How thinking outside the box can benefit your business

You’re most likely familiar with boy wizard Harry Potter. J.K Rowling’s fictional character first took the literary world by storm, before making a large impact in Hollywood with eight blockbuster films. And now, the brand is delving into a new area of business: a theme bar.

RELATED TOPIC: Make sure to properly target your customers

In Toronto, a Harry Potter themed bar recently opened. The Lockhart (taken from a character’s name) offers drinks and appetizers based off of different elements of the book including spells, locations and more. The menu even offers more traditional items for those who aren’t fans of the book/film series.

Because of Harry Potter’s massive following (even after the series has come to an end), the idea of opening a themed bar is a rather impressive marketing technique, which has led us to put together a list of benefits of how thinking outside the box can help bring more attention to your business.

More creativity, more customers

When it comes to marketing, don’t think of the act as a chore—have fun with the process! After all, your efforts are supposed to get more people to become aware of your business. Therefore, don’t be afraid to be as creative as possible.

When thinking of new ideas, it’s not initially about quality, but quantity. You should try to get down as many ideas as possible. You can always go back later and sort through your list, determining which ideas you can and should actually pursue.

Diversity is key

When it comes to marketing, remember to be creative and diverse. You want your business to stand out from others in the industry. Therefore, encourage all workers and members of the team to come up with as many ideas as possible—you never know which over the top, innovating suggestion will take the company to new levels and a broader audience.

Be mindful of technology

It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re currently involved in, technology always seems to be changing. Therefore, it’s important to stay update on advances, whether they directly impact you or not; you may find a way to spin these technological changes in your favor.  

Always have an open mind and try to predict how new inventions can have a positive impact on your specific business.

Thinking outside the box is all about pushing boundaries. Sure, you don’t want to be so controversial that you’re potentially harming your business or turning customers away. However, you want to give clients something they’ve never seen before—you have to draw them in and peak their curiosity.

Obviously tricky, new and creative marketing techniques do stand a chance of failing. Just remember that taking a risk is not only sometimes needed to help a company grow, but can also be rewarding.

RELATED TOPIC: Make your marketing efforts compelling

[SOURCE: Now Toronto and Entrepreneur.com] 

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