Marketing and subtlety might not be things you would normally link together – after all, your marketing needs to be noticed and that means it generally has to be big and bold. If no one sees it, it’s not going to do anything for your business, no matter how great it might look or how different it is.
That is true, and you will need to do your big, bold marketing as much as you can, but the fact is that it’s also important to do some subtle marketing at the same time, especially since too much of the big stuff can backfire and become irritating rather than intriguing. With that in mind, here are some of the ways you can be more subtle in your marketing so you’ve got everything covered.
Tell Stories
One great way to subtly market your business is to tell stories that people will remember because they link with how they’re feeling or the things they’re going through in life. You’ll need to work out how your target audience is and then create a story they’ll react positively to, and once that’s done, you’ll find this new marketing avenue is one that works well.
The key is that instead of focusing on directly selling and promoting your products and services, you’re focusing on other things – the selling is just something that happens as a by-product of those other things. You might want to tell the story of why you decided to start your business, for example, or talk about one particularly happy customer, or perhaps why you started selling a specific (and popular) product. It could be anything, and as long as there’s no direct selling involved, you should make some sales.
Brand Well
Your branding is crucial if you want to market in a more subtle way, and if you can put it on more things (even hiding it, in some cases!), you’ll find you’re able to imprint it on people’s minds and their subconscious without really having to market to them at all, at least not in the traditional sense.
One great idea is woven labels for a clothing company. When you put woven labels in your products, you can subtly remind customers of your brand every time they use or wear them, and if anyone asks them where they got the items, they can easily show them the label, and so the marketing continues. Make sure the label has your name and logo on, and, if there’s space, your website, and you’ve got everything in place for some subtle but positive marketing.
That’s just one example of how to use branding to sell in a more subtle way, and when you start to think about the things you sell, you’ll realize there are plenty of opportunities for you to use your branding effectively.
Partner With Influencers
If you want someone else to do your marketing for you, and in a potentially more subtle way than you’ve been doing in the past, partnering with influencers isn’t a bad way to go. If you can find influencers who you know your target market will be interested in and listen to, that’s half the battle, and that is an amazing way to find new customers as well as connect more with existing ones who might need to be reminded of exactly why you’re the right choice to come back to.
Rather than overtly endorsing your products, influencers can incorporate them into their content in a way that feels natural but still gets you noticed. Yes, there are some legal things to consider, including the fact that the influencer needs to mention that their content is an ad (or similar wording), but if you make sure you tick all those boxes, this could be a subtle (although less subtle than some of the other options on this list) way to market your products.
Engage On Social Media
Social media – you’ll either love it or hate it, but if you’re a business owner, you need it, so you need to put your feelings to one side and dive in. The fact is that social media platforms offer a fantastic opportunity to connect with your audience in a subtle, and more authentic, way. Rather than bombarding your followers with promotions and ads, you can focus on getting them involved in conversations, and when you do that, you don’t have to sell – people will want to buy because they know you better and trust you.
So what can you do? There are tons of ideas, such as showing people behind the scenes of your business, giving tips on how to solve various problems (the fact that one of your products or services can help is a bonus, of course!), and always responding to comments. It’s a lot of hard work, but it could be your best marketing tool yet.
