We LOVE guerrilla marketing campaigns. We can’t get enough of them. We build flash mobs, send out flying pigs, create dragon costumes, give away cute plush puppies…
“Buddy” had people lined up 30 deep to take a survey and take him home. Here he made a new friend!
Our campaigns are fun, engaging, memorable, socially shareable and really stand out in an all-too-often BORING technology market.
BUT, all of our guerrilla marketing campaigns would be a WASTE. OF. MONEY. if they didn’t have solid, strategic thought behind them. Because none of them would yield measurable ROI if they didn’t build on a solid, strategic path.
So, here are a few of the strategic “musts” you have to consider when building an effective guerrilla campaign.
Know your customer profile
Before you determine the creative part of the campaign, where you plan to execute it. the choice of offline or digital and so forth, you have to know your customer profile. This is more than the demographics of gender, education, income and location — but is rather the delving into “a day in the life” of your customer. Where do they get their coffee — Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts or the office sludge machine? Do they bring lunch from home, dine with office colleagues or use lunch to run errands? Do they have dinner at home All of this MATTERS when you’re building incentives, determining if your target customer will respond to everything from the music you use for your flash mob (Liz Phair for security industry guys? Uhm, NO!) to the prizes you offer for your contest.
Campaigns are for people — not companies
When you go to create that incentive, if you’re thinking of offering a FREE unit of the business to business product you sell as a reason for someone to enter your contest, engage with you at a tradeshow or make an appointment with you — think again! If I win a free printer for my company, well, how does that really help me personally? I’d be more enthused to join your mailing list if you offer a happy hour for me and 10 of my friends! Or if you have a swath of Mom-types who are the purchasing managers for the companies you target — might they love a mother-daughter pedicure? The point is — at least in the business-to-business marketing we are known for — it’s easy to forget you’re building a relationship with your customer as a person. And that goes beyond how your widget may help their company improve. You’re selling to a person, and appealing to their wants and needs.
You’ve about a nano-second to tell the story…
This one’s simple. If you have to explain it in more than a breath. Kill it.
…You’ve got less to connect to your product or service
And just in case this follow-on isn’t obvious. If it’s hard to tell WHO the promotion is for. Kill it.
Those are the basics. We’d love to tell you more about the importance of strategy when developing creative campaigns! Contact us before you plan your next promotion, advertising, event or show!