How to Promote Your Business With Guerilla Marketing

While some business owners love marketing, others really don't enjoy it. If you have some simple marketing strategies, your business can practically market itself by using what they call guerilla marketing techniques.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Printing company
• Computer
• Community bulletin boards
• Press releases
• Press contacts
• Referral partners

1. Referral partners can be a great resource to help you with marketing. Give them a stack of your business cards or promotional materials for them to display in their lobby or cash register. Make sure to follow up with them regularly to make sure they aren't out of your materials. Display their materials in your business as well.
2. Exchange website links with everyone you can think of. The more links to other websites you have, the more likely it will be that you will have new potential customers visiting your website.
3. Use free online business directories to list your business. Consider joining the local chamber of commerce, especially if they have an online business directory.
4. Teach yourself how to write and distribute a press release and write one every four to six weeks. Call a local newspaper reporter occasionally to see if you can get coverage for an upcoming event, lecture, open house, sale, charity involvement, etc.
5. Have a variety of promotional materials available to give away to customers. Online sites make it easy to order and create eye catching materials, such as VistaPrint. Oversized postcard type flyers are great for putting on community bulletin boards.
6. Marketing or promotional companies, VistaPrint included, offer a variety of ways to market your business, from coffee mugs, pens, flyers, car magnets, refrigerator magnets, etc. These can be bought very inexpensively.
7. Write a brief but helpful monthly newsletter to send out to clients by email. Ask them to forward it on to friends and relatives that may find it useful. Make sure all of your contact information is in the newsletter, including your website.
8. Consider starting an online group of enthusiasts that would be related to your business. For instance, if you own a plumbing company, start a group for home flippers or home owners who like remodeling, they would always be in need of a plumber. Give helpful advice and organize events they would interested in. When they need a plumber, you will be at the top of their list.
9. Offer free workshops, lectures, teleclasses, etc. and advertise them in free local magazines or newspapers that have free community event calendars. Get your business listed in these event calendars as much as possible to keep your name in front of the public for free. Write a press release about your events and try to get some press coverage.
10. Take a look at your local cable station schedules and look for regularly occuring shows that would be related to your field. Call or email the show host and volunteer to be a guest.
11. Add yourself to all the business networking sites you can find, such as LinkedIn, FaceBook, etc.
12. Consider joining a couple networking groups, such as a BNI group, who are required to send other members business in order to stay in the group.