If you feel that marketing is harder than ever in 2021, you’re not alone. There’s so much accessibility and competition in the market these days that it can be incredibly challenging to come up with effective advertising tactics.
The good news is that you can beat the competition with a new and disruptive approach to marketing. Here’s what you need to know:
What Is a Disruptive Marketing Plan?
To some people, marketing involves specific strategies with set formulas. And while these strategies and formulas may have worked in the past, we are entering into a new age of marketing where it’s necessary to go against the status quo — which is essentially what disruptive marketing is.
That being said, even though we are entering into a new age of marketing, disruptive marketing isn’t a new concept whatsoever — it actually dates back to the 9th century. Human beings are constantly looking for new ways to innovate tasks — and disruptive marketing is definitely one way to achieve this.
Why Use a Disruptive Marketing Plan?
Why should you switch things up? Here are some reasons why you should consider implementing a disruptive marketing plan:
- Technological advances: Technological advances have made it easier for companies to advertise. At the same time, it has inundated consumers with promotional content. Many consumers are able to tune out this content, so to get them to tune in, you need to take a different and disruptive approach.
- A new generation of consumers: Companies are trying to advertise to a new generation of consumers with different behaviors and expectations compared to previous generations. So to figure out what this new generation wants and needs, you need to experiment a bit and push the envelope.
- Increased competition: Thanks to a booming ecommerce market with low barriers to entry, there’s no shortage of competition out there. With a traditional approach to marketing, it can be hard to stand out. However, with a disruptive approach, you can make a name for yourself and stand out amongst the competition.
A Disruptive Marketing Plan Needs to Be…
In order for a disruptive marketing plan to be effective, it needs to be approachable, affordable, intriguing, experimental, and hard to duplicate.
1. Approachable
First of all, a disruptive marketing plan needs to be approachable. Many people might interpret “disruptive” as “aggressive” or even “confrontational,” but this definitely isn’t the right interpretation. Instead, people should feel comfortable with your new marketing approach. The best way to do this is to tell a meaningful story with your content.
2. Affordable
With marketing costs at all-time highs, many people also assume that disruptive marketing must be incredibly expensive. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. Instead, your disruptive marketing approach shouldn’t break the bank and should fit well within your existing marketing budget.
3. Intriguing
Consumers are constantly inundated with content from advertisers, which is why you need a different and more intriguing approach. Consumers shouldn’t want to scroll away or exit out of your content; instead, it should make them want to stick around to find out more about your brand and products.
4. Experimental
The world of marketing tends to come with a lot of “rules” that you need to follow. Disruptive marketing, on the other hand, effectively throws the rulebook out the window — giving you plenty of room to experiment and let your creativity shine.
So don’t be afraid to push the boundaries a bit and do something that’s never been done before.
5. Hard to Duplicate
On a similar note, your disruptive marketing plan shouldn’t just be unique — it should also be hard to duplicate. After all, what’s stopping competing companies from simply copying your approach once it’s proven to be successful?
The right approach will always favor the original creator rather than copycats.
How to Build a Disruptive Marketing Plan for Your Brand
Now it’s time to put together everything that you’ve learned thus far about disruptive marketing into creating a unique plan for your brand. Here are five steps you need to follow to make it happen:
Step 1: Take a Look at Your Industry and Competitors
Before you begin building your disruptive marketing plan, you need to take a look at your industry and your competitors. If you don’t know what else is out there, what you think of as “disruptive” and “unique” might not actually be. If you have trouble or feel stuck, try to think of a weakness or gap within your industry that you can exploit through disruptive marketing.
For instance, if the weakness in your industry is affordability, create a new line of more affordable products that you can market as “high-quality yet affordable.” On the other hand, if the weakness in your industry is customization, create a new line of customizable products that combat the one-size-fits-all model of your competitors.
Step 2: Know Your Customers
Once you have a better idea of your industry and competitors, you need to take a look at your customers and consider what they’d want to see as part of a disruptive marketing plan. This is especially true if you’re trying to reach younger generations that many companies are still trying to figure out. Always do your research and due diligence to ensure that your marketing investments are worthwhile.
Step 3: Consider Working With Experts
If you really want to get the most bang for your buck in terms of your disruptive marketing plan, then you may want to consider working with experts to develop an effective plan that’s tailored to your brand, products, and customers.
Experts like Greg Gillman help D2C brands develop disruptive omnichannel approaches to marketing that are designed to boost conversions and drive revenue.
In fact, Greg Gillman has helped his clients generate $4 billion in annual revenue as a result of his expertise.
Step 4: Think Outside the Box
At this point, it should be clear that a disruptive marketing plan should be unique — which means that you need to think outside the box when building your own.
Don’t be afraid to experiment, get creative, and take some risks, as this approach can be as rewarding as it is risky.
Step 5: Keep It Going
Finally, you need to keep your disruptive marketing plan going. Disruptive marketing isn’t something that you should just do once. Instead, it should be a concept that you’re constantly working on.
The market is always changing, and your marketing tactics need to keep up with that. Just because something is considered “disruptive” now doesn’t mean that it will still be a year from now.
The Rundown on Disruptive Marketing
While disruptive marketing may seem like a relatively simple concept, in reality, it’s anything but. After all, being disruptive and effective at the same time is no easy feat.
However, success in marketing and business can be made easier with the help of experts like Greg Gillman and angel investors who can provide you with the expertise and funding you need to develop a compelling and disruptive marketing plan.
Sources:
3 Things You Need to Know About “Disruptive Marketing” Now | Forbes
Where Brands Are Reaching Gen Z | Harvard Business Review
3 Ways to Run Disruptive Marketing Campaigns on a Budget | Entrepreneur
