There are always going to be two different types of marketing campaigns. The first is the ones that are reacting to what everyone else in the market is doing. If you see a company having some success by sending out custom postcards than you quickly get a series of postcards printed up yourself to send out. You know they were successful, so you know you're going to achieve at least some success as well.

The second method is to come up with a marketing push yourself without waiting for anyone else to do anything first.

Now, the first method has one natural advantage: you can know for a fact that your marketing is going to be relatively successful because you have proof your customers like it.

The second method is a bigger risk because you don't have any proof yet that people will like what you're doing, but the second method also carries with it a greater reward if people do enjoy your marketing.

The problem with just following behind everyone else is that you'll never look new or innovative. People aren't going to look to you for anything interesting, because they know you're just going to be repeating everyone else. This also means you're naturally going to be one step behind your competition rather than ahead of them.

If they were sending out custom postcards they would get the first and larger wave of business from them while you would just be picking up the crumbs afterwards. This might be enough to keep you in business, but is it really what you want to do with your marketing?

Most marketing is going to be a mix between the two, and you're going to have to find the right moments to try out a new marketing push yourself. The best companies are always going to be the ones leading the marketing field rather than trailing behind it.

Find the right voice for your company that goes beyond just what other people are doing. You might have to test out a few types of marketing before you find the right thing that catches on, and yes, you will have some marketing campaigns that aren't as successful as you were hoping for.

Remember too that the better you know your customers the better your chances will be of coming up with something that they'll enjoy. Take the time to do your research and figure out a way to market to them that isn't being done by any other company in your industry. As soon as you can get some of them to start following behind your marketing is the moment you know you're having some success.