Are you looking to make a big impact on your customers this summer? Many business leaders know they want their marketing efforts to make their current and potential clients to stand up and pay attention. Many marketing leaders, given the charge to make a big splash, proceed to take a look at what other companies are doing – in particular their competition – and copy them. I would suggest if you want to make a smart marketing move, you will take a look at what everyone is doing and do something else.

There are a million ideas on ways to touch your target market. Why is it that we turn into copycats when it comes to trying to gain their attention? There are countless golf outings each summer. Why not have a fishing tournament instead? You might say that not everyone likes to fish. Not everyone likes to golf either. That doesn’t mean that everyone who goes to these events has to golf or fish. There is value in the gathering. Years ago, I was involved with a company that had creative outings that matched their sales force with (and against) their best customers. One year, they had a go kart race in their parking lot. They divided into teams (a mix of clients and sales reps) and took turns driving against the other teams. Another year they rented a hot air balloon and gave rides over the city. Do you think the clients ever forgot about these events compared to the last golf outing they attended? If you want to make a memorable impact, do something no one else is doing.

This does not just apply to event marketing. It also includes your traditional marketing as well as the new media. Do you have a company brochure? What size is it? Is it an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper folded into three panels? Why don’t you print something larger? Why don’t you fold it in two panels instead of three? What about your web site? Does it have the same sized images in the same place as everyone else in your industry? If you want to make an impact, a little creativity goes a very long way in helping people remember you. What about your company posts on social media? Are internal promotions and new hires about it? Don’t let the news out of HR be all you ever post on your site. Post something that has some human interest. Did someone in your company have something outstanding happen in their life? Post it. If you want to be wallpaper, copy everyone else. If you want to stand out, start by doing something different from the rest.

Are there boundaries that should not be crossed in marketing? Of course there are limits to good taste. Don’t do anything that your target market would deem as disgusting (nor should you cross a legal line and begin to market something you cannot back up – that’s false advertising.) But I would encourage you to push the creative line a bit. Step beyond where you have been before. It is worth the time to come up with something different than all the rest. Don’t be afraid to stand out. It will be the smartest marketing move you can make.

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Photo by Sergey Nivens