Saying the business world is changing greatly with each passing day is pretty much a cliché nowadays. However, that doesn’t make it any less true. And with it, marketing is changing as well. You need to stand out, to be unique if you want to go anywhere. And it doesn’t matter if your business is online, or a regular store. In fact, not even your line of work really matters. Whatever you offer, the services or products you have, it doesn’t matter – our point still stands. And the best way to accomplish this is by utilizing guerilla marketing.
Now, guerilla marketing has been present for a decade or two. However, know that it was most apparent in the art and music world. Underground artist, truly independent musicians, they used guerrilla marketing because its unique, specific, and, let's not beat about the bush any longer, cheap. Indeed, guerilla marketing, limited only by your imagination, may just be the cheapest, but most effective, marketing tactic out there. That’s why it has become more and more useful over the years. If implemented properly, it can really get your company to stand out. Read on to see exactly what we mean.
Original product placement
Of the many ways you can pull this off, getting proper product placement may just be the thing you need. No matter what you offer, the point still stands. For example, getting a good construction fence banner (or several) placed around town can serve you well. However, don’t think of banners as regular advertising. Now, since we're putting a special spin on it, place it in unconventional places.
An interesting and fun idea would be to set up some clues for a scavenger hunt all around town. However, have these clues somehow related to your actual company. At the very least put your contact info on them. Let the reward be free goodies from your company.
You can go a bit further, and set up a sort of mystery scavenger hunt. This may not be as easy, and even a bit risky, since you actually don’t want people to figure out this is supposed to lead to your company. Setting up strange clues all around town that lead to your company is a good idea that can, with a little luck, go viral.
Give out samples – with a twist
Find a way to give out samples if your online company brings out products. If not, still hand out cookies and cupcakes, while finding a way to advertise your company. Think of it as “bribing” any potential customers with sugar and candy.
Let's say your company’s name is Rhino Commerce (if you do exist, please don’t sue us). Getting some of your staff dressed up as rhinos, handing out fliers advertising your company will definitely generate some buzz.
If you can, organize games and some interactivity when doing all of this. If you have an accounting consulting service maybe setting up a quiz about some basic accounting issues may prove interesting. And of course, reward winners with some goodies.
Harness the power of stickers
Stickers may just be a staple of guerilla marketing. One of the more flexible and fun guerrilla marketing tactics to implement, they are surprisingly powerful. Their power lies in numbers and flexibility. Just to give you an example, let's say you want to advertise your online e-coaching business. You need to figure out who your audience is, and where do they dwell, what are their favorite stops, cafes, places to hang out. Then, put some stickers and flyers around these places. What's the point of doing this at places where you know people would not be interested in your products at all? So know your audience.
Of course, before you do this, you need to set up your own logo and trademark. Then, actually get stickers that are the right size you want and need, and you are pretty much good to go.
Go online
Now, of course, social media is and of itself an excellent marketing tool. Using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, is a simple must if you want to make any headway with your business. And what makes them extra effective is just how cheap these are. However, here, we are talking about something a bit different. Namely, act as an agent, and infiltrate some forums and websites. In the same way, you place stickers in the previous point, you can pepper information about your company on a forum. However, do not spam people! There is a big difference between spamming and advertising.
When people spam, they don’t actually contribute to a conversation. What they do is sidetrack the entire topic and forum thread, and push their own narrative of marketing their business. This is a big no-no, obviously. What you want to do genuinely becomes part of a larger online community. It should, still, be with people that might be interested in what you have to offer. But, the main goal here is to communicate and learn.
And there you have it folks, a couple of ways you can use guerrilla marketing to help out your online business. Cheap, fast, and just as effective as standard marketing, guerilla marketing is a fun and creative way to get your business out there. From getting stickers to joining an online community, right down to legging it and interacting with your potential customers, this kind of advertising is a tool you definitely should keep in your arsenal.
In this post, we will share a complete guide on guerrilla marketing, why it's beneficial for business growth; read our blog to know about 14 creative guerrilla marketing examples.
