Advertising: Thinking Outside the Box

The above photo is what prompted this post. It's a picture taken while visiting Annapolis for a family wedding. Pictured is my niece (the obvious bride) and her new husband. After their Chesapeake Bay wedding, they headed into the historic district of Annapolis. The downtown area was filled with holiday weekend tourists. That didn't bother them one bit. They, and their photographer, walked the city snapping pictures that were fun and unconventional.

This particular shot was inside a storefront window. It just so happened that a group of our family was walking back to our hotel after dinner. What a surprise to see our niece and her hubby acting as mannequins inside a vacant storefront window. It was inventive, creative, and outside the box. I loved it. So, where am I going with this?

Let's translate this into business. No one was expecting to see a bride and groom on display in the window of a vacant commerical storefront. It's likely that the property managment company received a good deal of exposure as people huddled around the window watching the posing couple. Those watching became engaged in the uniqueness of the moment.

It's this same engagement that we strive to have with our customers. A marriage of product and customer is all about finding a unique and creative way to broadcast ourselves to the world. Whether it is our packaging, product, or service, we are looking for creative ways to have our customers stand back in awe and say, "Wow, this is a company that is thinking outside the box and really wants my business." You may not have a storefront window to display your goods, but you do have a storefront web site. Use it to your advantage. Make sure your customers are immediately engaged in your main page. Create that storefront window that will customers in to see all that you offer. Make them huddle at your main page and chatter about how inventive you are in your presentation!

Here are four simple ways to ensure customer engagement:

1. Entice customers by offering something unique
2. Be creative in displaying the product being offered
3. Make sure your product packaging exceeds the norm
4. Take photos that accurately display the product being sold