ to increase registrations and attendance for their events.

As part of event promotion, it is crucial that savvy marketers understand who their target audience is and the experience they seek from an event. In order to do this, researchers and data specialists can create detailed buyer personas.

These buyer personas can help craft event messaging that resonates with specific target audiences, increasing engagement, registrations and attendance for an event. Social media campaigns are one effective means of reaching target audiences quickly; podcasts and webinars can also be effective tools. Salesforce uses its Trailblazer Community of customers from around the globe who come together physically to learn and network; they utilize this strategy for their annual Salesforce Summit conference as well – this strategy has proven highly successful at increasing brand recognition while encouraging loyalty among attendees.

4. Guerrilla Marketing

Marketing doesn’t need to be strictly digital: anything that gets your brand in front of customers can serve as a potency marketing strategy. That is the philosophy behind guerrilla marketing: an unconventional yet scrappy method of promoting your business to potential clients.

Guerrilla tactics use stealth techniques to engage consumers without their knowledge, often without their permission, in order to promote products or services. Although this strategy can be very successful, if executed poorly or without approval it could result in serious backlash against the promoter and his/her business.

Guinness added custom wraps to pool cues in bars to encourage people to grab a pint, while Discovery Channel placed shark-bitten surfboards near beaches as an unsubtle reminder about Shark Week.

Retailers can utilize guerrilla marketing tactics to engage customers by hosting in-person interactive events. Forth & Nomad in Houston hosts educational workshops where shoppers learn how to craft candles – these events can be promoted both online and off.