Creative Hustles: The Art of Standing Out and Getting Noticed
Creative Marketing Strategies: Stories of Thinking Outside the Box
Look, everyone's trying to stand out, right? But it's not about following the herd. It's about finding that unique angle to market yourself, something that resonates with your goals and your audience. Here, I'm gonna drop some stories on you about unconventional strategies that crushed it in different fields. We'll also pick apart the ones that bombed and how to fix 'em.
Let's dive into ethics on social media. I go out of the box, but I never deceive anyone. My brand? That's me, the artist, straight up. What you see is what you get. But let me tell you, I'm a HUSTLER. I'll drag myself through the pits of hell to get where I wanna go. Now, plenty of folks walk the line with little white lies to speed things up. I don't judge, but if you're gonna play that game, play it right!
Building a Brand Beyond the Basics
Artists, listen up: just slapping hashtags on your posts isn't gonna cut it. The competition's fierce, and you gotta hustle for that dream. Here's how to do it:
Early in my career, I was at this supplement company. My gig? Creating weekly magazines ranking products, with our brand always at the top. The kicker? We threw in some sly digs at competitors, which made our product shine. We plastered those mags all over the city, and bam, it worked. That was before the internet, but the lesson's timeless.
For instance, if you're an artist doing pet portraits, start a side gig like "Cute Pet Diaries" on social media. Keep it unrelated to your main gig at first. Post heartwarming pet content, get people sharing their stories, run contests, do giveaways. As it grows, local businesses will want in on the action. Guess who gets the spotlight on this pet-loving account? Your pet portrait business. Not only does this bring clients to you, but it also gives you a profitable side project that organically promotes your main work.
The Donut Hustle
Let's keep this simple. On social media, dropping a word and an emoji won't get you anywhere. Give value when you comment, not just "COOL" with some emoji. Show them why you're worth the attention. Here's a story that shows how to really grab someone's notice:
This actor, he's trying to get noticed by a big agency. What does he do? He starts sending them a box of donuts every morning with his headshot and resume on top. Six months, no response. But when the donuts stop, they notice. Curiosity kills the cat, and it got him a meeting, then representation. Persistence and creativity? That's how you make an impression.
Lessons From a Fake Restaurant
Here's a genius move: some guy made up a restaurant, got it to the top of TripAdvisor, all without it actually existing. He turned his backyard into a "restaurant"fake pics, wrote fake reviews, the whole nine yards. The takeaway? Perception is everything. Craft a brand smart enough, and you can make opportunities where there were none. Check out the full story here: How to Become TripAdvisor’s #1 Fake Restaurant
RED FLAGS THAT ANNOY ME
Following to Followers ratio
Here's the deal: everyone starts with zero. No one magically gets a fanbase overnight—and that's fine.
Hitting 10K followers is cool, but let's be real, if you're only following 200 accounts, you didn't get there naturally. Who do you think you're fooling?
On the other hand, if you're following 5,000 but only have 200 followers, it screams desperation. No one wants to feel like just another number in your follow-for-follow scheme.
The real deal? It's all about the conviction in your work. Numbers only matter if they lead to real opportunities. Imagine having ten followers but they're all major clients. That's worth way more than 100K disengaged followers. Real success is about building a following that genuinely cares about what you do. That's where the magic happens.
Buying followers?
Yeah, it's tempting, but here's the catch: if your followers all have no profile pics, tiny followings, and no engagement, it's obvious they're fake. If you're gonna play dirty, at least make it believable—buy accounts that look real, and match it with likes and comments. It's expensive, but if you're going down that road, do it right or don't bother. This isn't about being ethical; it's about being smart if you're going to bend the rules. If you're an influencer with a million followers aiming for product placements, remember, big companies use tools to sniff out fakes. So, play smart or not at all.
