Ryan Chute & Jay Levinson, 2013

Ryan Chute & Levinson Family, 2013

Guerrilla Marketing was popularized by Jay Conrad Levinson. A Madison Ave executive for advertising legends like Leo Barnett and J. Walter Thompson, Jay was fascinated with the study of quirky and uncommon marketing strategies that captured attention at little or no cost.

That often means advertising in the least expected places. It means creating a  message that is tailored to your customer base, not your company. It means utilizing platforms and materials that aren’t oversaturated with advertising noise.

In this article, we’ll go over a dozen uncommon ways to advertise your business, so you can get noticed and stand 600 feet above the competition. .

Uncommon Ways and Places to Advertise and Promote Your Business

Some of the best marketing redefine the boundaries of what is traditionally considered advertising. Here are 12 unexpected ways to market and advertise your business.

Captcha

Captchas are those little boxes with distorted text that you have to enter before you can do anything online. They’re used to prevent evil robots from automatically completing actions like signing up for email accounts or submitting comments on websites.

Businesses can use captchas to do website advertising for their products or services. For example, you could include a captcha on your site that asks visitors to enter the name of your company’s product. This is a great way to generate leads and get people interested in what you have to offer.

You can also advertise with captcha by including a call to action in the captcha. This can be done by asking visitors to enter their email address to receive a free trial or a discount code.

The Virtual Reality Showroom

Another unique way to advertise is through The Virtual Reality Showroom. This is a platform that allows customers to explore a three-dimensional version of your business.

They can walk through the space, look at products and services and even get a feel for what it would be like to work there. Sound a bit like the Metaverse? It’s coming. Don’t wait til it’s too late and play catch up.

This is a great way to show off your company culture and attract potential employees, too. Plus, it’s a fun, interactive experience that customers will remember. Make sure to advertise your VR Showroom on your website and social media pages. You can even use it as a marketing tool at events.

FAQs

FAQs are one of the more common places a prospective customer will visit on your website. Have you ever considered that this might be a trustworthy and unexpected place to present your products and services?

FAQs also present an opportunity to stack value. While answering common questions as asked, there is nothing wrong with plugging companion products or solutions, as well as finance options.

The Publicity Stunt

Want to create a real buzz? Try a publicity stunt! These unique and often outrageous methods of advertising can generate a lot of free media attention for your business.

So, how do you go about creating a successful publicity stunt? First, come up with an attention-grabbing idea. Your stunt should be creative and interesting enough to make headlines. Think outside the box and come up with something that will surprise and amuse people.

Next, make sure your stunt is legal and safe. You don’t want to get into trouble with the law or put anyone in danger.

Finally, promote your stunt! Tell everyone you know about it and use social media to spread the word. The more people who know about your stunt, the more likely it is to get media attention.

Door Hangers

Businesses use door hangers all the time as a cost-effective way to advertise. They can be used to advertise a sale or a new product, promote a special event, or simply as a way to remind customers your company serves their neighborhood.

Whatever the reason, using door hangers to advertise your business is a great way to reach potential customers. The trick behind a great door hanger is to do something unexpected with the opportunity.

For example, a pizza company in Tucson once created a door hanger with a fridge magnet attached. It had their takeout menu and phone number on it, while doubling as another great way to show off your kid’s precious artwork.

Door hangers can be used to target specific customers. When your service or delivery truck is delivering to or servicing a customer, their neighbors are likely to need your same products or services. If your driver were to do as few as 3 doors to the right, 6 doors across the street, and 3 doors back to their vehicle, you’ve just made 12 high-quality touches with your door hanger. Create a unique tracking QR code for each driver, and you can even celebrate when one of their door hangers leads to a sale!

Human Body Parts

I bet your business advertising never thought to use human body parts before!

Believe it or not, human body parts are an effective way to advertise your business. By having a model or actor pose with cut-out body parts of your product, you can create an attention-grabbing advertisement that is sure to get people talking.

To use human body parts in your advertising, you could make your ad into a (fake) tattoo on someone’s body or have a model hold up a sign with your product, or use fake body parts to create an interesting and unique display. Whichever way you choose to use them, human body parts are sure to bring great shock value.

Not only will this method draw attention, but it will also show customers that you are creative and willing to go the extra mile to advertise your products.

Crackerjack Box

Wizard of Ads™ Partner, Steve Semple once sent a Crackerjack box out to 100 prospective clients. Inside the box was Crackerjacks…and of course, a prize inside. The prize was a tangible item with an accompanying message inviting the prospect to a website landing page.

71 out of 100 people went to the landing page, and 30 people became customers. Good luck getting your weekly newsletter to open rates (let alone conversions) like that.

Rotating Fan Blade

A rotating fan blade is an uncommon and effective place to advertise your business. It’s not something you see every day, so it will work well in grabbing people’s attention.

The motion of the fan blade will also help to catch people’s eyes, and the advertisement will be hard to ignore.

To make sure this method is successful, be sure to use attractive colors and visuals in your ad. You should also make sure the text is large and easy to read.

Manhole Cover

A Manhole Cover is a foolproof way to make sure people see your advertisement as they walk or drive by.

This is due to the fact that it is an unexpected place for an advertisement, and people are naturally curious. Therefore, they will take the time to read what is on the manhole cover.

You can use this to advertise your business in a clever and eye-catching way. For example, you could poke fun at the location of your ad by inserting a joke like, “If you’re looking for the best Italian food in town, you’re headed down the wrong hole!”

This will make passersby chuckle, and they’ll be more likely to remember your business.

Lamp Post

Lamp posts have been stapled, taped, and glued with posters of all shapes and sizes to spread the news of band gigs, lost dogs, and babysitters for hire.

This form of advertising goes as far back as we can remember, and is still a productive way to advertise today.

This is because many businesses have abandoned this type of advertising, thinking other methods are more effective -leaving you all the more room to dominate the space.

There are a few reasons why this form of advertising is so successful. For one, lamp posts are usually located in high-traffic areas. They are also often seen as a landmark or point of reference, which means that people will see your poster long before they reach their destination.

Lastly, lamp posts offer a certain level of exclusivity – not many businesses advertise this way, so it can help you to stand out from the competition.

Raw and Cooked Meat

I bet raw and cooked meat was the last place you considered when brainstorming uncommon places to advertise, which is exactly why it works.

Meat is a popular purchase item for many individuals, but they would never imagine finding an advertisement for a business on a slab of meat.

It’s the perfect opportunity to create a witty or punny slogan. “We offer the meatiest deal you can find” is a great example of promoting a new discount. Or, if you sell protein products like protein shakes, you can say something like “Come get your protein fix.”

Advertising on something as absurd as meat is a surefire way to shock the viewer, which will, in turn, capture attention and successfully advertise your business.

Product Placement

Did you know that Apple has never paid for an endorsement deal in a major motion picture? Not one penny. When you can get your product, service, wrapped truck, billboard, showroom, logo, or uniformed employee tucked into a television show, newscast, podcast, or online video, you get brand exposure.

This is a form of social proof and validates the thing captured on film. The more casual the encounter, the more valid it becomes. When the DJ at your local radio station gushes about the great service they received from your company, and it has no “ad speak” in it, you borrow the DJ’s credibility and goodwill in the community.

Be at the Forefront of Advertising Innovation

Are you ready to navigate your way through your advertising?

These twelve uncommon ways and places to advertise aren’t for the faint of heart. You’ve got to be willing to take calculated risks and be open to trying something new. After all, the best things in business happen after taking a giant leap of faith.

If you need someone there to soften the landing, look no further than Wizard of Ads™.

At Wizard of Ads™, we help businesses create advertisements that redefine the boundaries of what’s possible with innovative and cutting-edge advertising techniques.

Book a call with us today to take your advertising to the next level!

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