Go "guerrilla!"
Try these guerrilla advertising tactics
to help blow away your competition.

Here's the dilemna: You know you need to advertise to build business, but in times these...it's hard to let go of the money.

That's where guerrilla advertising comes in. Guerrilla advertising (also known as "guerrilla marketing") is about using the resources you have at your disposal to build business. These are things that may be a little off the beaten path of mainstream advertising, but they still prove highly effective if done properly.

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #1: Flyers
Whether you're having a sale, a special event, or just trying to get the word out about your business, flyers are easy and relatively effective if you're trying to advertise on the cheap. If 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) Try to come up with a good offer, if possible. 2) Use a catchy headline and visual. 3) Keep your copy short and to-the-point. 4) Remember your address and phone 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
- Non-competing office buildings
- Fold, tape, and send to your mailing list

You could pay 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. Be sure to check the legalities in your area regarding the above, and always ask permission before you post or pass out flyers.

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #2: Vehicle Advertising
You have a car, right? Then go to your local sign shop and have your logo, phone number and/or website made into a decal and place it in your car window. Ta-da! Marketing on the move! In fact, have several printed up and ask family and friends to consider putting them on their cars, too. And, if you use your vehicle for advertising, check with your accountant for possible tax deductions.

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #3: Social Media
In the last year or so, social media has spread like wildfire! Everybody's doin' it! I myself, have jumped into this trend with both feet. I'm on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. I'm sure you've heard of these social communities, but if you haven't forayed into it yet, it's fairly simple. Basically when you join a community, you set up "house," invite your friends over, and meet lots of new people who may have the same interests as you, or may be potential customers. Build your network, and don't be shy about touting your services and products!

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #4: Sports Team Sponsorships
Does your child or a child you know play in a sport? Or are you simply interested in getting your name in front of hundreds of proud parents every week? Sports team sponsorships are fairly cheap and most of the time you get to put your logo on all the jerseys.

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #5: Online Video Marketing
(YouTube, TubeMogul, et al)
Did you know that YouTube now represents over 12 percent of web traffic? In fact, many marketing experts are recommending their clients add this type of tool in their marketing mix because of all the free traffic you can generate. What should you post? Consider doing a 3-5 minute informational video about your product or service, or a video testimonial from satisfied customers. "How-to" videos can also be incredibly successful. Does your service or product lend itself to an instructional how-to? If you're an accountant, how about "how to" maximize your tax deductions? A florist..."how to" make your flowers last longer. The possibilities are endless! You video doesn't have to be Oscar-caliber, but make sure it looks professional. And, the more creative, the better.

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #6: Press Releases
Honestly, just about anyone can write a press release. It costs next to nothing to create and send out press releases, and the benefits can be huge.

When you write a press release, focus on what makes the story newsworthy. What is going to peak the interest of the media? And don't just wait for the big stuff. Lots of events you may consider fairly mundane can get picked up by the media, depending on what their focus. Some of the things you should send press releases out for include:
- Awards
- Grand openings, sales, events, etc.
- Conference attendance
- Seminars
- New equipment
- New employees
The list can go on and on! The idea here is to keep your company up front as much as possible.

Next, make a list of media contacts and addresses. These are the people you'll send the releases to. If you don't know where to start on this, call your local media (newspapers, publications, magazines, radio and television stations) as well as the trade publications in your industry and ask who receives press releases. Update this list regularly.

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #7: T-shirts
You have to wear a shirt...so why not put your logo on it? Put your logo on polo shirts, t-shirts, hats...whatever...and wear them everywhere you can. Encourage employees, friends and family to do the same.

And while we're speaking of logos, you can put your logo on any number of inexpensive items like pens, calendars, etc. It's another great way of getting your name in front of your customer on an on-going basis. Click the link below to check out a great place to get quality promotional items at great prices.

Get customized promotional products for your business at AmsterdamPrinting.com

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #8: Banners
Banners are fairly inexpensive. Next time you have a sale or special event, have a banner made and display it proudly and prominently on your building, and/or close to the street.

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #9: Referral
Offer your current customers a "referral" bonus (a discount on your product or service perhaps) when they refer someone to you. One of the most effective ways is to have some cards (business card size) printed up with your logo, address and phone number, plus a blank line for your current customer to print his/her name. Give your best customers several of these and ask them to hand them out to friends and family. Whenever you get one returned, send your customer a postcard (or an email) telling them about the referral and reminding them to come in to claim their discount (or free whatever).

Guerrilla Advertising Tip #10: Website
These days it's almost a given that you have a web presence. Your potential customers want to be able to take a closer look at your company 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. Surprisingly, it's relatively cheap and easy to put a simple website up.

I, personally, use Site Build It! to build and maintain this website as well as others that I do for clients. I chose SiteBuildIt after an exhaustive search for the best way to build a web business. During my search I ran into so many get-rich-quick schemes out there...it almost made me head back to my old morning-to-midnight office job! Then I found SiteBuildIt! and was immediately impressed with their whole attitude toward building a website. They're not about just "throwing up a website." Instead, SiteBuildIt! walks you through all the information you need to build a profitable web business. From choosing the right keywords to move you up in the search engine rankings so you will attract more visitors, to providing information and resources to help you monetize your site. I have been and continue to be so impressed with them that I recommend SiteBuildIt! every chance I get.

Guerrilla advertising takes a little more effort and work on your part than if you simply hired an ad agency and commissioned them to do it, but the results can be well worth the money you save. Instead of the scatter-shot that many of the traditional media outlets give you, going guerilla forces you to be more creative in targeting those customers that you can reach with the budget you have.

Piggyback Marketing
One of the best guerrilla advertising tips to stretch tight advertising bucks is called "piggyback marketing." Also known as "coop advertising," this method is about teaming up to share advertising and promotional costs.

Have A Great Guerrilla Advertising Tip?

If you do, please feel free to share it with the community. Your tip will help someone else, and vice versa.

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