Small businesses, particularly those in their early phases, are frequently confronted with a dilemma. They require money in order to market; however, in order to obtain money, they must sell; and in order to sell, they must market.
Oof ! A common catch-22 that most small businesses face.
Competition is fierce! Especially NOW.
It can be difficult for a small business to invest in expansion plans due to restricted resources. Furthermore, they are up against larger corporations and franchises with stronger brand recognition and the financial resources to run large-scale marketing efforts.
Amidst all this, you hear about guerrilla marketing. You also hear that many up-and-coming brands adopt this method of marketing to grow their brand awareness and business.
So, what is guerrilla marketing and how can it be effective for your business?
GUERRILLA MARKETING – The Definition
Guerrilla marketing is the employment of unconventional or creative ways to increase sales or generate consumers’ interest in a brand or business. It can be a great alternative to traditional marketing as this method of marketing thrives on creative ideas and originality, where enormous budgets are beaten by vision and inventiveness.
Guerrilla marketing takes its term from guerrilla warfare. It’s a strategy where smaller groups of warriors employ irregular tactics to struggle against larger, more traditional armies.
Guerrilla warfare makes use of creativity and surprise to maximise the effectiveness of limited resources and catch the adversary off guard. The same applies to guerrilla marketing whereby unconventional ways are used to achieve traditional objectives on a budget.
Guerrilla marketing can be ideal for small businesses who wish to make a huge impression.
GUERRILLA MARKETING – How Does It Work?
Guerrilla marketing focuses on creating a buzz among consumers that can help a company make more money. The major goal of this form of marketing strategy is to get as much customer attention as possible with a limited budget.
With this method of marketing, most marketers want to develop unexpected and memorable marketing tactics that will help consumers remember the product/brand for a long time. Effective guerrilla marketing campaigns usually would elicit emotional response such as surprise from the consumers.
Guerrilla marketing, on the other hand, might be risky for small enterprises. You can’t exactly iterate on the same strategy because of their unique character, thus it’s hit or miss. However, there are numerous benefits to using guerilla marketing strategies when done correctly.