In the world of startups, every dollar counts. You need investments, not crazy expenses on marketing. But what if you haven’t secured investments yet, and you need to start promoting now? For the most daring and creative startup founders, guerrilla marketing offers a way to achieve significant results with minimal expenses.
Where Did the Term Originate?
The term “Guerrilla Marketing” was popularized in the 1980s by American marketer Jay Conrad Levinson. In his book “Guerrilla Marketing,” he offered an alternative to costly advertising campaigns that only large corporations could afford. Levinson borrowed the term “guerrilla” from military terminology, where it is used to describe tactics of guerrilla warfare—unexpected, sudden attacks aimed at causing damage to a stronger opponent.
Read: Marketing For Startups: Let’s Plan The Budget
What is Guerrilla Marketing?
Guerrilla Marketing is the boldest marketing strategy. This approach involves using unconventional, unexpected, and often provocative methods to capture the audience’s attention. The main goal of guerrilla marketing is to create a vivid and memorable impression that will generate interest and a desire to share what has been seen with others.
Successful guerrilla campaigns have a viral effect — users spread them for you.
A well-known example is an ad sticker of a boxing studio in Germany.
This advertisement attracted a lot of attention; people started sharing it with others in the local community, and the studio gained significant attention. But what about those whose product is complex and not tied to a specific location? Well, you too can use the best guerrilla marketing methods.
Read: From Zero to Hero: Crafting a Stellar Marketing Campaign for Your Startup
What Activities Does Guerrilla Marketing Use?
Graffiti on Walls in Guerrilla Marketing
Graffiti is one of the most recognizable and impactful tools of guerrilla marketing. Creative and vibrant drawings on the walls of city buildings can instantly capture the attention of passersby and generate interest in the brand or product. Be cautious, though, as graffiti is often illegal and can be classified as an offense.
Flash Mobs in Guerrilla Marketing
A flash mob is an unexpected mass event organized in a public place, where a group of people suddenly begins synchronized actions, such as dancing, singing, or acting out a scene. These events are the perfect tool for viral marketing.
Viral Videos in Guerrilla Marketing
Viral videos are video clips that spread quickly on the internet due to their interesting content, unusual storyline, or humor. Such videos often become popular without the need for significant advertising expenditures because users eagerly share them. Remember the famous Mercedes video with the chickens?
Street Art and Urban Installations in Guerrilla Marketing
Street art includes various forms of public art, such as murals, light projections, and installations. These elements can be placed in unexpected locations, evoking interest and admiration from passersby.
Read: The Power of Influencer Marketing for Startup Growth
How to Prepare a Guerrilla Marketing Campaign for a Tech Startup
- Define your audience. Identify their pain points, fears, and topics that evoke the strongest emotional reactions in them.
- Organize a brainstorming session with your team and list 30-50 of the most unusual ideas that come to mind.
- Narrow down to 10 finalists that combine novelty, provocation, and strong emotional impact.
- Don’t smooth out the edges. Don’t try to transform the ideas into politically correct or soft versions.
- Craft your messaging. You need to say something short, provocative, and understandable to your audience. Hit a nerve. Allow yourself to take the role of a bold, straightforward friend who wishes the person well but delivers the message in an extravagant way.
- Test your idea on a few acquaintances. Gather their reactions and analyze them.
- Find the best place for your marketing—where the maximum number of your target audience gathers, whether online or offline.
- Prepare a plan for dealing with criticism. Use criticism as additional fuel to ignite attention toward your brand.
Guerrilla Marketing can become a powerful tool for tech startups, allowing you to stand out from the competition with minimal costs. However, success requires a combination of creativity, planning, and responsibility. Use this approach wisely, and it can be the catalyst that drives your startup to success. JetSoftPro is happy to assist you with unconventional marketing. Our specialists offer a free consultation and will help you create the most effective strategy with minimal expenses.
