Guerilla marketing is typically described as any kind of promotional activity that does not use traditional, formal marketing strategies or tools. Rather than investing in expensive advertising campaigns, guerrilla marketers create advertisements and promotions for their product through creative means and media sources that cost little to no money.
This type of marketing can be done at almost any time or place. It doesn’t need to happen during business hours, it doesn’t have to cost anything extra- you just need access to things like billboards, buses, taxis, and/or streets. These types of resources are often free to access, which makes guerilla marketing a very powerful tool.
Guerilla marketing also involves using your skills and knowledge to promote a product. You don’t have to know much about the product, but if you do you can convey its benefits to others. If you are passionate about the product, this will help people connect with it.
Experts describe guerrilla marketing as a way to get attention for your products and services. Because it doesn’t involve spending large amounts of money on ads, it may even bring exposure to companies that normally wouldn’t be exposed to many customers.
Examples of guerrilla marketing
Developing a guerrilla marketing strategy is not limited to creating or buying new products and putting up posters and billboards. There are many more ways to use stealthy strategies to get attention for your product or service. You can do things like organize an event, hold a raffle with free rewards, or ask people to do something for you (telling them it’s for your company doesn’t seem too legit).
There are even times when people may feel they want what you’re offering but don’t want to pay for it- so you have to work out how to win their trust first. All of these types of strategies can be done at no cost unless you are paying for items or events!
These types of tactics are often referred to as indirect marketing because you aren’t directly telling people about your product or giving away goods, instead you are getting creative in how you promote it. It’s also called promotional marketing because you are spending money to increase awareness of your product or services.
Who is a guerrilla marketer?
Guerilla marketers are not your average business person. They don’t have an office, employees or even regular marketing supplies like pens.
What they do have is a love for marketing in all shapes and forms. And they use that energy to create, implement, test, and keep refining their own marketing strategies.
Guerrillas often start their day with only one thing – a goal to make more money. This can be done by creating new products or services, improving what you already have, or both.
They may also brainstorm different ways to promote these products or services, including social media campaigns, blogs, advertisements, etc.
But what makes them unique is that they don’t wait for people to interact with their product or service – they actively look for opportunities to spread its name.
This style of marketing was first coined in 1955 when two young men decided to put up fliers about their newly-launched clothing company at various places around San Francisco.
Since then, it has become very popular due to its effectiveness.
What does a guerrilla marketer do?
Guerilla marketing is typically described as creating, promoting or supporting products and/or services through stealthy strategies that appeal to the senses (sight, sound, taste, touch) rather than using more traditional advertising methods.
The term “guerrilla” comes from military jargon where soldiers would create distractions or sabotaged goods to help their comrades win a battle. In business, marketers use similar tactics to promote a product or service by giving it some form of value.
This could be via social media posts about how great the product is, how much its creator loves it etc. It could also be making indirect mentions of the product in other blogs and articles to build exposure for the brand. Or it could just be providing valuable content on the product – you get what you ask for!
There are many ways to perform guerrilla marketing.
How can you become a guerrilla marketer?
Guerilla marketing is not for the faint of heart or those who like to spend large amounts of money on advertising. It is, however, an excellent way to expose your business’s weaknesses and capitalize on them.
By instead investing in strategies that cost no more than what you would normally budget for advertisements, you will bring in enough attention for your business!
Some examples of guerilla marketing include giving away free samples, hosting giveaways, holding raffles, offering discounts, and/or doing surveys or experiments on your products and services.
These tactics are very cost-effective because you do not have to pay expensive advertisers to promote your product or service for you.
What are the benefits of guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla marketing is typically described as creating, producing or distributing products or services through non-traditional channels with no upfront investment. Instead of spending money to market your business, you create ways to promote yourself or others by doing things like writing a blog, putting up posters or pictures, or even going into places that are already well known for promoting brands.
By instead investing in solutions that don’t cost much (or anything at all) but still make an impact, you change how people perceive your company. You give yourself a leg up on the competition who must invest in more expensive advertising strategies, making it harder for them to stay competitive.
It also helps solidify your position as the go-to source for information about your field, giving you the upper hand in terms of knowledge over other professionals. In fact, some say this kind of marketing can be used to promote any product or service — not just yours!
Guerilla marketing was first coined in the 1980s when entrepreneur Andy Griffith launched his clothing line under his name while wearing a t-shirt saying “Keep Calm And Sell A Product.” Since then, companies have increasingly incorporated stealth marketing tactics into their campaigns to reap the same rewards.
What are the drawbacks of guerrilla marketing?
One major drawback is that it can seem spammy or pushy to some brands who may not want their image associated with such strategies. For this reason, you will probably have to do your research and determine if this approach is right for your business before diving in.
It is important to remember that even though these tactics may be considered promotional, that doesn’t mean they’re wrong! In fact, using them correctly can help promote your brand and business.
Guerilla marketing isn’t always cost-effective long term, but there are ways to use it effectively and efficiently when done properly. It’s best to pick your battles and don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to use every tactic available.
What can you do to become a guerrilla marketer?
So, what is guerilla marketing then? That’s a great question! Guerilla marketing isn’t exactly defined clearly in the dictionary, but we can describe it as “creative strategies of surprise and stealth to promote or advertise a product or service.”
When someone says they are doing guerrilla marketing, they may be referring to something like using social media tools to create an online community around a brand, hosting a free event at a local mall, putting up posters and fliers about an upcoming launch, or creating a fun game or challenge related to their product.
Create a marketing plan
Guerilla marketers do not have elaborate, expensive advertising campaigns that cost a lot of money. They rely heavily on creating a buzz around their product or service through social media postings, sharing experiences of using the products, talking about how great they are, etc.
They also use creativity to promote their brand. For example, if your company makes spring merchandise then create some spring themed advertisements, blogs, and conversations. If you sell fitness equipment, organize a free trial event or giveaway!
The more people who know about your business, the better chance yours will succeed. Creating a presence online is an easy way to start this process.
Online networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube can help you get started quickly. By adding yourself as a profile member, you become part of the community there.
Your profile contains information such as your hobbies, work, and educational background; it all adds up to something about you. People look at these things when trying to determine if someone is worthy of trust or not.
