Have you ever been minding your own business, carrying out your daily errands, trying to conquer the world one mundane task at a time, and some random crazy person comes up to you and asks you follow them up to some elaborate tent setup to try a little taste of Cup A and B of some unmarked food or drink product; to find out which you prefer? Or have you been riding your friendly neighborhood public transportation and noticed that the hand railing you are holding for balance isn’t just railing anymore, it’s actually a set of exercise weights?
Well, I haven’t! (insert sad face.)
If you have in fact been lucky enough for one of these once-in-a-lifetime moments to happen upon you, then you my friend are a member of the unsuspecting Guerrilla Marketing public! Congrats! I am so jealous right now! (insert sad face.)
But I digress. Guerrilla Marketing, what is Guerrilla Marketing anyway?
According to Google Dictionary…
guer·ril·la mar·ket·ing
noun
- innovative, unconventional, and low-cost marketing techniques aimed at obtaining maximum exposure for a product.
Or basically a marketing tactic in which a company uses unconventional measures in order to promote their new and improved product or service. Traditional marketing doesn’t even hold a candle to Guerrilla marketing, in that it often requires personal interactions with random passerbyers, focusing on individual reactions and then depending on that reaction being spread by word of mouth by that individual. And more often than not, these reactions are virally spread on social media like YouTube by the very passerbyers themselves instead of the companies! In turn, saving said companies a bundle in advertising dollars, which typically may have a smaller budget to work with in the first place. Oh, and it’s SUPER FUN, DUH! Small businesses can also make a big splash in public places doing street giveaways of their products, PR stunts, or any unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results, aka mucho dinero.
Traditional marketing pretty much relies on televised and print marketing, whether that be magazine, billboards or postcards. And that can get pretty pricey; especially for small businesses.
And while we’re on the subject of small businesses, this tactic is right up their alley. Even though larger companies are employing these methods, smaller businesses can give the consumer a more unsuspecting experience than say Coca-Cola who might drop a wad of cash on presentation instead of the one on one involvement that small businesses can deliver on.
So if Guerrilla Warfare, I mean Guerrilla Marketing sounds like something that could potentially propel your small business into a Fortune 500 company (cross those fingers,) here are some ideas that could inspire you.
The 80 Best Guerilla Marketing Ideas I’ve ever seen by CreativeGuerrillaMarketing.com
And take a gander at this book by Jay Conrad Levinson. Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business
Here’s a link to a Lesson on Guerrilla Marketing with Daymond John
Also, just for your viewing pleasure, here are some YouTube videos to get those creative juices flowing:
Sprite Shower – Brazil
Pay with a Smile – Project Change
Lupe Fiasco – Redlaser (app) Guerrilla Marketing with Lasers
3 Martini Lunches 