From trending product photos with stellar hash tags that get hundreds of likes on social media and eventually shared by celebrities, to a mention on a morning talk show for national recognition reaching hundreds of thousands, there’s a staggering amount of potential exposure in today’s media landscape for all your competition…and you.

When it comes to being the most pervasive, share-worthy and memorable brand amidst a plethora of others with access to the same excessive amount of platforms, the pressure is on. Yet, the road to going viral doesn’t have to be a daunting one. Below are some innovative ways to ensure your brand stands out amongst droves of others.

Subliminal Connectivity

Dove Chocolate did it with wrappers bearing tidbits and sayings to read while indulging in their treats, Coca-Cola nailed it with names on their bottles suggesting who to share the beverage with, and even the malt-beverage company Mickey’s made a cannon ball of a marketing splash with puzzles under their caps.

Photo Flickr

These kinds of innovative brand fringes reel consumers in with quirky, highly effective activities that can sear a brand’s image into one’s brain through positive interaction. The fun and cleverness is associated with your brand and could influence future purchases, whether those buying are fully aware of it or not.

Giveaways…Done WELL

No one can pass up freebies. So it’s one thing to be the brand associated with generosity, yet it’s a whole new level of promotion when a piece of swag is woven into consumers’ daily routines. They grab the swag from the event tote, or the tote itself, days after the event because it’s of use to them. You want your giveaways to be circulated, to be in use. When that happens the consumer is reminded of your brand continually, while other people coming into contact with them are introduced to your brand. An example of a potential useful promotional product would be portable power banks, which are far from stuff-in-the-desk-drawer material. Throw in an eye-catching design combined with the constant need for people to charge their mobile devices, and your actual return-on-swag investment looks positive.

Social Media (#duh)

It’s taking over the world! Well, that’s a bit dramatic. But there’s no denying social media’s direct correlation with a brand’s success, and companies’ constant ploy for prime social media real estate: likes and shares.

You want to provide valuable and sharable content first and foremost. Ask yourself if each post is either helpful or entertaining to the reader, as content should do one, or in the most ideal cases, both. This of course comes after you’ve honed in on your target audience, perhaps by conducting surveys.

Also be sure to use networks that support your brand image. Just because Snapchat is trending, doesn’t mean it’s aligned with your brand, or your brand’s audience.

Personality Is Key

Whether you’re a tech startup or mom-and-pop frozen yogurt store, pervading the personality behind your business is essential in differentiating yourself from the competition. To be effective your brand must be original, and ultimately have the ability to trigger emotions. Your brand persona may be something inspired by the story of how the business got started, or you can be more liberal and curate something unique, humorous, even zany, in order to carve out your own place in the industry, and above all stick out in consumers’ minds.

There’s no need to feel overwhelmed by others providing your same service or product, or seemingly limitless platforms from which to boast from. Put your thinking caps on, preferably with your logo on it, dig into what makes your name only yours and get to promoting that fabulous brand!