Ready to Be Bold? Your Guide to Guerrilla Marketing

You might have heard about guerrilla marketing, but maybe you’re not quite sure what it involves or how you could implement it for your business. Fear not! This article will give you some insight into what it is and how you can go about using it for your own campaign.

One of the most important aspects of guerrilla marketing is that it’s fun. It’s an idea that you can basically do anything if you think outside the box and are willing to be bold.

There are some challenges that you’ll encounter along the way and there are precautions that you should take to make sure that you’re following the (marketing) law. To get started on your campaign, here are a few key things to consider:

1) How much is your campaign going to cost?

2) Will this work for your business?

3) Is this something that I can do safely?

After considering the above details of your campaign, you can begin planning your guerrilla marketing strategy.

You are probably wondering, “what’s the difference between guerrilla marketing and conventional marketing?” Well, guerilla marketing is a “do it yourself,” low-cost, grassroots style approach to marketing. It’s characterized by using unconventional advertising media and public spaces as a means of advertising. Conventional marketing, on the other hand, is more traditional and formal, involving paid ads and promotions. Unlike conventional marketing which involves using billboards, flyers, and print ads, guerrilla marketing focuses heavily on word of mouth or unexpected ways of reaching potential customers. 

The whole point of guerrilla marketing is to do things that get people talking. For example, a guerrilla marketer might use unconventional ways such as street theater, flash mobs, graffiti, and street art to promote their product or service in a non-intrusive manner.

There are more traditional methods you can use such as advertising on the radio or in newspapers and magazines, but those methods cost money. Here are some low or no budget ideas for getting attention:

1. Be an individual. Expressing yourself as an individual is one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd. No one wants to be part of a boring crowd, especially in this day and age where everyone is trying to be perceived as unique and different. If you stand out enough, people will start to gravitate toward you!
2. Think “out-of-the-box” and look for opportunities where your competitors wouldn’t think to look. For example, if you’re planning a party, why not consider using your neighbors’ houses? If people see balloons outside their neighbor’s house, they might want to come over and check it out. Use this tactic when promoting your business by putting up signs at construction sites or supermarkets. Just make sure that you keep it safe; if there’s a chance someone could get hurt because of your sign, then don’t put it up!
3. Do something crazy! No one will ever notice you in the crowd if you sit back thinking that doing something crazy is too risky. You’ve got our permission to NOT play it safe! Just make sure that you aren’t breaking any laws though. We don’t have bail money.

You may be thinking, “Where can I learn more about guerrilla marketing?” Our answer is, of course, this blog! Plus, you could check out this extensive collection of books on guerrilla marketing. Many people call the author, Jay Conrad Levinson, the father of guerrilla marketing. The author of several books, Levinson was a sought-after speaker, consultant, and advisor to some of the biggest brands in the world.

When it comes to increasing revenue and growing your small or large business or non-profit organization, you can use guerrilla marketing for various purposes. You can create marketing campaigns that are cost-effective, unique, and even viral. Like all marketing campaigns, all it takes is one great idea.

In case you’re wondering what you can do to add a little flair to your marketing, take a look at these ideas: 

1. When you have an upcoming event, the last thing you want is for that event to be a flop. That’s where guerrilla marketing comes into play. You can use this marketing method to help increase attendance at your event by advertising it in unexpected places and on incredible mediums.

2. When you have a product that needs to get out there and make people aware of it, guerilla marketing comes into play again. For example, suppose you have an effect that will be released soon. In that case, you can use guerrilla marketing techniques to help spread the word about your product release. Guerrilla marketing could include putting up flyers and advertisements around the city about the new product without anyone knowing that you were responsible for the ad.

3. If you run a restaurant or café, having a guerrilla marketing plan can help you get people to visit your place more often or recommend it to their friends.

Still, pressed for more ideas? It happens. Let’s talk about even more great guerrilla marketing ideas that you can start implementing today.

What are some guerrilla marketing strategies for your brand?

Guerrilla marketing strategies should absolutely play a part in your marketing campaigns. Regardless of the type of business or organization you represent, guerrilla marketing is a great way to develop new clients, build your brand, and expand your business. Guerrilla marketing tactics can be used on any budget and as an additional or independent effort. If done correctly, guerrilla marketing will bring new business faster than traditional methods. It is totally accessible to you.

Guerrilla marketing techniques for small businesses, large businesses, and even nonprofits can all be executed with limited resources. And remember, you will be competing with several other brands for your audience’s attention so you’ve got to know the best ways to knock their socks off!

Unlike traditional marketing techniques, guerrilla marketing techniques are often unconventional and may seem unusual to the public. But that is the whole point – you want to get people talking about your brand and seeing you in a fun light. After all, in some cases, this word-of-mouth method can be more effective than traditional marketing strategies.

Ready to learn how to leverage these out-of-the-box ideas? We’re giving all the juice away right here: 

Interesting Guerrilla Marketing Strategies: 

1) Create Graffiti and chalk art on walls or sidewalks.

2) Publicity stunts – Get people talking about you by holding a contest or staging an event that will attract attention from both the media and members of your target audience. But be careful – a publicity stunt too shocking could backfire, so keep it positive!

3) Contests – Offer prizes for participation in contests regularly (i.e., monthly). People love free stuff!

4) Giveaways – Give away a free sample. If you’re launching a new product line, offer a complimentary selection with a purchase. If you have an established company and want to introduce a new service, provide a free sample with the first purchase. You could also give away promotional items such as t-shirts or coffee mugs.

5) Social Media – Feature your brand on social media outlets. Facebook and Twitter both offer options for promoting your content within their platforms. In social media, guerrilla marketing can be a great way to get the word out about your business.

Some ideas could include:

• Use your status updates to encourage followers to take some sort of action, like “Want to win a prize? Take a picture of yourself with our product and post it.”
• Use Twitter to ask your followers questions that lead them to your website. This is particularly effective if you’re running a contest or offer.
• Encourage followers to join a closed group on Facebook where you can share private or exclusive information.
• Ask for input in a blog post or survey and then share the results on Facebook and Twitter.
• Encourage fans to respond to every post with a comment or question that leads back to your website for more information.

Now that you’ve heard all about guerrilla marketing, we can bet you are already starting to imagine the types of campaigns you can run for your own brand. In the spirit of helping you get your strategy underway, we’ve brought a few tangible examples of the infamous guerrilla marketing strategy at work. Take these examples from big brands and consider which concepts could work for your own brand.

Which guerrilla marketing examples inspire your brand? 

KiKat. KitKat cleverly used outdoor space to create a public advert in the Philippines, without using traditional billboards or posters. The result? There were over 262 million impressions and an additional 21% sales increase for their products!

Frontline. The Frontline team knew that by advertising their product to the public, they would have far more success than if it were just handed out. To do this without using words meant taking advantage of an opportunity where people could see what looked like a dog covered in fleas — and lo-and-behold! The results seemed nearly magical; after only one day on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter, the company had received over 2 million hits.

How do you make a dent in the world? Well, one way is by identifying what your product or service does and then finding an innovative method of advertising. This is exactly what KitKat did! What better way to shake things up than to do it without words? Find ways to broadcast without using words at all and prepare to be amazed by your results. 

Additionally, if you are feeling even the slightest bit of overwhelmed, we want to simplify your guerrilla marketing plan. What do you think about these steps? 

Step 1: Define your target market

Step 2: Decide how you will reach your target market

Step 3: Put together a plan of action

Step 4: Execute the plan

Ready to BE Bold? If you want to really wow your audience with guerrilla marketing ideas, then let us help. We want to help your audience grow and keep coming back for more. By using proven guerrilla marketing techniques, we can provide the tools, strategies, and guidance to make this happen for your brand. We’re here to help you no matter where you are in your business. Whether it is a startup venture, an established company, or a nonprofit seeking growth, our team brings experience and knowledge to the table. And, you CAN sit with us. 🍑