If you’ve been marketing long enough, you know there’s always this weird stretch right before budget season. Meetings start happening, decks get dusted off, and your big ideas suddenly start needing numbers attached to them. And honestly? That’s kind of the moment to actually try stuff.
So, as someone who’s spent a lifetime testing what works — in tech, in PR, in startups, and in massive enterprises — I’m telling you: now’s your window, July through the first week of September. This is the time to figure out what you’re bringing into that budget room with some backup.
I’ve put together a list of marketing ideas that usually don’t get their fair shake — not because they’re bad, but because they fall into the “we should try that someday” pile. Spoiler: someday is now. Let’s go.
Branded Awards Program
A branded program does more than hand out trophies — it puts your brand at the center of industry conversations. When you're the one recognizing innovation or excellence (usually from your own customers), you're setting the bar and shaping what others strive for. That’s serious influence. Whether you're recognizing sustainability achievements or top-performing partners, an awards initiative turns your company into the host of the industry spotlight.
You don't need a massive rollout to get started. A simple pilot with one or two award categories can still give you a ton of content and goodwill. Each application becomes a story, each winner becomes a marketer on your behalf, and your brand shows up where it wasn’t before. For inspiration, check out Salesforce Innovation Awards, For Women in Science, or our own Recognition as a Service.
Streaming Service Ads
Traditional TV's gone fuzzy — now it’s all about OTT (over-the-top) platforms like Hulu, Roku, and Pluto TV. These streaming services offer targeting that makes your media buyer grin. You can zero in on a zip code, a job title, or even people who watched your last ad. And you don’t need a million-dollar budget to test. Try a small batch of creative and measure the lift in brand recall or website visits.
Streaming ads tend to show up where people are actually paying attention — think on the couch, watching with intent, and not skimming past in 1.5 seconds. When done right, it's like placing your brand in someone’s living room without buying Super Bowl space. Curious about it? Take a peek at MNTN, StackAdapt, or Roku Advertising.
Try Micro-Influencer Collabs
Influencers with 3K to 50K followers live in that sweet spot — just niche enough to be trusted, but big enough to make an impact. Think about your next campaign. Could you source a handful of voices who are already talking to your audience? These creators bring their own spin, their own community, and often more authenticity than big-time celebrity collabs.
Don’t overthink the strategy. Pick a channel (Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok), set a goal (site visits, lead form completions, brand mentions), and run a test. The goal isn’t to go viral — it’s to find out what your audience reacts to. Tools like Aspire, Upfluence, and CreatorIQ can help manage the whole process.
Make Your Content Interactive
Here’s the deal: People like pushing buttons. So give them something to click, drag, or enter. ROI calculators, quizzes, product match tools — these aren’t just “fun.” They’re data collectors, conversion machines, and excellent ways to show value.
Imagine a prospect filling out a short quiz that tells them what kind of solution they need. That same quiz spits out a result with your service front and center. It’s value-first, and it turns your static content into a conversation. Platforms like Outgrow, Typeform, or Ceros are built to help marketers do just that — without eating up engineering time.
Low-Stakes AI Personalization Test
No need to overhaul your site. You can test AI-driven personalization by tweaking just your homepage hero or CTA copy based on who’s visiting. Is the viewer in fintech? Show a banking use case. Are they from an enterprise company? Highlight your scaling capabilities.
You don’t have to over-engineer it, either. A few A/B tests using platforms like Mutiny, Clearbit, or Jasper can show you if personalization actually bumps your conversion rates — or just adds noise. Either way, you’ll walk into planning season with data instead of opinions.
Try SMS (The Right Way)
SMS gets eyeballs. But it also gets unsubscribes if you misuse it. Done well, it’s the nudge your audience actually appreciates — a shipping update, a product reminder, or even a VIP invite. But it’s gotta be opt-in and it's gotta be smart.
You don’t need to launch a full SMS campaign right away. Just test one message type and track the open rate, CTR, and unsubscribe rate. Want to do it right? We like TextMagic but try Attentive, Postscript, or SimpleTexting too.
Spin Up a Customer Advisory Panel
Let’s get real — your customers often know more about what’s working (or not) than your internal team does. Bringing together 5–8 of them on a quarterly Zoom can save you a dozen “gut check” meetings. Plus, your customers feel like insiders.
We’ve actually done this ourselves with our own award program advisory boards — and it’s been eye-opening. The ideas, feedback, and clarity we got just from listening were more helpful than any formal survey or NPS chart we’ve seen. And guess what? Our participants appreciated the invite too — it helped them feel more connected to the direction of the program.
You’ll get real feedback, better messaging ideas, and likely a few quotes or referrals without even asking. Panels don’t need big budgets — just structure, consistency, and follow-up. Want to learn how others do it? Check out HubSpot's CAB, Qualtrics' guide, or Chili Piper's playbook.
So don’t wait for next year’s budget to tell you what’s possible. You’ve got a bit of space right now to explore, test, and figure out what might actually work. Try one of these ideas. Or two. Or honestly, all seven if you’re feeling bold. Just don’t sit still. Because if your 2026 plan looks exactly like 2024, you’re probably leaving something on the table. Go build, tweak, experiment…whatever it takes to find that next thing that makes your brand way harder to ignore.