Guerilla Marketing Do's And Don'ts

So, you've decided to spare your bank account and drum up some buzz for your biz using Guerilla Marketing. Good. Guerilla Marketing is an ideal way to save on advertising while standing out in the market and generating killer word of mouth marketing for your business. But beware, the path to a successful Guerilla Marketing campaign is lined with peril (as well as some awesome hidden opportunities).

Here are some Guerilla Marketing "Do's and Don'ts" to get you on the path to success:

DO get the help of friends, family, and anyone you can find (without having to pay) to help with your guerilla marketing campaign. It's okay to spend some money, so if you want to promise a "Guerilla Marketing After Party" with pizza, cheap beer, and loud music, you could end up attracting a lot more volunteers. The more excited you can get your Guerilla Marketing crew about the task at hand the better.

DON'T hire anyone unless you absolutely have to. And if you have to hire someone to pull off your guerilla marketing campaign, ask yourself how you could change your plan to get around hiring anyone.

DO look for opportunities in your neighborhood or community that you can leverage for free. Think about local radio stations, TV news outlets, and bloggers / citizen journalists. Guerilla Marketing means finding out of the box solutions that don't require a heavy investment, so:

DON'T be afraid to leverage conventional media if you can get it for free.

DO create an event or happening if at all possible. Online, offline, it doesn't matter, but try to get people all focused on your campaign at the same time. You could perform street theater, you could host an impromptu product demonstration in a park or street corner, you could even create a guerilla marketing event online.

DON'T get too caught up on your event if you can't think of anything. Getting a street team together to hand out flyers is better than delaying your guerilla marketing campaign due to indecision.

DO push the boundaries when it comes to getting attention. Harmless pranks, stunts and hoaxes may get some people a little miffed, but they could end up making your guerilla marketing campaign a smash hit.

DON'T break the law or cross the line with your hoax. Nobody wants to see you create the next "Balloon Boy." A simple guideline to follow is to ask yourself: "Is what I'm doing likely to land me in court?" If you don't know, then stay on the safe side.

DO read Jay Conrad Levinson's books about Guerilla Marketing for more background, ideas, and strategy... but:

DON'T fall into the trap of "learning without doing." I'd rather you go out there today and try a Guerilla Marketing tactic just to get some practice at it than to spend six months learning and "planning"

Guerilla Marketing is all about action. Chances are, your first attempt won't go like you think it will. It may be less successful, it may be a smash hit. The important part is to keep trying.

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