The first time guerilla tactics marketing was introduced as a concept was in a book, but the tactics have been used by creative entrepreneurs for as long as people have been advertising. Guerilla may be an unfortunate term to define it, because it is not just an agressive tactic. There’s a lot more subtlety to it than that.
True, guerilla warfare is the image the term invokes. This type of warfare is engaged in by small, poorly equipped armies against large, well-organized forces. It is the creative strategy of the little guy. He is nimble and clever. What he lacks in resources, he makes up for in wit.
When applied to internet marketing strategies, the small entrepreneur without a budget or a staff cannot possibly go head to head against the giants in the industry. No matter how hard he works, they have a virtual army working just as hard. They can spin out articles so fast and run dozens of sites in order to gain the lion’s share of the market. He just doesn’t have a chance against forces like that.
A more creative approach is needed: to get his product or service noticed on the internet, he’s going to have to find niches where he can make inroads. These could be fields of personal interest or expertise. Forum commenting is a method of advertising that the big boys generally don’t have much luck in because they are quickly found out. When you’re talking to your peers, they can smell hype.
If he has chosen a niche or niches that he would enter whether or not there was a profit to be made, he will have a good chance of finding a solid foundation for his business without even having to promote it. By offering genuinely helpful advice or even creating dispute and controversy, he will attract interest. This in turn will make people look at his website and learn more about him.
The people in his niche will be severely disappointed if all it is about is a heavy handed advertising campaign. On the other hand, if he offers them a reason to stick around, they will stay with him and his opt-in mailing list will grow.
These are fairly common guerilla tactics. They have been used with varying degrees of success for years. A more creative approach may yield even better results. Boldness and originality are the hallmarks of entrepreneurial success. In the early days of internet video, the most visited website of them all was not a commercial site. It was a site belonging to an individual who left her camera running day and night. People came just to see what she was doing! Imagine the sales she would have gotten if she’d had a product to sell!
Want to find out more about guerilla tactics marketing, then visit Tod’s site on how to choose the best guerilla marketing techniques for your needs.
Tags: Internet marketing, marketing definition, marketing ideas, marketing online, marketing strategies, marketing tactics, marketing techniques, marketing tips, web marketing
