Revision as of 08:54, 7 April 2023 by 104.227.107.91 (talk) (Created page with "If you're like the majority of small businesses, there's never plenty of time or money. Particularly when it involves advertising. You know you should advertise to build busin...")(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)If you're like the majority of small businesses, there's never plenty of time or money. Particularly when it involves advertising. You know you should advertise to build business, but it's hard to advertise when money is tight.That is where guerrilla advertising will come in. Guerrilla advertising (sometimes known as "guerrilla marketing") is approximately using the resources you have available to build business. They are things that may be a little off the beaten path of mainstream advertising, however they still prove highly effective if done properly.FlyersWhether you need tell customers in regards to a sale or other dressing up event, or just want to let people know about you, flyers are easy and relatively effective if you're trying to advertise on the cheap. When you have a computer and access to clip art or photos, then you can probably put together a professional looking flyer. Some do's: 1) Include an irresistible offer, if possible. 2) Work with a catchy headline and visual. 3) Keep your copy short and to-the-point. 4) Remember your address and contact number!Some places you might think about putting your flyers include- Cars in parking lots- Coffee shops- Windows of local businesses (like grocery stores)- College bulletin boards- Library bulletin boards- Apartment buildings- Office buildings- Fold, tape, and send to your email listConsider paying a college or high school student to pass out your flyers at busy gatherings like Farmers' Markets, sporting events, etc., or to take them door-to-door. Make sure you check the legalities in your area concerning the above, and always ask permission before you post or distribute flyers.Vehicle AdvertisingGo to your neighborhood sign shop and have your logo, contact number and/or website made into a decal and place it in your car window. Viola! Marketing on the move! Actually, have several printed up and have family and friends to consider putting them on the vehicles as well.Social MediaI am monitoring this trend for months now, and in that time, it has spread like wildfire. And from everything I've seen and everything I've read, the trend will continue. There are several of these sites on the market, but my favorites are Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. These social communities enable you to set up "house," invite your friends over, and meet plenty of new people who may have exactly the same interests as you, or may be potential customers. Avoid being shy about touting your products!WebsiteEveryone is on the net. Seriously, everyone. (Okay, not your Great Aunt Edna.) So these days, it's almost confirmed that you should have a website. Your potential customers wish to be able to take a closer look at your organization at their convenience. And it's a perfect opportunity for you to let your customers see you at your best. It's a win/win. And surprisingly, it's relatively cheap and an easy task to put a straightforward website up. There are plenty of wonderful serves that not merely provide website hosting services, but templates that you can use. Depending on your goods and services, you can either put up a simple info web site, or one that lets your customers can buy from you directly.Sports Team SponsorshipsDoes your child play in an activity, or do you know a child who does? Or are you currently simply interested in getting the name before hundreds of proud parents weekly? Sports team sponsorships are fairly cheap & most of the time you can put your logo on all the jerseys.Online Video MarketingYouTube, TubeMogul, et alDid you know YouTube now represents over 12 percent of website traffic? Actually, many marketing experts are recommending their clients add this type of tool in their marketing mix because of all of the free traffic it can generate. And it costs nothing to create!What should you post? Consider performing a 3-5 minute informational video about your service or product, or perhaps a video testimonial from satisfied customers. "How-to" videos can be incredibly successful. Does your service or product lend itself to an instructional how-to? If you're an accountant, how about "how exactly to" maximize your tax deductions? A florist..."how to" make your flowers go longer. The possibilities are endless! Your video does not have to be Oscar-caliber, but make certain it looks professional. Another idea for YouTube...if you do commercials, post the commercials!Dedicated Press Release CampaignHonestly, just about anyone can write a news release. It costs close to nothing to create and send out press releases, and the benefits can be huge.First thing to do is make a list of media contacts and addresses. They are the people you'll send the releases to. Unless you know where to start on this, call your neighborhood media (newspapers, publications, magazines, radio and television stations) plus the trade publications in your industry and have who receives pr announcements. Update this list regularly. Next, determine that you'll send X number of press releases out monthly and stay with it! Don't just await the big stuff...create happenings if you want to. Some of the things you should send press releases out for include:- Awards- Grand openings, sales, events, etc.- Conference attendance- Seminars- New equipment- New employeesThe list can go on and on! The idea here is to keep your organization up front as much as possible.T-shirtsPut your logo on t-shirts and put them on everywhere it is possible to. Encourage employees, friends and family to do the same.BannersBanners are fairly inexpensive. The next time you've got a sale or other dressing up event, have a banner made and display it proudly and prominently on your building, or in the front close to the street.Referral BonusOffer your current customers a "referral" bonus (a discount on your own product or service perhaps) if they refer you to definitely you. One of the most effective ways is to have some cards (business card size) printed up together with your logo, address and contact number, and also a blank line for your current customer to print his/her name. Give your very best customers several of these and ask them at hand them out to family and friends. Whenever you get one returned, send your customer a postcard (or a contact) thanking them for the referral and reminding them to come directly into claim their discount (or free whatever).Guerilla advertising takes a bit more effort and work on your part, however the results can be really worth it. Instead of the scatter-shot that many of the original media outlets offer you, going guerrilla forces you to be more creative in targeting those customers that one could reach with the budget you have.Donna Williams may be the founder and creator of BusinessBurrito.com - an internet site dedicated to helping smaller businesses grow with their maximum potential. She actually is also a 25-year advertising / marketing executive, creative director, writer, and producer. Together, Donna and her husband currently own and co-own five small businesses. For more information about Donna and read more of her articles, visit her website athttp://www.businessburrito.com� Copyright 2008, Donna Williams, BusinessBurrito.com. All rights reserved.