6 Unconventional Marketing Tactics Small Businesses Actually Use to Stand Out
Most small businesses follow the same playbook: post content, run ads, update the website, and adjust pricing. Over time, everything starts to look the same, especially when budgets are tight.
When standard tactics blur together, standing out stops being about doing more. It becomes about doing something clearer and more intentional.
To understand what works in practice, we asked founders, CEOs, and operators one question. What unconventional marketing tactic helped your business stand out? How did you use it? What changed in customer acquisition?
Their answers point to a shared truth. The tactics below do not chase attention. They filter it. They shorten sales cycles. They help the right buyers decide faster.
Here is what actually worked and how you can apply it.
1. Repel the wrong buyers on purpose.
Several leaders said the same thing in different ways. Stop trying to appeal to everyone.
Michael Lazar, CEO at Content Author, rewrote his core messaging to state who the business was not for. Dennis Shirshikov, Head of Growth and Engineering at Growthlimit.com, narrowed his positioning to a single urgent problem rather than a long list of services. Josiah Roche, Fractional CMO at JRR Marketing, built entire pages and ads around the idea that he should not be hired.
“I ran “anti-case studies” as ads and sales content. Instead of only showing wins, I broke down where my offers weren’t a fit and who shouldn’t hire me” ... “This was unconventional because most small businesses try to please everyone. I made “no” part of the marketing message. It filtered leads before they booked a call, so my pipeline volume dipped a bit, but lead quality went up a lot.””
What changed:
Lead volume dropped.
Lead quality improved.
Close rates increased.
Sales cycles shortened.
Why it worked:
Prospects self-qualified before reaching out. Fewer people entered the funnel. The right people moved faster.
How you apply it:
Add a “Who this is not for” section to your homepage.
List budget ranges, timelines, or expectations you do not meet.
Remove vague language from your offers. Pick one problem and lead with it.
Clarity beats coverage when resources are limited.
2. Publish your losses and limitations
Rhillane Ayoub, CEO at Rhillane Marketing Digital, took transparency further. Her team published monthly breakdowns of deals they lost. Real numbers. Real reasons. No spin.
Prospects started referencing those posts before sales calls. Objections surfaced early. Trust formed before contact.
“People knew we wouldn’t oversell them because we’d publicly admitted where we fall short. Implementation was simple. Monthly blog post, shared on LinkedIn, no spin. “We lost this account because our onboarding takes three weeks and they needed faster. Here’s what we’re doing about it.” Customer acquisition cost dropped by about 35% over six months. Not because of volume because quality went up dramatically. The leads who came through already self-selected. Tire-kickers don’t contact companies that openly discuss their weaknesses. Competitors thought we were exposing ourselves. We were actually filtering for perfect-fit clients.”
What changed:
Customer acquisition cost dropped about 35 percent.
Sales calls got shorter.
Lead quality increased.
Others echoed the same idea in different formats. Anti-case studies. Disqualifier slides. Ads explaining what they would not buy.
Why it worked:
People trust businesses that admit tradeoffs. Tire kickers avoid them. Serious buyers lean in.
How you apply it:
Write one post explaining a deal you lost and why.
Share one limitation in your service and how you handle it.
Add a disqualifier section to proposals or sales decks.
Transparency acts as a filter.
3. Give Away the Secret Sauce
Many of the strongest tactics looked nothing like marketing. Nick Blewitt, Author of The Book Marketer, published a deep guide for a specific pain point. Chongwei Chen, President & CEO at DataNumen, rejected broad content and focused only on technical how-to articles. Kuldeep Kundal, Founder & CEO at CISIN, built free tools instead of gated content. Zaid Ammari, Founder PPC Masterminds, sent private audits with no pitch.
“An unconventional tactic that set us apart was value-first content: we published an in-depth, actionable guide addressing a specific pain point. It drew in more qualified leads and produced a 4x conversion rate, a 60% shorter sales cycle, and a 35% higher average contract value.”
What changed:
Higher conversion rates.
Shorter sales cycles.
Better fit clients.
Why it worked:
Teaching shows how you think. Selling tells people what you offer. Buyers prefer proof.
How you apply it:
Publish one guide that solves a real problem end-to-end.
Build a simple tool, calculator, or checklist that your buyer uses today.
Send personalized feedback to a small list of ideal prospects.
Show your thinking. Let prospects decide.
4. Use the community as the channel
Local businesses leaned into face-to-face trust. Paul Myers, Founder Myers House Buyers, shared local video stories. Sergio Aguinaga, Owner and Founder, Michigan Houses for Cash, hosted renovation walk-throughs. Nicolas Martucci, Owner, Hudson Valley Cash Buyers, held weekly coffee chats. Matthew Slowik, Founder & President, Revival Homebuyers, ran free DIY workshops. Joe Hartman, Managing Member, Perry Hall Investment Group, hosted transformation tours. Joel Janson, Owner of Sierra Homebuyers, brought family to public appearances.
“I leveraged my local roots to create a “Hometown Properties” campaign that went against the typical “we buy houses” approach. Instead of generic mailers, I produced YouTube videos highlighting successful deals where I helped local Augusta residents solve specific property problems, always connecting the stories back to our shared community values.”
What changed:
Conversion rates jumped.
Referrals increased.
Paid ads mattered less.
Why it worked:
People buy from people they recognize and trust. Community shortens the distance.
How you apply it:
Host one free educational event each month.
Invite people behind the scenes of your work.
Anchor stories in a shared local context.
Small audiences convert better than large anonymous ones.
5. Do something noticeable that still makes financial sense
David Sapper, CEO BlueFinch Advisors, described tactics that felt uncomfortable but worked because the math held.
Large referral fees. Absurd contests. Visual stunts. High perceived value offers.
“One unconventional marketing tactic that consistently worked for us was intentionally doing things that felt “too much”, but only when the math supported it. At a subprime car dealership, we offered a $500 referral fee. That number made people uncomfortable because it sounded excessive. But our average gross profit per deal was over $3,000, so the economics worked. The size of the referral mattered. It was large enough that customers actually talked about it and followed through. Smaller referral amounts had existed forever and were ignored. This one cut through.”
What changed:
More conversation.
Faster list growth.
Higher engagement.
Why it worked:
Noticeable actions create talk. Small incentives get ignored. Big ones get shared.
How you apply it:
Review unit economics first.
Increase the incentive until people mention it unprompted.
Stop copying safe offers competitors already use.
If it feels awkward and still pencils out, competitors usually avoid it.
6. (Not unconventional, but usually forgotten) Communicate with directness and respect
Dionne Mejer, Transformation Principal at Dionne Mejer, shifted from people pleasing to clarity. Mada Seghete, Co-founder & CEO at Upside.tech, focused on public sense-making instead of promotion.
They opened up about the process behind their decisions, revealing the tradeoffs they navigated, the missteps they encountered, and offering candid perspectives that truly reflected their journeys.
“An unorthodox strategy that worked was intentionally pivoting from promotional marketing to public sense making. Instead of writing to sell, we were always discussing how decisions were being made behind the curtain”...”This was executed via provocative, long form content and c-suite dialogue; seeing the audience as participants rather than targets. The result wasn’t increased volume at the top of our funnel, but dramatically better inbound interest from teams who had already bought into our thinking and approach. ”
What changed:
Inbound interest increased.
Conversations got faster.
Alignment improved before calls.
Why it worked:
Direct communication attracts people who think like you. It repels the rest.
How you apply it:
Share how you make decisions, not only outcomes.
Comment publicly with clear opinions.
Remove soft language from your messaging.
Directness builds trust when grounded in respect.
Across every example, the pattern is consistent. The most effective unconventional tactics do not add noise. They remove friction. They make it easier for buyers to self-select before a sales call ever happens.
When marketing does this work upfront, lead volume may decrease. This is not a failure; it is focus. Better-fit prospects move faster, ask more insightful questions, and appreciate your work more.
If your marketing feels stuck, do not look for louder tactics. Look for clearer ones. Pick one place to narrow, reveal, teach, or say no. Start there and let the filtering do the work.