Are you looking to create a massive audience for your startup? Do you want to attract more signups, users, and subscribers without breaking the bank? The key to achieving explosive growth for your new company lies in thinking outside the box and getting creative with your marketing strategies.

In this article, we will explore 10 uncommon marketing strategies that will help you kickstart your startup and achieve unprecedented success.

1. Convert Users of Competing Products

Identify individuals who are currently using a competing product but are dissatisfied with the results. By targeting this specific audience, you can showcase the value and benefits of your own product or service. Airbnb successfully employed this strategy by reaching out to people who posted their places to stay on Craigslist.

By running an email campaign that appeared to come from a friendly Craigslist user, Airbnb acquired new customers and achieved significant growth. This stealthy email campaign approach can be an effective way to acquire new customers and gain a competitive edge.

Also Read: 9 Powerful Persuasion Techniques in Marketing

2. Incentivize New Customers with Cash

Instead of spending your marketing budget on ads or promotions, consider giving that money directly to your new customers. PayPal used this strategy when they offered $10 to new customers and $10 for referrals. While it may seem expensive, this approach can yield excellent results.

By directly incentivizing customers, you create a strong motivation for them to engage with your startup and spread the word. Consider reallocating your marketing budget to directly incentivize user acquisition and fuel the growth of your startup.

3. Engage in Cause Marketing

Aligning your product or service with a social cause can create a unique and impactful marketing strategy. By allowing customers to interact with your product in a way that benefits a greater purpose, you can generate positive brand sentiment and attract socially conscious consumers.

Ambev, a beer company, implemented this strategy by allowing drinkers to scan their beer cans for a free train ride home. This initiative reduced litter and encouraged the use of public transportation while generating significant publicity for the company.

Consider how your startup can contribute to a social cause and leverage it to create a meaningful and memorable marketing campaign.

4. Make Headlines with Unconventional Tactics

If you’re willing to think outside the box and do something extraordinary, you can generate substantial free publicity. Halfway, Oregon, famously renamed their town to Half.com in exchange for stock, creating national headlines. This unconventional and creative approach garnered significant attention and resulted in widespread brand recognition.

While not every startup can execute such an extreme strategy, there are valuable lessons to be learned from creative marketing campaigns. Look for inspiring examples and adapt their unconventional tactics to suit your startup’s needs.

5. Tap into Offline Advertising

While online marketing is crucial, don’t overlook the potential of offline advertising for your online business. Offline promotions, such as distributing bumper stickers or giving away free tee shirts, can create brand recognition and word-of-mouth marketing. The Penny Hoarder creatively promoted their site by distributing bumper stickers featuring an article about getting paid to buy beer.

Additionally, giving away free tee shirts can create a sense of brand identification and generate free marketing as people wear them in public. Don’t underestimate the power of offline marketing to reach a broader audience and differentiate your startup.

6. Run Engaging Contests

Contests can be a powerful tool for generating explosive growth. While some may view them as artificial, they have proven to be highly effective for many successful startups. YouTube, for example, offered a free iPod Nano to users who uploaded videos and invited friends, leading to its rapid growth and dominance in the video-sharing market.

With the availability of social media platforms like Facebook, hosting contests has become more accessible and cost-effective. Leverage the power of contests to engage your audience, spread awareness, and drive growth for your startup.

7. Be Your Product’s Biggest User

If your startup relies on user-generated content or relies on active user participation, become the most active user yourself. This approach helps overcome the “chicken-and-egg” problem of having a small user base. Quora’s founder, Adam D’Angelo, became one of the platform’s most prominent users by answering numerous questions and setting the stage for quality content.

By actively engaging with your startup’s product, you demonstrate its value and encourage others to participate. Showcasing your deep knowledge and involvement can attract more users and create a thriving community around your startup.

8. Target Specific Communities

To rapidly build a user base, it is crucial to understand your ideal customer profile. By creating content specifically targeted to a particular community, you can maximize the effectiveness of your marketing campaign. Dropbox employed this strategy by creating an explainer video tailored to the Digg community, resulting in a viral success and a significant increase in users.

Identify a large online community that aligns with your startup and develop content that resonates with their interests and needs. Targeted marketing can yield impressive results and attract a highly engaged audience.

9. Engage with Forum Posters

Forum posters can be an excellent target audience for your startup. Identify relevant forums related to your industry and reach out to users who have expressed pain points that your product or service can address. Zapier successfully used this approach by emailing influencers who had posted feature requests on forums like StackExchange.

By providing solutions to their problems and offering value, you can gain promotion and attract a dedicated audience. Leverage online communities to build strong relationships and establish your startup as a trusted resource.

10. Turn Your Product into a Challenge

Viral marketing campaigns often struggle to convey the value of a product or service. To overcome this challenge, consider making your product the focal point of a challenge or competition. This approach was successfully used by Codecademy when they challenged people to learn to code as their New Year’s resolution.

By aligning their platform with a popular goal, they achieved viral success and grew their user base significantly. Identify the core problem your product solves and turn it into a challenge for others to solve, thereby establishing a strong association between your startup and the solution.

8 Unconventional Marketing Tactics Every CMO Should Take Advantage Of

In conclusion

These 10 uniquely uncommon marketing strategies for small businesses and large likewise offer exciting opportunities to propel your startup to unprecedented levels of growth. By implementing creative and unconventional tactics, you can attract a massive audience, generate buzz, and establish your startup as a thought leader in the industry.

Experiment with these strategies, adapt them to your startup’s specific needs and monitor the results to optimize your marketing efforts. With the right combination of creativity, innovation, and persistence, you can achieve explosive growth and position your startup for long-term success in the market.