In today’s socially engaged and networked marketplace, word of mouth marketing has moved to the top of the marketing campaign elements at your disposal. And guerrilla marketing campaigns are one of the best ways to get potential customers talking about you. You just can’t say it. You have to get people to say it to each other. James Farley
Guerrilla marketing takes consumers by surprise, makes an indelible impression, and pops up where and when people least expect it. It often has a large targeted audience and often can be accomplished at a reduced cost. By being a little more clever and unpredictable, you challenge consumers who appreciate a little fun in their products.
Guerrilla
marketing was made for small business owners. It requires creativity,
flexibility and a willingness to take a little risk. We use Guerrilla programs
usually when a client says to us, we don’t have much budget but we’d really
like to get some media attention.
They
can be an awesome way to get you noticed, set you apart from your competition
and earn you a reputation for being fun and different–all tailored to whatever
budget you desire.
A
small business should ask themselves, what’s their essence–what’s the core
message that can be distilled into a 5-second exchange or in a clever
installation?
Have
to have a goal in mind and understand who your customer is and what would
intrigue and appeal to them.
Using humor is crucial to the success of guerrilla campaigns, especially if they involve online activity. Humor can help break the barriers between the company and the consumer, just as it often does in regular human interaction.
It also can play a significant role in turning campaigns viral, which means reaching a larger audience. Mixing surprises with humor is also a key strategic element to a successful guerrilla campaign.
In this article, we are going to focus
on how to get customers talking about your messages. So how do you craft
messages worth your customers talking about?
Consider these 7 things to know and
several examples of each:
Customer needs end state
Focus on customer needs end state and not the means. For a very familiar example, customer’s needs are on a hole, not a drill.
In this first example, customer’s needs are for exciting,
thrilling park rides, like roller coasters. So Six Flags Amusement Park has
built a simple sign to represent a roller coaster thrill ride.
In the second example, people are focused on collecting
shells walking on the beach. So a creative restaurant has strategically placed
clam shells, that when opened by curious customers, call out the seafood menu
at their restaurant.
Clean and simple
Make the message as clean and simple as possible. Simplicity
is achieved when nothing more can be removed from the message.
Look at the 3M security class holding all the cash. Simply
screams security at you, doesn’t it?
The dual function works well in this example, as the customer uses the watch strap to hold on and gets the simple visual of how good the watch looks on his wrist.
Use comparisons
Use comparisons where you can. Even direct with competitors,
if you can solidly substantiate the claim.
Simple Scotch tape is better than a nail in many instances.
And the picture of the FedEx delivery truck ahead of the DHL
truck, illustrating the FedEx tag line of always first.
Be and do different
Be different and avoid normalcy at all costs. Do things
different and unexpected.
In the first example, Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant advertises on a fire hydrant. They also received media publicity because they saved the city the costs of having to paint the hydrants. Two bangs for the buck.
The plumber sitting on the toilet is certainly unexpected, isn’t it? Great way to show that the brand has a humorous personality also.
Be controversial
It’s OK to be controversial. Try and create conversation through the ‘buzz’, things that beg to be talked about.
Be controversial.
Here the sign has ‘dropped’ the word drop to emphasize what
we hate most in cell calls. That certainly catches your attention.
The bus door represents the shark’s mouth … certainly
something you’ll remember?
Picture of value
Paint
the picture of value and make the value stand out. A successful guerrilla marketing campaign will
take advantage of common human behaviors. Nothing drives human behavior more
than the desire to have the best of the best. A clever campaign will leverage
this behavior and leverage its power for customer desire.
Two
examples here that certainly paint the picture of value. The first is the
suction power of the Miele vacuum cleaner and the second is the strength of the
glue holding up to bridge structure.
Pictures/visuals to surprise
Use pictures/visuals, they are much better than words. If you convey the message with absolutely no words, all the better. Especially if there are surprises and shock involved.
Pictures/visuals.
The first example surprises customers through a simulation
of a lot of press taking your picture as you pass by.
The second example is an employee handing out coupons to a
restaurant sitting in a spilled milkshake … surprise and shock.
“You just can’t say it. You have to get people
to say it to each other”
James Farley, CMO Ford
The bottom line
As we change at a faster and faster pace, ideas adequate yesterday are no longer are good enough. And with digital disruption facing an increasing number of industries, most firms must come up with the best ideas for change or move to a slow failure. The myths of new ideas must be set aside to let the new idea facts take over.
When was the last time you employed word of mouth marketing
messaging?
So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion. There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you. But believe in the effectiveness of word of mouth marketing. And put it to good use.
It’s up to you to keep improving your creative marketing efforts. Lessons are all around you. In this case, your competitor may be providing ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight
gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.
When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next
step.
Try. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
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