How to Develop a Guerrilla Marketing Plan

Video Transcript

"Guerrilla marketing is all about unconventional methods. I'm Peggy Collins and I'm going to share some tips on how to develop your own guerrilla marketing plan. The term guerrilla marketing was made popular in advertising circles in the 1980s as a result of Jay Levinson's book by the same name. The expression has become synonymous with unconventional, often aggressive marketing tactics. This type of marketing is a great fit for small business largely because it doesn't require a large advertising budget. Guerrilla marketing requires a greater investment of time, energy and creativity than money. Like all effective marketing campaigns, the first step is to determine your objectives or exactly what you want to accomplish for the campaign. Guerrilla marketing is also similar to grass roots marketing in that it emphasizes the relationship the entrepreneur is trying to create with his customer. Because it generally uses current technology its constantly evolving. The recent advances in technology have expanded the category to include non-traditional media such viral marketing, product placement, social networks and e-mail marketing that have become fairly mainstream in today's marketplace. A good guerrilla marketing plan nearly always uses a combination of methods to achieve its goals. Step 2 is to determine what tactic will reach the desired audience. Step 3 might be to follow a time line. For instance you might begin with banner ads on popular websites or search engines, SEO, followed by building a page on MySpace and launching an e-mail ad campaign. From there you might post a clever video on YouTube that the intended audience may share with friends. Give away promotion items like t-shirts or tote bags on the campus of a local college or in a busy office park. Follow that with high value coupons like buy one get one free or 50 percent off the second item that you can be sure will trigger response. Add some product sampling at well targeted, high traffic locations, events, businesses and you've created a buzz in the market and without much cash. I'm Peggy Collins wishing you good luck and good business."