If you remember only two points from this blog, here they are:
1. Your guerrilla marketing ideas must present your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
2. Massivit printing technology will let you quickly create whatever objects or signage your guerrilla marketing ideas demand.
Let’s get started.
1. Center Your Guerrilla Marketing Ideas Around Your USP
Your USP is the most important differentiator separating you from your competitors. All of your marketing efforts should celebrate your USP and so should any guerrilla marketing tactics you employ.
So, how can you convey your USP in a guerrilla marketing campaign?
Create a list of five or so adjectives that describe your business, brand, or product benefits. Think of associations between these words and events and locations that have meaning to your target audience. Many guerrilla marketing campaigns center on using mundane objects in unexpected ways.
2. Identify An Object You Can Use
“Creating an object or event around your idea makes the potential feel more real,”
says Erik Huberman, a brand marketing expert. He is also the Founder and CEO of one of Inc 5000’s “Fastest Growing Companies” in 2017 and on Forbes’ list of 30 Under 30.
When you connect your adjectives to events and locations, consider existing outdoor everyday objects, or objects you can create, that will make your message more memorable for your target audience.
3. Focus On Your Audience
It is tempting to focus your guerrilla marketing ideas on the brand or the product. After all, what you are selling is very personal to you. But it’s not very personal to everybody, so the experts suggest focusing on your audience, a specific audience, not the middle of the bell curve, with the bulk of everyday people; target the end where a smaller, more focused group reside.
Gayle Rogers from the Forbes Agency Council recommends the strategy of focusing on a small target audience because it “gives you the opportunity to make a bigger impression and develop brand advocates.”
Take the time to learn their shopping habits, their travel preferences, their weekend lifestyles, and everything you can. This data will help you know where, when, and maybe even how to best reach them.
Focusing on a smaller group also helps you hone your idea.
Case in point. Nike talks to a focused group supremely dedicated to maintaining a workout routine.
A rock radio station also had the pulse of its intended listeners: hardcore rock music lovers. The air guitar is the perfect “prop” to demonstrate to this group how awesome this radio station’s playlist is. This idea is clear and concise and it amplifies the USP. It’ also pretty funny, and that makes it more memorable.
Air high five, 96.3 Rock Radio.
4. Think Events
Events are everywhere. There are concerts, ball games, rallies, and trade shows, but there are also more subtle events on which you can capitalize.
When a Fiat dealer found out the Google Maps car would be driving by, he stealthily parked a Fiat in front of a Volkswagen dealership for a Google Maps photobomb.
When an escalator was out of order, Nike was ready with this clever “caution tape” making consumers feel better about having to climb the stairs.
Take your five adjectives from above and think of what types of opportunities or events would allow you to demonstrate or convey your message. Or, create your own event.
Timberland used a giant replica of its famous work boot to attract New Yorkers to an environmental event that allowed the footwear company to collect names and data.
The home goods and more department store, Target, chose a more commonplace event: the daily commute. They constructed a two-story dollhouse in New York’s Grand Central Station and stocked it with all their goods including comfy couches to help commuters make themselves at home for a bit while on their way. (Consumers could easily order items from this location.)
Louis Vuitton took the pop-up store trend to a new dimension when they 3D-printed a custom store in Sydney, Australia and tucked it into a mall. It was an effective way to get attention and sell their new spring clothing line.
Where can you meet your audience in a meaningful way when they least expect it?
5. Remember The Call To Action
It’s great if your guerrilla marketing campaign gets attention. It’s even better if you give your audience a “next step” they can take. Joey Kercher from the Forbes Agency Council and Erik Huberman (mentioned above) recommend including a Call-to-Action in your guerrilla marketing campaign. It could be a coupon, a registration, or a contest entry that helps you collect consumer data, measure the ROI of the campaign, or sell your wares.
Sales, after all, is the goal.
Make The Most Of Your Guerrilla Marketing Ideas
Let’s do a roundup. If you want to launch a guerilla marketing campaign, focus on your audience. Convey your USP. Think about events and objects that bridge your audience to your USP. And remember, Massivit’s large format 3D printing can quickly and easily help you create props, signs, and objects to bring your ideas to life. See samples or find a Massivit printer near you.
