Marketing your business and building your brand can sometimes be as difficult as building your products – if not tougher. And it’s easy to get blinded by big, shiny marketing opportunities that can quickly drain your budget, or to get stuck in the minutia of targeting the right contacts in your email campaigns. But you can often unearth marketing successes by heading back to basics — like grassroots marketing.
Grassroots marketing is simply starting “from the ground up” and is where most every brand starts. However, it’s important to remember that no matter how large your brand grows, there’s beauty in the effectiveness of grassroots marketing. Check out these 7 grassroots marketing efforts not to be overlooked:
- Word of Mouth
The original mecca of grassroots marketing. This is the most effective form of marketing. Human beings by nature trust recommendations from family, friends, and other people whom they know and rely on in their daily lives. So drum up word of mouth by asking your customers to review your products and to share them with friends – and incentivize them to become your brand ambassadors by rewarding them with freebies, discounts and special insights into new things you may have cooking, This feeling of being connected and part of a community is one of the key reasons why social media influencer marketing has taken off so well. Which brings us to…
- Social Media
Social media has become an incredibly popular (and mandatory) tool in our world today and for businesses today. It amplifies word-of-mouth marketing in a whole new way because people can now follow and listen to the people they trust, even if they haven’t met them. It gives celebrities and influencers so much power over the trustworthiness of brands and can show people your product or service in use. So, jump in and engage with your audience via different social networks.
To learn more about the difference between social media and influencer marketing, click here.
- Direct Messages
Taking word-of-mouth and social media efforts a step further, direct messaging enhances communication. If you see the same people engaging with your posts online or the posts of your influencers, send them a direct message! You can establish a closer relationship, build trustworthiness, and give them the opportunity to ask you questions. Never underestimate the power of relationship building in these grassroots efforts.
- Blogging
The key to an effective blog that directly reaches your target consumers in the weeds, is to make sure that you’re bringing people to your site with genuine information that they can use – and for free! This is why we can’t say the phrase “news readers can use” enough. Give your audience a reason to trust you as a source of knowledge in your industry and let their curiosity take them around the rest of your brand’s website.
- Networking at Local Events
If you were to check your local paper, ask around, or even search for nearby events on Facebook, you would find a huge listing of local events going on in your industry. (Bonus, many are free or have super cheap tickets!) By signing up for one evening of networking, you have access to share your message and business with the right group of people to stimulate your business growth.
- Get Behind a Cause
We live in a socially conscious world. As companies and consumers strive to be more socially aware, many brands are partnering with non-profit organizations or large-scale causes. When you partner with a nonprofit, you have opportunities to be present at their events and be seen as a sponsor for their cause. You may even get access to their media channels. This not only builds upon the trust you have with your current audience, but also opens you up to an entirely new audience! This marketing is significantly cheaper (or free) than many traditional advertising options.
- Local Media Outlets
People trust their local papers, radio stations, and media outlets. These news outlets often connect an entire community and are seen as a trustworthy source of information for locals. When you use a service like StatePoint Media, we can develop editorial content for you and distribute it to thousands of local media outlets across the country. You can become a part of the people’s trusted news source. We know you have a great brand story and a unique way to tell it – and we can help with your grassroots marketing efforts to reach millions of homeowners and families across the U.S.
You can help keep your brand top of mind with your ideal audience by adding these grassroots marketing efforts to your overall marketing mix.