Build Your Brand with Guerrilla Marketing

No Monkey Business

With more and more people circumventing traditional advertising and favoring alternative media sources, marketing strategies are rapidly evolving. One trend that is spreading like wildfire is guerrilla marketing, also known as experiential marketing. In this approach, targeted consumers are confronted with an experience that engages them on a personal level. While this approach to marketing reaches fewer consumers than print or broadcast media, quality trumps quantity in terms of overall consumer response.

Primate to Primate

Guerrilla marketing brings customers face to face with product ambassadors who engage them in activities that promote a product or service. The idea behind guerrilla marketing is to make a profound impression by doing something unexpected. In a recent campaign for a new local gym, the owners painted dozens of used bicycles bright orange and strategically distributed them throughout the city, leaning them against trees or lampposts, or parking them in bike racks. The campaign, which cost the owners very little to execute, successfully drew over a hundred new members to the gym’s pre-opening sale.

Swing from the Trees

Experiential campaigns often rely on visual and performing arts to gain brand recognition. Graffiti, flash mobs, YouTube videos and social media memes are some creative ways to incorporate art into your guerrilla marketing campaign. If you sell personal fitness services, your guerrilla marketing campaign might highlight extraordinary fitness feats, or feature fitness models with well-sculpted physiques. Creativity is key to launching a successful campaign that gets the public’s attention.

Make a Positive Impression

When cooking up your guerrilla campaign, be sure you are not breaking any laws. Some public venues may require a permit, and certain activities may be deemed inappropriate in a public setting. Campaigns that tie up traffic or keep people from getting where they are going will be frowned upon. Your goal is to raise awareness and foster good will for your brand. Focus on getting your message out in a positive way that leaves a favorable impression with potential customers.

Resources

Marketing with limited funds can be a challenge, but W.I.T.S. has helpful resources that can take some of the guesswork out of your marketing decisions. To hit your target every time, check out our online sales and marketing courses from the W.I.T.S. Fitness Business Institute.

References

Entrepreneur: How to Pull Off a Guerilla Marketing Campaign

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/206202

Investopedia: Guerrilla Marketing

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/guerrilla-marketing.asp

Ledger: Guerrilla Marketing: Orange Bicycles Raised Gym’s Profile

http://www.theledger.com/article/20150410/news/150419927?tc=ar

*Images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.