Guerrilla Marketing Strategies for Small Business

May 12, 2017
/ Guerrilla Marketing Strategies Online Marketing Sales Strategy
/ By Jesse Byron

The term “guerrilla marketing” was created by Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984 and used it as a way to describe low-cost but highly effective marketing strategies which are helpful especially for small businesses in the world to get their brands noticed. The idea is utilizing non-traditional methods of advertising that will be able to catch the customers’ attention and make a lasting impact and impression.

Jay Conrad Levinson Marketing

Levinson described guerrilla marketing strategy as something that makes use of unconventional methods in which energy is invested instead of money. According to him, it has been proven effective for small businesses in many places in the world simply because it is easy to comprehend and inexpensive to implement.

Small businesses have limited or tight budget to spend on marketing, which is why they must find creative ways to be able to reach their audience. Guerrilla marketing is an excellent way for businesses to bypass the need for the costly traditional ad spaces. If you are starting out in the business and trying to build a brand to be recognized, guerrilla marketing may just be what you exactly need.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

Disrupt the landscape.

One of the most effective guerrilla marketing strategies is the one that is done in urban spaces with dense foot traffic and automobile traffic.It should be done where it can be easily seen and exposed to people, passers-by, and passengers. If you are creative and clever enough to make a change in a public space, you will be able to easily catch the attention of the passers-by. Some guerrilla marketers turn to graffiti and street artists for inspiration because they have the ability to make amazing and beautiful transformations in urban spaces using radical images that can indirectly and subtly get the message across.

Graffiti, unlike what most people believe, are not just pertaining to spray paint on some random walls or old buildings. Graffiti can be any writing on a public space that is not particularly sanctioned by the owner of the space. Graffiti, that are only temporary, and other creative marketing writings can be safe and legal, but it is also safe to ask or check local laws.

Stir up the crowd.

When you get your audience to participate, it will be easier for you to leave a lasting impression. You will be able to instill your brand into the minds of your potential customers. It is important and helpful that aside from using creative ads, also make an impact by getting them involved or including your audience in the event. If you need some ideas, here are a few examples.

Flash mob.

A flash mob is effective because the performance can surprise the ordinary crowd, but they will be able to quickly catch up. You can hire local drama students to do the act for you if you and your employees are not so into the street performance. Also, make sure that this is done in a crowded area. Just remember that the key to a successful flash mob is spontaneity and, of course, a dramatic flair.

Create spaces that will encourage audience participation and not just observation.

By giving your audience the chance to get involved and participate, chances are, they will be taking photos and post them on social media. You will be increasing the exposure of your brand. And it will also help if you use helpful hashtags to spread the word.

Gamify.

Promoting games can be an excellent strategy because you will not only be able to entertain your audience, you are attracting them to your store or website too. When you hold games and competitions, the special deals will lead them to your brand. For example, you will have to require them to visit your website for the promo code, or you can require them to visit your store (which you can do by carefully and creatively using a tactic). The fact that there is a competition and a prize at stake will definitely boost the traffic to your store or to your opening day sales. You will also be able to get more visitors to your website, and things will easily go viral on the Internet.

About the Author Jesse Byron

Previous Post Guerrilla Marketing Pro Tip: If It Works, Rinse, Repeat Next Post Guerrilla Marketing Examples: The Top 9 of the Year 2016