See what we did there? Yep, it’s a misspelling, but it got your attention. Guerilla marketing is jaw-dropping marketing on a low budget. And if it involves actual guerillas (or gorillas), even better.
The term “guerilla marketing” was coined by Jay Conrad Levinson over 30 years ago. While it’s a terrific tactic for small businesses that have financial constraints, you’ll come across guerilla marketing campaigns by big brands as well. Although no one can really teach you guerilla marketing, you can teach yourself by getting ideas from others’ past campaigns and exercising your creativity. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Work Social Media
Million-dollar budgets aside, the most successful social media campaigns are launched by passionate business owners who have nothing but time to spend. So what if you can’t afford TV and magazine ads? Social media can be just as big, especially for small business marketers with big brains.
Start by cultivating a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and move on to others later. Don’t try to do too much too soon. Find and share value-rich media that creates the experience you want your customers to have. Share as much as you can. Take great photos and make your own videos. Unleash your wit and compose witty tweets. When people see something worth sharing, you won’t have to encourage them to do so!
Toot Your Own Horn
You should know your product or service better than anyone. So talk about it. Write about it. Blog about it. When people see that you know what you’re saying, then they’ll also buy from you. If you have to establish your expertise through blogging, talk about one subject at a time. Cover it in detail and share as much quality info as you can – people will eventually notice and reward you for it (with their business)!
Claim Your Free Marketing Spots
Google My Business, Yellow Pages, Yelp, Foursquare, and Hotfrog are great free marketing avenues waiting to be claimed. Take advantage of all of them, and make sure your information is accurate. Be as detailed as possible and make your profile look great. These resources create a strong foundation for your marketing.
Join Forums or Meetups
Can you imagine purposefully avoiding a group of people who get together regularly to discuss an aspect of your field? You’re probably doing that every day. Forums and meetups are all over the web, but a lot of small business marketers ignore them. Find communities related to your product or service, join in, and speak up. Make your presence known. Any chance you get to speak or write about your offerings is an opportunity to get new customers.
Fall Back on Offline Marketing
When your eyes are dry as bones and your wrists are tingling, it’s time to step away from your computer and go offline. You don’t have to stop marketing your business, though. Just turn your attention to the offline world for a while. We’re so digitized that people have forgotten about good old-fashioned flyers and mailers. You can totally market your online website offline. In fact, it can actually be cheaper, since a lot of traditional approaches are losing out to digital marketing and have lowered their prices. Paper initiatives can actually bring you a great ROI!
Go Beyond Social Networking: Actually Socialize and Network
Here’s another chance to go offline. Industry-specific networking events can be extremely powerful, since a good partnership could mean a world of difference. Find other businesses that target the same audience as you. Put your brains together and see how you can benefit from a group effort. Joint ventures are increasingly popular. Market to each other’s connections and watch the magic happen.
Guerilla marketing’s potential is limited by your creativity only. There’s no secret formula; in fact, it’s the opposite of a formula. It’s about doing something brash that nobody else has thought of. If you know your customers, and you can think creatively, a few clever campaigns will get your product or service selling itself.
