Guerilla marketing is a type of advertising strategy that involves using an unexpected or unusual activity for marketing in a very common, everyday situation. The goal of this type of marketing is to attract attention for a business, including the products and services that it offers. It helps to increase brand awareness and can improve the overall success of a business.
In this article, we take a more in-depth look at guerrilla marketing.
Guerrilla Marketing Explained
Guerrilla marketing refers to an alternative types of advertising that employs the use of unconventional marketing strategies. For example, the strategies that are used are often very high energy and incorporate a great deal of imagination. In essence, guerrilla marketing involves catching potential customers off-guard and by surprise in order to make an unforgettable impression and create a ton of social buzz.
It has been said that this marketing strategy makes a much greater impact and a much more valuable impression on consumers than more traditional forms of marketing and advertising. This is largely due to the fact that the majority of guerrilla marketing campaigns set out to grab the attention of consumers on a more personal level.
Guerrilla Marketing History
Marketing is an age-old practice. In fact, it can be traced back to the Ancient Egyptians when papyrus was used to create posters and sales messages. What has become known as traditional marketing has evolved over the years, but it wasn’t until about the early 1900s when marketing as we know it really started to become commonplace.
In the 1984, Jay Conrad Levinson introduced the idea of Guerrilla marketing in his book titled, you guessed it, Guerrilla Marketing. In this book, Conrad proposed the idea of using unique strategies in order to grab the attention of consumers and make a memorable impression. From then, guerrilla marketing has become a commonly employed tactic in the world of advertising.
Strategies Used in Guerrilla Marketing
Since guerrilla marketing relies on unconventional marketing strategies that are tend to be much more unpredictable than traditional marketing strategies, they are usually much more memorable and have a much bigger impact. In order for guerrilla marketing efforts to be successful, marketers need to employ certain strategies. Some strategies that have proven to be effective in guerrilla marketing include:
- Giving away products. A lot of businesses offer free samples as a way to generate business. It attracts attention to their brand, as people are more apt to try something that is free. If users end up liking the product that was given away for free, there is a greater chance that they will purchase other products in the future. You can take this tactic a step further by offering a larger product or a larger amount of a product in order to make an even bigger impact.
- Make a stand. Choose a controversial topic in your industry that is surrounded by a lot of buzz. Define your stands on this topic and make your stance known. You may be surprised to find out how many people will start talking about your business and how much attention you will generate for your brand.
- Don’t be afraid of being aggressive. A lot of business owners are worried that they are going to annoy their existing customers or prospective customers. In order to avoid annoying them, they hold back when it comes to following up. Put this notion of annoying people behind you. Sometimes people need a push to commit to something. Being aggressive with your follow up could end up doing wonders for your business.
- Take competitor coupons. This might seem like a ridiculous idea to some, but it can actually end up being quite beneficial. Honor any coupons that your competitors are offering, and perhaps consider offering another discount or some other type of benefit if they shop with you. Doing so will grab the attention of people who usually shop somewhere else, which could eliminate any competition that takes business away from you.
- Use social media. Don’t forget to take advantage of social media! It is a wonderful resources for marketers, and especially for guerrilla marketing. These sites are free to use and you can reach out to literally billions of people. Post attention-grabbing status updates, share eye-catching photos and engaging videos. Host interviews. Encourage your followers to interact with you. It is really amazing what a powerful impact social media can have on the success of a business, especially when a business uses shocking, relatable and memorable tactics.
The Benefits of Guerrilla Marketing
Guerrilla marketing can offer businesses some very worthwhile benefits. Here’s a look at some of the most notable advantages that this type of marketing can offer.
- Low-cost. Without a doubt, one of the biggest advantages of guerrilla marketing is that it is extremely cost-effective. In fact, it costs a mere fraction of more conventional marketing strategies. That’s because you are the one who comes up with new and exciting ways to engage with customers; ways that other people haven’t thought of or used before, which can prove to be quite inexpensive.
- Builds brand awareness. Another major benefit of guerrilla marketing is that it is a great way to build brand awareness. There are so many businesses out there and in order to succeed, you have to stand out from the competition. The very definition of this type of marketing is using shocking strategies in order to attract attention. This, in turn, builds greater brand awareness.
- Builds partnerships. Guerrilla marketing can also be a great way to build partnerships with other businesses. Everyone needs an ally, including businesses. Consider working with another establishment that attracts the same customer base as you do. Collaborate and come up with ideas that will allow you both to grab the attention of customers.
