Do something different to create a buzz about your business.
Small businesses with limited advertising budgets need to find creative and inexpensive ways to reach their target markets. Guerrilla marketing is a method of advertising and promotion that relies on creativity and surprise to attract attention and receive brand recognition. The idea is to use unconventional public displays that take risks to draw attention from the public and create a viral buzz through conversation, online news and social media, and hopefully through conventional media such as radio and television.
Guerrilla Marketing in Action
Aspects of guerrilla marketing are much like conventional marketing in that both have goals to create brand recognition and drive sales. The difference is that in conventional marketing businesses generally purchase advertising through established media outlets as opposed to guerrilla marketing hopes that by taking a risk the attention will be drawn to a brand. An example of guerrilla marketing would be if a restaurant specializing in hot dogs had large number of volunteers wearing hot dog costumes with the company logo converge on a public festival to randomly perform song and dance numbers throughout the day.
Why it Works
One of the goals of a successful marketing campaign is to communicate a positive message about your company and product. The most successful guerrilla marketing efforts work because they create a unique image that is immediate and memorable. By taking risks and using imaginative promotion, the hope is that a company brand will be remembered.
Benefits of Guerrilla Marketing
A guerrilla marketing campaign can cost much less than traditional methods to create brand awareness. One unique promotional event can draw more positive attention than a sustained advertising campaign if the message can reach a large audience. The success of a guerrilla campaign depends on the public and traditional media keeping the buzz created by a single promotional event or series of small promotional events alive long after their completion.
Disadvantages of Guerrilla Marketing
The risks and disadvantages of guerrilla marketing lie at opposite ends of an image and attention spectrum. If a promotional event draws little attention and creates no conversation, then the campaign does not achieve its goal of increasing brand awareness. On the other hand, if a promotional event is successful in reaching a large audience but creates a negative brand image, a guerrilla marketing campaign can backfire.
Tags: guerrilla marketing, promotional event, Guerrilla Marketing, marketing campaign, about your