What is Guerrilla Marketing? How is it Used?

Budget talks in many areas of human life. A certain budget is also required for the marketing process. Sometimes there are times when your marketing budget is limited. Many business owners think that their businesses need to downsize during difficult times.

However, it is possible for you to find budget-friendly marketing tactics through guerrilla marketing. You should develop effective marketing strategies to build your brand awareness and increase your brand value.

Thus, it becomes easier to expand your company's reach. This also helps you stand out in the competition. You can get better results by using time, energy, imagination, and unconventional marketing ideas.

Then let's take a close look at what guerrilla marketing is and the tactics that can grow your business. Come on, let's get started!

What is Guerrilla Marketing?

If you are wondering what guerrilla marketing is, it means using unconventional tactics to delight consumers. In other words, it is when a company proceeds with unique marketing tactics to promote its products or services.

When traditional marketing strategies do not work, brands deploy their own guerrillas. This advertising style relies on high imagination and energy. It helps you increase brand awareness and create recognition on digital platforms.

Therefore, it allows you to move forward with action-oriented, provocative, economic, and unconventional marketing principles. But before starting, you should discuss the answer to this question with your team: Why guerrilla marketing?

Then, you should make sure to proceed with guerrilla marketing examples. In this way, guerrilla marketing can be easily managed through case studies.

Origin and History of Guerrilla Marketing

It allows you to surprise your target audience by offering a shocking and non-traditional marketing tactic. The term was coined by Jay Conrad Levinson, who wrote a book about guerrilla marketing in 1984.

Of course, marketing tactics back then were different from today. This 1984 book was highly successful. For this reason, it sold millions. It was even translated into many languages worldwide. Guerrilla tactics offer effective results especially for small businesses. Because it allows small businesses to proceed with low-cost tactics.

What are the Principles of Guerrilla Marketing?

Marketing and advertising evolve and change over time. More and more companies are beginning to implement new and creative marketing tactics such as guerrilla marketing. Therefore, in order to be successful, you need to be open to new and creative tactics like guerrilla marketing. Besides, you need to know the principles of guerrilla marketing. So, what are the principles of guerrilla marketing? Here are the principles of guerrilla marketing.

• Low budget: Allows you to achieve maximum impact with limited resources.

• Creativity: You can attract attention with extraordinary and original ideas.

• Focus on target audience: Allows you to attract and influence your target audience.

• Viral effect: You can get the chance to reach wide audiences as content spreads naturally and is shared on social media.

• Goodwill and customer benefit: While proceeding with marketing strategies, customer benefit can be the hardest element to reach. With guerrilla marketing, you can strive for goodwill and customer benefit.

• Surprising: Helps you create unexpected and memorable campaigns or advertisements.

• Humor and entertainment: Allows you to establish an emotional bond with humorous and entertaining content.

• Targeted approach: Can be effective in some geographic areas or small groups.

• Integration of traditional and digital media: You can use online and offline channels effectively.

Types of Guerrilla Marketing

There are many types of guerrilla marketing. Some of them are as follows:

1. Viral marketing

Viral marketing is a marketing technique focused on word-of-mouth distribution. It ensures that creative and interesting content spreads rapidly on social media and other online platforms. It relies on a user sharing companies' content with their social network, friends, or family.

2. Stealth marketing

Campaigns and advertisements done without people realizing it constitute stealth marketing. Product placements or events fall under this. For example, firms that run TV commercials are doing product marketing.

3. Grassroots marketing

Grassroots marketing is especially effective for small businesses. Instead of spending big money on elaborate advertising initiatives, a brand may want to interact with its target audience through a common ground or a mutually shared vision.

3. Event ambush marketing

Event ambush marketing captures the attention of the audience attending any event. It is usually done during a sports event, music show, or in a subway station. Because people in this environment have paid money for the event, they cannot leave the setting. At the same time, they are very interested in what is going on in the environment and cannot miss the action.

4. Experiential marketing

Experiential marketing is a guerrilla marketing strategy that encourages customers to participate in the growth and success of a business. In other words, experiential marketers use creative marketing to help customers build an emotional connection and conduct a solid relationship with a business. For example, Coca Cola set up a VR experience during the FIFA World Cup held in Zurich, making it possible for spectators to play a mini football game.

What are Guerrilla Marketing Techniques?

There are some common guerrilla marketing techniques that brands can use to promote their products or services. We have compiled a few of them here.

1. Branded product giveaways

You should offer product giveaways to attract attention and encourage word-of-mouth marketing. Thus, you get the chance to stand out in the competition.

2. Social media campaigns

You should create viral social media campaigns that encourage user-generated content. You should use hashtags to attract interest and increase brand awareness.

3. Flash mob

You should organize an event to perform a public choreographed routine to draw attention.

4. Pop-up stores

You should set up temporary retail locations in high-traffic areas to showcase your products or services and attract attention.

5. Street art

You should use street art to promote your brand in areas where people can see it. For example, graffiti can allow you to attract your target audience's attention.

6. Public demonstrations

You should perform an unexpected and attention-grabbing public event or performance. You should make sure to create a memorable experience for your target audience.

7. Guerrilla advertising

You should try to promote your brand in public spaces. In other words, you should use unconventional advertising methods such as projection or chalk art. However, you should do extensive research on what guerrilla advertising is. At the same time, guerrilla advertising examples need to be analyzed.

Features of Guerrilla Marketing

It is difficult to define guerrilla marketing due to its complexity. However, it is easy to recognize guerrilla marketing by looking at specific features. So, what features should you look at to recognize a guerrilla marketing campaign? Here are the features of guerrilla marketing.

• It contains an element of surprise. That is, it offers unconventional interactions with potential customers. It often surprises and shocks the audience.

• Most guerrilla marketing campaigns have a small budget. But they yield great results.

• Guerrilla marketing appeals to senses and experiences. It encourages the potential audience to participate in a campaign.

• Emotions emerge as an excellent selling factor for B2C. For this reason, it can be used in the B2C business model.

• Guerrilla marketing campaigns are provocative and risky. Because they rely on emotional engagement.

What are the Differences Between Guerrilla Marketing and Traditional Marketing?

When we look at the definition of guerrilla marketing, we can see that it is about creativity. That is, creative thinking and surprising, dynamic ways are used more often to reach target customers. In traditional marketing, product diversification is aimed to satisfy various customer groups. However, this can lead to not developing the most competitive product.

Guerrilla marketing focuses on reaching the right group of customers. Because trying to talk to everyone about the product is time-consuming and costly. In traditional marketing, mass media and various advertising channels are used to attract the attention of as many people as possible.

Also, guerrilla marketing suggests that when you do not have much money to invest, you can invest in time, ideas, imagination, creativity, and knowledge. It suggests making this investment in a smart way. Traditional marketing absorbs investment with money.

Advantages of Guerrilla Marketing

Guerrilla marketing promotes a business and is cost-effective. So, let's take a close look at the other benefits of this approach!

• It allows you to increase brand awareness.

• It helps you stand out among your competitors.

• It makes it easier for you to build an emotional connection with a brand.

• It allows you to build a foundation for partnerships.

• It offers the opportunity to leave a lasting impression in people's minds.

• It has a high return on investment.

Disadvantages of Guerrilla Marketing

There are also disadvantages to the guerrilla marketing approach. We can list them as follows:

• The chance of success is low. No one can guarantee the success of a guerrilla marketing strategy.

• If not planned properly, it can convey the wrong message. This can damage the brand's image.

• Sometimes issues such as epidemics, bad weather conditions, and political disputes can arise. All of these can prevent your campaigns from being effective.

How to Do Guerrilla Marketing?

Guerrilla marketing is a good option for brands. However, it requires good planning. For this reason, you should not proceed without proper planning.

1. Start by defining your goals

First of all, you should define what you want to achieve with your guerrilla marketing strategies. For example, you might want to increase brand awareness and sales. You should define these goals clearly and cleanly.

2. Know your target audience inside out

You must know your target audience well. Because you must tailor your campaigns to your target audience's tastes. Make sure you fully understand your target audience's preferences, interests, and behaviors.

3. Develop a creative idea

Guerrilla marketing strictly requires creativity. For this, you should make sure to brainstorm for unconventional, attention-grabbing, and memorable ideas. You should think carefully about how you can surprise and delight your target audience.

4. Create a budget and plan the implementation

Guerrilla marketing is low-cost. However, you still need to allocate a budget for your campaigns. Then you should consider the logistics of your campaign. You should determine what materials and resources you need.

5. Make sure you choose the right channels

Guerrilla marketing can come in various forms such as street art, flash mobs, viral content, or public demonstrations. You should choose channels appropriate for your campaigns and your target audience.

6. Promote your campaign on social media

You should create interest and excitement by promoting your campaign on social media. Try to use teasers and coded messages to arouse curiosity.

7. Implement the campaign and engage the audience

You should start implementing your campaign according to your plan. While implementing, make sure every detail is well-thought-out and everything is going smoothly. You should also encourage audience participation. Encourage people to share their experiences on social media.

8. Analyze the results of your campaign

You should analyze the results of your campaign to determine its effectiveness. You should measure website traffic, social media engagement, and your sales. You should identify what worked for future campaigns.

9. Adapt your strategies

You should use the insights gained from your campaign to develop your future guerrilla marketing efforts. Try to adapt your strategies based on what you have learned.

10. Document and share your campaign

You should capture the key moments of your guerrilla marketing campaign with videos and photos. You should share these on social media and your website to increase your campaign's engagement.

4 Guerrilla Marketing Tactics That Can Grow Your Business

Proceeding with tactics while doing guerrilla marketing can grow your business. Here are 4 guerrilla marketing tactics that can grow your business.

1. Do co-marketing with other businesses

It is possible for you to do co-marketing with businesses where you target a similar market. It is highly likely that there are businesses selling similar products to the ones you sell in your vicinity. You should find these businesses and engage in a marketing partnership.

For example, let's say you have a business selling health and wellness products. You should join forces by doing co-marketing with local gyms, fitness product stores, and sports clubs. This helps you move forward with effective and relatively low-cost marketing tactics.

Because the partnership does not require you to make large upfront payments. Your partners can receive payments as loyalty and commission. In this way, you invest in a win-win strategy. So, you get the chance to move forward with a system where both parties win.

2. Create a rich content blog page

Your blog page allows you to convey your message to your audience effectively. It allows you to market for free and as often as you want. Sharing your thoughts is also among the guerrilla marketing strategies.

For this reason, you should create a blog to make explanatory texts about your products or services. The blog also helps you explain the steps you take. In this way, you ensure that your target audience understands what is going on behind the scenes of your business.

However, you should make sure to share your content regularly. Otherwise, the guerrilla marketing strategy might not work. Most importantly, you should try to use plain and understandable language in your blog content.

You should create your content with SEO-compliant words. Also, when you invest in content marketing, you gain authority and credibility. This allows you to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

3. Use social media effectively

Social media continues to be one of the free places to grow your business. Therefore, while applying guerrilla marketing techniques, you should get support from social media. Because social media allows you to understand your target audience.

But on social media, you must be different and stand out. For example, what is your unique selling proposition? What is the difference between your business and businesses on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube? What do you do to attract attention? You should proceed by researching the answers to these questions.

At first, you should find out which social media channel your target audience spends the most time on. Then you should determine which platform to target and how to proceed efficiently. You should create every social media post of yours with great precision. In other words, you should make efforts to attract your audience's attention.

4. Find influencers for your content marketing campaigns

If you are a small business owner, you should start by finding influencers. Thus, you have the chance to promote your business without paying too many costs. Let's imagine you run a boutique in Turkey.

You have the chance to find influencers on social media channels who can appeal to your small business. However, you should take care to work with influencers that match your brand values. In this way, you grow your business organically.

You increase your brand awareness and your image. You must remember that you need to spend time and effort to obtain a high return on investment (ROI). You should also make sure that your content marketing campaigns are consistent with your brand message.

Guerrilla Marketing Ideas

Guerrilla marketing relies on creativity and unconventional thinking. Here are some ideas to inspire your guerrilla marketing strategies.

• You can organize a spontaneous dance or performance related to your product or brand in a public place.

• You can place eye-catching and branded stickers on street signs, public transport, or popular spots.

• You can hire a street artist who uniquely defines your brand or message. You can create graffiti and murals.

• You can set up temporary stores in high-traffic areas to sell your products and offer free samples.

• You can create short, humorous, or thought-provoking videos that have the potential to go viral on social media.

Guerrilla Marketing Examples

Guerrilla marketing examples are usually unique. Then let's explore some guerrilla marketing examples that have gathered attention and success!

1. IKEA

IKEA placed small red carpets at bus and train stops. At the same time, it introduced its products to people with lamps and tables. The campaign succeeded in drawing the attention of daily commuters.

2. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola featured some individual and common names on its logo. This personalized approach allowed its sales to increase. Because everyone bought the coke bottle featuring the name of their loved one.

3. Volkswagen

Volkswagen transformed a subway staircase into a functional piano keyboard. Passengers played notes when they used the stairs instead of the escalator. This initiative encouraged physical activity. At the same time, the "driving fun" philosophy of the Volkswagen brand stood out.

4. Red Bull

Red Bull sponsored the record-breaking freefall from the stratosphere by Australian parachutist Felix Baumgartner. The live broadcast of this event was watched by millions. Thus, Red Bull demonstrated its commitment to extreme sports and adventure.

5. Burger King

Burger King created a website featuring a person dressed as a chicken who responded to users' commands in real-time. This succeeded in attracting users' interest. It generated viral engagement, increasing brand awareness.

Is Guerrilla Marketing Effective in E-Commerce?

Retailers who are new to the market and have a limited budget can make their brands stand out with an ingenious guerrilla marketing idea. However, this strategy needs to be evaluated for cost and benefit purposes. Because when guerrilla marketing is implemented properly, it can offer high benefits.

Therefore, guerrilla marketing can be effective in e-commerce when it aligns with your brand and your target audience. It allows e-commerce businesses to stand out in a crowded market, increase their brand awareness and sales. Also, this strategy needs to be approached ethically.

We have shared with you information about guerrilla marketing, which can allow you to achieve effective results with a limited budget. We hope this information helps you reach your goals in a short time. We Wish You Best of Luck!