Guerilla Marketing: not just monkeying around

According to Entrepeneur.com, Guerrilla Marketing is "An unconventional way of performing marketing activities on a very low budget."

I picture a guy in big monkey suit on the side of the highway, holding a sign that says "Liquidation Sale. Everything Must Go." Although the guy on the side of the road holding a sign is not so uncommon, you don't need a monkey suit to build up your business.

How can you reach customers without paying for costly advertising rates?

I tell every business I work with to start with a plan.Think of the image you want to portray of your company. Think of the type of customers you want to reach. List out the ways you can use your company's image to reach more customers. Then decide what to implement.

Start small and aim big. The goal is take one concept and push it as far as it can go. Brainstorm with your friends and associates. Use word association. You have a painting company. Paint. Paint can. Can of crayons. Colorful. Rainbow. Splash of Paint. Art. Canvas. Now take these concepts and see what they lead to.

Buy inexpensive crayons and decorate them with labels advertising your store. Give them out everywhere! Donate them to schools. Call the newspaper and tell them how you are donating crayons to schools. See if they'll write an article on your do-gooder attitude towards your community. See how a cheap box of crayons can create a name for your company.

Use something you already have working for you. A bakery can post a signature recipe on one of the many recipe websites available. Ask the local paper if their food section would like to use that recipe. Hand out samples at a local event with printed recipe cards that include the contact information for the bakery. See the picture?

Hold an event. Then publicize the snot out of it. It needs to be something people will want to participate in. Hold a contest. Remember my paint store example. They could have a contest for the most creative wall mural. Oh my gosh...people may actually buy paint to do the murals! Get other businesses you network with to join in so the financing is not all on you. Send out press releases. Use your free media to get the word out!

So your company name is now out there. Now what? People have heard your company name, now they need to find your actual company.

Create an easy way to find your company. Have a website? If not, get one. Websites are one of the main ways people find local companies. Sure, your ad in the yellow pages may work for some, but technology is here and developing fast. Convenience is important to people on the go. If your company doesn't come up when I search for a roofer, I'm most likely not going to call you. Websites are cheap and easy. Sites like www.homestead.com make it easy to create a personalized web address and web page for less than $20 a month. They have templates you can use if you aren't tech savvy. There's no excuse to not have an Internet presence.

Most importantly you need to be creative. Think outside the box.