4 Guerrilla Marketing Tips for Social Media

What if you could catch the attention of your customers, without spending thousands of dollars on advertisements?

This is exactly what makes guerrilla marketing so appealing to startups with small budgets.

Attracting the right audience with innovative techniques is the essence of guerrilla marketing. Because of the unconventional execution, results can be tremendous — especially when combined with social media.

If you do it right.

Tip #1: Don’t offend

Historically, guerrilla marketing is known for its controversy. Offensive or shocking ads are a surefire way to attract attention. We live in a world where “all publicity is good publicity,” and sometimes, marketers don’t care if they’re offensive so long as the company is noticed.

But don’t be one of those people.

Because there is such a thing as “bad publicity.” Customers are seconds away from leaving a bad review. It only takes one to destroy your reputation — in less time than it took to post it! Is the risk worth the reward? You have to decide.

But it’s possible to have an effective marketing campaign without being offensive. It may take some creativity, but that’s expected in marketing.

Tip #2: Be Visual

Implementing visual media into a guerilla marketing campaign is one of the main reasons they receive recognition. Videos and images can quickly catch someone’s eye by displaying easy-to-digest information.

Think about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. People recorded themselves participating, challenged friends and family, then passed along the video. It spread like wildfire across Facebook, becoming a viral campaign in a short period.

Visuals are powerful. Be smart, but use them when you can.

Tip #3: Be Engaging

It wasn’t just the video element that helped the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge take over our social media feeds. The fact that ordinary people could join in and have fun, all while making a difference is what hugely influenced its popularity.

No one felt obligated to participate. You may have been “challenged” at the end of your friend’s video, but that was it. You weren’t shamed if you didn’t upload your own, because people were already watching the next video. But because the challenge was simple and easy to do, people took part.

Engage people to participate by addressing them directly. You can make it fun, sure. You can even do a contest. But make participation easy. It shouldn’t ever feel like a chore.

Tip #4. Keep it Mobile

Don’t forget about mobile users. We have our smartphones glued to our hands, allowing us to devour information on the go. You want your guerrilla marketing to be as versatile and on-demand as technology allows.

Being mobile means ensuring your company website is mobile-friendly. If your campaign is engaging, audiences should be able to opt-in on their phones. There shouldn’t be any limitations from start to finish. Meaning, from the moment they’re aware of the campaign, up until they provide the results you want, mobile users should be able to participate without a hitch.

Realize the most important factor that makes any guerrilla marketing campaign successful: It focuses on the people. You’re appealing to their interest. You’re making the campaign accessible to the social media channels they use. And you’re speaking their language to spark interest.

Now, create a campaign they can’t ignore.

Image “Social Media apps” by Jason Howie is licensed under CC 2.0