No matter where we live we’ve all been in a traffic jam or at a light that just won’t change in our favor and glanced at the advertising billboards around us.
This “wait marketing” that capitalizes on immobility, or forced attention, maximizes potential exposure for businesses. However, unless the motorist has some special connection to the advertiser, the odds are that he or she will forget about the ad as soon as the traffic starts moving again.
In the race to catch the attention of a potential customer, advertisers need to distinguish their product and set their brand above the rest. Guerilla marketing uses unconventional advertising methods. There may be some good concepts in the basics of guerilla marketing that you can capitalize on in your marketing plan.
Guerilla marketing can take many forms. Some advertisers stage publicity stunts, like hiring actors to stage a “protest” outside their business carrying signs with favorable comments or reviews. This type of marketing is much more eye catching and more memorable than a simple billboard. Guerilla marketing does not need to always be so bold and flashy. Non-conventional advertising needs to be fresh and memorable. The basics of guerilla advertising include:
- Public Places: Advertisements need to be seen in order to be effective. Putting a video on YouTube is not effective unless the video goes viral. Catchy tags, an irresistible name or title and sharing throughout networks until others start sharing is required.
- The Right Places: Using conventional or unconventional methods, your ads need to be localized to attract maximum business. Potential customers want their goods and services to be reliable and easily available. Even the most dazzling advertisement has a limited shelf life or influence.
- Finding the Right Balance: The key to setting your business apart from the rest is finding the right balance between the familiar and the surprising. Too familiar is boring and unmemorable, but too shocking can turn people off to your product or service. Knowing your audience is important. Something suggestive might catch people’s attention and make them laugh, but being too bold could offend potential customers who won’t do business with you.
- Living up to the Hype: Guerilla marketing works best when it creates hype around a product or service. Generating interest that spurs conversation is great, but if you build too much hype and your business can’t deliver on the expectations you’ve created, customers will be disappointed. Avoid making unreasonable claims in your unconventional advertising. It might be better to rely on attainable promises delivered in a humorous, innovative, or otherwise memorable fashion.
- Maximizing Reception: Regardless of the form your advertising takes, ask yourself – will potential customers be more receptive when they see this, or less receptive? Back to the stuck in traffic example – most drivers will be frustrated, glancing at the clock, scanning through radio stations, and not entirely open to a unique advertising experience. Catching people unaware might be better, which is why guerilla marketing tactics like flash mobs hare been so successful. People walking casually through a shopping mall or standing on a subway platform caught unaware when they see a large group of coordinated performers immediately stop and take notice.
No matter how excited customers get over your advertisement, remember that quality service and attention to detail is what will keep them coming back. Guerilla marketing can be tremendously successful at bringing traffic through the door, but it’s no substitute for your business dazzling them once they’re in. That’s where you make customers truly happy.
NEXT ISSUE – Guerrilla Marketing – 5 Unorthodox Ways To Market Your Brand
Looking for help with your marketing? Don’t miss the Marketing – It’s All About Getting Noticed workshop on November 18th. Call Bonnie to register today. 931-456-4910
Want to discuss your guerrilla marketing ideas? Call Bonnie to make a coaching appointment to do some brainstorming. 931-456-4910
