We’ve previously written about guerrilla marketing ideas and we’re definitely big fans of the endless possibilities for entrepreneurs. The beautiful part about guerrilla marketing is that you can generate a ton of visibility on a dirt-cheap budget – if any budget at all. In truth, the biggest investment is creativity and a little time to make it happen. Obviously, the bigger your budget the easier it may be to pull of something that can attract a lot of attention – but even some entrepreneurs have proven this isn’t always the rule.
As a quick refresher, think of guerrilla marketing almost as a polite way of saying “in your face” marketing. Lots of times the most successful guerrilla marketing ideas take the least amount of thought to process. Also, guerrilla marketing ideas can happen virtually anywhere, but it’s most effective in places where there is high street traffic so more people can be exposed.
There are some important things to take into consideration, though, when planning and executing a guerrilla marketing campaign. Today we highlight one Colorado fur business that recently got into some trouble over an attempt to launch a guerrilla marketing campaign – or should we say park a guerrilla marketing campaign - right in front of its own store. Denimaxx was recently told (after someone filed a complaint) by Aspen city zoning authorities it can’t park its company van in certain places throughout the city, including in the parking spot right in front of its own store, because the city sees it more as a standing billboard advertisement rather than a company van to be used for deliveries. The van is a very visual display and representation of its brand and products, which for some isn’t appropriate street material.
Important lesson of the day as it relates to anything guerrilla marketing: Make sure you’re abiding by the laws. Guerrilla marketing is fun and can also be highly effective at extending your brand. But be careful with your campaign as you don’t want it to backfire on you (we’ll consider this one a backfire since it ultimately led to someone, possibly more than once, actually complaining about the company). Some may say there’s nothing wrong with a little bad PR, but we’ll refrain from advising any company to take this approach.
So, then, what makes good guerrilla marketing ideas? Check out this list of good examples of guerrilla marketing to get some ideas. Also, use these tips as a reference:
–Go against the grain and do something that is the opposite of what people normally think. You want people to stop, look and think.
–Launch your guerrilla marketing campaign with good timing. Don’t do a football-themed campaign in June, for example.
–Go where your target audience is located. If the people you want targeted are at an event, consider being in the parking lot of that event (or inside the event, if you can get away with it).
–Focus on who will actually be involved in the guerrilla marketing portion, otherwise known as your street team. You want highly likeable and energetic people if it means interacting with others.
–Branding, branding, branding. This is your chance to really get your brand out there, so make sure your logo, colors and any tag lines or messaging are clearly present during your guerrilla marketing.
–Use the guerrilla marketing for future marketing. Video or photo the guerrilla marketing campaign (lots of people interacting with your company) so that you can show people in future marketing opportunities just how big you appear. Also for video you can use in viral marketing opportunities.
–Have a call to action. Small business guerrilla marketing is definitely about getting your brand out there. But it’s also about getting people motivated to take some kind of action (visit a Web site, go to a store, sign up for something or make a purchase).
Tell us about your guerrilla marketing ideas and success stories by leaving a comment.
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This is the first place that I’ve seen one of my personal mantras exposed. Specifically, before you do anything Guerrilla, make certain that your locale allows what you are doing to go on. This way, your Guerrilla Marketing doesn’t garner the wrong sort of attention - or make you a newly-despised member of your local prefecture.