1. Guerrilla Marketing, a Cost-effective way to
Promote Business
“Done poorly, guerrilla marketing can
make your company look like a nightmare. Donecorrectly, it is one of the single most powerful
marketing tools.” – Experiential MarketingForum
Guerrilla Marketing, which is an alternative form of marketing, was a term coined by Jay
ConradLevison in the early 1980s. This form of marketing depends mainly on time, energy
andcreativity than on hefty marketing budgets and flashy advertisements. Guerrilla Marketing
is different from the conventional marketing process because it interacts with the consumers at
a personal level.
Why is Guerrilla Marketing suitable for Small/Medium businesses?
GuerrillaMarketing was mainly developed for the small/medium business owners. This form of
marketing mix would help the SMB owners who run the show on shoestringbudget to compete
with the big corporates.
Statistics show that GuerrillaMarketing works better with smaller groups. Another principle of
GuerrillaMarketing isthat it focuses on gaining the consent of the targeted individual or a group
to give themmore information on the product/service than on trying to close a sale.
In GuerrillaMarketing, you invest your imagination/creativity, energy and time rather than
money. This is one of the main driving principles of GuerrillaMarketing. For instance,if you
© 2011 Apptivo Inc. All rights reserved.

2. own a bike repair shop, you can build a good relationship with your customersby offering them
tips on weekend trips. You can also give road maps free of cost.
Small/medium business owners should keep in constant touch with their clients and customers
to know whether they were satisfied with their products/services. This is oneof the reasons why
SMB owners should seriously contemplate on taking up Guerrilla Marketing as their marketing
tool.
Is Guerrilla Marketing right for you?
Remember that though GuerrillaMarketing was meant for small business owners, it is up to you
as a small/medium owner to decide whether this marketing campaign is the right marketingtype
for your business. Your willingness to take risk apart from showing creativity andflexibility
plays a vital role in using this approach.
GuerrillaMarketing is not right for you if your business renders financial and insurance
services. You should also understand that it is possible to touch the wrongnerve of someof your
consumers through GuerrillaMarketing. Therefore, if you are not ready to take therisk or if you
have a second thought about this marketing approach, then this is not a goodfit for your
business.
A point worth mentioning is that GuerrillaMarketing can use unconventional techniques to grab
the attention of the consumers. However, it is essential that you provide qualityproduct/service
as mentioned in your advertisements. The reason is Guerrilla Marketing reaches out to the
consumers very quickly, and if you do not keep your promises,the negative feedback can
spread even faster. This is considered to be one of thedrawbacks of GuerrillaMarketing.
© 2011 Apptivo Inc. All rights reserved.

3. You should be aware that GuerrillaMarketing campaign can be tailored to suit the natureof any
small business. It is just a question of stepping out of the comfort zone of yourregular and
conventional marketing campaigns.
It goes without saying that your business needs a good website, which is simple and easy to
read. A good website acts as an effective marketing platform. Remember that customers are not
interested in knowing about yourhumble beginnings and roaring success. Only thing that they
need to know is about youand what your company offers. Therefore keep the content of your
website precise andupdated from time to time.
Levison opines that GuerrillaMarketing is all about how efficiently you handle your marketing.
Most of the companies allocate up to four percent of sales on GuerrillaMarketing andthe ones
who have ample fund spend as high as eight percent. Now the question is, as a SMB owner,are
you tolerant to risk taking?
© 2011 Apptivo Inc. All rights reserved.