10 Innovative Internet Marketing Ideas

What follows are 10 innovative internet marketing ideas that can help your online business break out of its box, establish a new identity and reach new customers as well. Care must be taken to make sure that you properly market

1.) Viral Video

Even though viral video marketing has been around for the past few years, relatively few businesses have tried this approach despite the potential benefits. Videos that go viral can reach millions of people and they do not have to be professionally produced or require many thousands of dollars to create. In fact, some of the best viral videos cost very little to produce.

The key to viral videos is finding something that touches most people, which is usually comedic in nature, but it can also be serious as well. Investing in viral video marketing can pay off tremendously when just one goes viral.

2.) Try Inbound Marketing

Basically, inbound marketing focuses on the customers that you already have and getting the most from them. When done correctly, inbound marketing can significantly increase your profit margin while not adding much to your marketing cost. This is because repeat customers are far more willing to buy than new ones because they have purchased before. By carefully adding new discounts, coupons and even exclusive products for previous customers, you can significantly boost your bottom line.

3.) Create a Game

Gaming apps on mobile devices are at an all-time high, yet there is plenty of room for more given our insatiable appetite for gaming. This is especially true during downtime whether waiting on something, struck in traffic or having a few extra minutes during a break. Gaming apps are not only more popular than ever, they are also easier than ever to create.

Creating a gaming app with your company brand name on it can broaden your brand name, especially if the type of game created is related in some fashion to what your business is about. For example, if you sell movie DVDs, then a game that features characters similar to those found in famous movies is a good start.

4.) Going Mobile

There is no doubt that the primary trend in internet surfing is now accomplished by mobile devices. Smartphones and tablets are taking over from computers and laptops as the primary way people surf the web to find what they need. The good news about this trend is that mobile device users can be targeted both demographically and geographically. By going mobile, you are tapping into a younger generation that will be with you for a long time to come.

5.) Create Interesting Contests

Another proven type of innovative marketing techniques which is not used as often as it should be is running a contest. You will need a great first prize such as a new tablet, smartphone or other more expensive device, but the results can pull in quite a few people. You will need to advertise your contest broadly, but when run correctly they are consistent winners in terms of innovative marketing ideas.

6.) Go Gender Specific

One recent trend that is gaining ground is more gender-specific marketing. When done correctly and often with humor, such targeting can work quite well as the recent Dr. Pepper campaign for their new soft drink has shown. Correctly crafted, your gender specific marketing campaign can reap big benefits as it presents your products or services in a new light.

7.) Choose a Partner

Co-branding is actually a technique that has been around a while, but is only slowly gaining steam. Here you align yourself with a complimentary business for sponsorship or promotional purposes. For example, if you run a brick and mortar store near another type of business, you can offer a discount for that business’ services and vice versa. Such co-branding can extend to sponsorships and mutual coupons and so forth which can help you reach new customers.

8.) Show How Your Products are Used

A new trend in commercials these days is how products are actually used and not promoted by name until the very end. For example, a creative computer program is demonstrated by what it can do and only at the end do we see the company name that provides this particular product. There are many ways you can create a video ad that can go viral or simply make people think differently about what you offer.

9.) The “Disloyalty” Program

One of the more innovative ideas to come up recently is actually a reaction to the traditional “loyalty” programs that have been around for decades. Here, companies that offer similar services are combined on a single card that can be punched when someone makes a purchase. When the card is completely punched out, say after 8 or 10 uses, then that person can get an inexpensive product from any one of the companies listed for free. This is especially useful for restaurants and coffee shops, but it can be used by several smaller companies that band together.

10.) Customer Advertising

Just check out why GoPro has grown by leaps and bounds with customer created ads. The baby pushing itself on the skateboard ad, which has garnered a great deal of attention recently, is just one example of how GoPro is advertising their product. You can ask customers to create a short, 10 second testimonial about your products or services, and use that to promote your business. It’s simple, straightforward and the ads that can be generated can help establish your brand as well.