Guerrilla Marketing
April 26, 2012 No Comments
Ways To Advertise
This is probably my favorite topic to talk about because I can relate to it very well. When I was first starting my first business years ago I made the same mistake the majority of businesses make when they start out. It took so much money up front that it left hardly any for an advertising budget. I couldn’t afford to do what I wanted so I had to be very creative on a very small budget. Guerilla Marketing is doing the little thing that are inexpensive…but take hard work. The difference between success and failure is directly related to the amount of effort you put into it.
Flyers: This is a great way to advertise your buisness relatively inexpensively. Make as many flyers as you can each week and take some time after you close or on the weekends and distribute them everywhere you can. You can usually find places like coffee shops, small hardware stores, state office buildings and some others. It may take some time to find them but eventually you’ll find 10-20 places to put up a flyer and you will increase your business. Also, parking garages are a great place to hit a lot of people. However, you do have to be careful. Security will definitely ask you to leave so you have to be creative sometimes to get in. I’ve been asked to leave many times myself…but you need to be persistent. Something to keep in mind is that the flyer needs to look good and not be jumbled with words. People won’t read a book, but if it catches their interest they will hold on to flyer for a while. If you are not the creative type, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Business Cards: Business cards are pretty easy for you to print off yourself now and can be very effective. I’m not talking about a standard business card however. Be creative or find someone who is creative and make an informational card with your logo, a few bullet points about your business and how to find you. Always have some in your pocket and hand them out EVERYWHERE! Hand them to people in line at the store with you, the gas station while you are filling up. Leave them behind everywhere you go. It is a very simple and inexpensive way to let people know who you are. Also, ou put a special offer on the back for them to bring and you can see how effective they are.
Trade Shows: Although trade shows may not completely fall into the guerilla marketing classification, they are a great way to get face to face with thousands of people over a weekend. Trade Shows are a lot of work and will take up your entire weekend, but if you do it right they can be very profitable.
Find out when and where trade shows will be taking place in your area and find one that you can afford and on a weekend that will work for you. It can be a great way to hand out information about your product or service, or even better, you can set up your product right there and sell it at the show. If you work them the right way you can make money on trade shows both on that weekend and in the future. It is just another way to get your business in front of people which is critical when you first start out. Be careful on how much you spend on a show. Try and find out how many people attent that particular event. On average, you should not spend more than $400 for a minimum of 2000-3000 people on a weekend. Trade Shows can be intimidating when you first start researching them and the first time you set up for one. But trust me, they can be a vital part of early success you have with your business.
Join Professional Organizations: Every professional or business organization offers exclusive advertising opportunities for their members, ranging from free promotion on their website to special selection newspaper advertising. And being a member can be a good small business advertising in itself.
Vehicle Advertising: The reason you see so many vehicles with advertising on it is because it works. Vehicle advertising is a very visible way to advertise and inexpensive. If you are not ready for full blown graphics you could start with a magnet that you can take on and off.
Community Involvement: Visible, tangible involvement with your community is more than good PR, it’s also very effective small business advertising. So chose a charitable event or community association to involved with and let yourself be seen as a business that cares.
