Social Media Marketing for Business

If it pays the bills and the business is successful, it surely does not matter if what you sell is perhaps considered a bit boring.

Telling someone that you sell engines for fighter jets might grab the attention more than if you tell them that your business makes toothpicks but even if the product line might be considered just a bit boring, you still need to create an effective content marketing plan.

The world needs more toothpicks that jet engines anyway, so here is a look at how to create a content marketing plan and how to make the most of print technology to spread your message to a wider audience.

Get people talking about your business

If you are involved in running a business where the product or service is perceived to be a bit dull and mundane, you should never assume that people are not talking about you because what you sell is boring.

There is often a more fundamental reason that has nothing to do with having a boring product line and it should be your mission to get people interested in your brand, by using some creative imagination and distinctive presentation.

Equal opportunity

Boring brands and products have just the same ability to solve problems and offer what people want, in just the same way as any other business, regardless of what they sell.

It should be your aim to identify who needs your business and why, so that you can target your audience in exactly the same way that anyone else would do. Selling rocket engines is just as much about finding your niche target market as finding people and suppliers who want to stock up on toothpicks or whatever it is you are trying to sell.

The same rules of engagement apply and you should not forget that you have an equal opportunity to build a brand and market share as any other business and it really doesn’t matter whether what you are selling is boring or not.

Try to be different

It certainly won’t do your business any harm if you try to be different from everyone else and aim to do some things that re a bit unexpected in order to capture some attention and enjoy the oxygen of publicity.

If you take the view that any product or service is capable of being showcased in an interesting and appealing way and the ability to surprise will always generate a lot of interest and attention, so try to be different and prove that there is no such thing as a boring business.

Play to your particular strengths

If you are struggling to get your message across in a written format, this is probably more down to a possible lack of creative writing flair rather than the subject matter.

It makes perfect sense to play to your strengths so if you are not really that good at writing something that really sells your product or manages to engage with the audience, considering employing a freelance writer to help you, or find what works best for you and your business.

If you have excellent visual presentation skills or the product you are marketing is more appealing from a visual perspective rather than being written about, consider creating some video blogs to get your message across.

Work out what you are good at and what works for your product or service and playing to those particular strengths, will help to ensure that your business comes across as anything but boring.

Unrelated association

The insurance industry is a good example of how you can make a relatively boring subject seem a whole lot more interesting by introducing some characters that become memorable in their own right but also help customers to think about insurance at the same time.

If it takes the use of a Meerkat to get people talking about insurance or a deliberately annoying opera singer for that matter, that shows you that if you can create an association with something that is unrelated to your product or service but memorable, you can use this to circumnavigate the boring aspect of your business.

Brainstorm your ideas and initiatives with other team members and also conduct some market research to see what engages people and why. You can even try celebrating the fact that what you sell is a bit boring and by addressing the so-called elephant in the room, you instantly make your product or service more memorable and exciting than it first seemed.

Meet John Sollars

John Sollars is the owner of Stinkyink.com, from its startup in 2002 to its standing as the #1 printer cartridge supplier in the UK. On the way he’s picked up a wealth of printer knowledge that is invaluable for cutting printing costs. You can find his articles mostly on small business websites and blogs. Follow John on Facebook.