“Done poorly, guerrilla marketing can make your company look like a nightmare. Donecorrectly, it is one of the single most powerful marketing tools.” – Experiential MarketingForum
Guerrilla Marketing, which is an alternative form of marketing, was a term coined by Jay ConradLevison in the early 1980s. This form of marketing depends mainly on time, energy andcreativity than on hefty marketing budgets and flashy advertisements. Guerrilla Marketing is different from the conventional marketing process because it interacts with the consumers at a personal level.
Why is Guerrilla Marketing suitable for Small/Medium businesses?
GuerrillaMarketing was mainly developed for the small/medium business owners. This form of marketing mix would help the SMB owners who run the show on shoestringbudget to compete with the big corporates.
Statistics show that GuerrillaMarketing works better with smaller groups. Another principle of GuerrillaMarketing isthat it focuses on gaining the consent of the targeted individual or a group to give themmore information on the product/service than on trying to close a sale.
In GuerrillaMarketing, you invest your imagination/creativity, energy and time rather than money. This is one of the main driving principles of GuerrillaMarketing. For instance,if you own a bike repair shop, you can build a good relationship with your customersby offering them tips on weekend trips. You can also give road maps free of cost.
Small/medium business owners should keep in constant touch with their clients and customers to know whether they were satisfied with their products/services. This is oneof the reasons why SMB owners should seriously contemplate on taking up Guerrilla Marketing as their marketing tool.
Is Guerrilla Marketing right for you?
Remember that though GuerrillaMarketing was meant for small business owners, it is up to you as a small/medium owner to decide whether this marketing campaign is the best way to advertise your business. Your willingness to take risk apart from showing creativity andflexibility plays a vital role in using this approach.
GuerrillaMarketing is not right for you if your business renders financial and insurance services. You should also understand that it is possible to touch the wrongnerve of someof your consumers through GuerrillaMarketing. Therefore, if you are not ready to take therisk or if you have a second thought about this marketing approach, then this is not a goodfit for your business.
A point worth mentioning is that GuerrillaMarketing can use unconventional techniques to grab the attention of the consumers. However, it is essential that you provide qualityproduct/service as mentioned in your advertisements. The reason is Guerrilla Marketing reaches out to the consumers very quickly, and if you do not keep your promises,the negative feedback can spread even faster. This is considered to be one of thedrawbacks of GuerrillaMarketing.
You should be aware that GuerrillaMarketing campaign can be tailored to suit the natureof any small business. It is just a question of stepping out of the comfort zone of yourregular and conventional marketing campaigns.
It goes without saying that your business needs a good website, which is simple and easy to read. A good website acts as an effective marketing platform. Remember that customers are not interested in knowing about yourhumble beginnings and roaring success. Only thing that they need to know is about youand what your company offers. Therefore keep the content of your website precise andupdated from time to time.
Levison opines that GuerrillaMarketing is all about how efficiently you handle your marketing. Most of the companies allocate up to four percent of sales on GuerrillaMarketing andthe ones who have ample fund spend as high as eight percent. Now the question is, as a SMB owner,are you tolerant to risk taking?
Share your experience on the benefits achieved by adopting Guerrilla Marketing. Mention them in the comment below. Ex: @Mary has great tips on Guerrilla Marketing.
Image Attribution – thegenyblog.com
