Start-Up Brands Love Guerrilla Marketing

When it comes to startups and creating experiences it can be a huge challenge due to a lack of cash flow. Which means many startups fail to create those experiences that truly connect with customers. They function primarily on a very basic means of building brand awareness which is just social media but it doesn’t have to be this way. Startup brands must have a love for guerrilla marketing in order to succeed.

The concept of guerrilla marketing has been around for many years. By marketing your brand in this way it can build awareness. Guerrilla marketing is a very grassroots hybrid way of getting your business out into the world. It’s one that focuses on having a dialogue with your customers, encouraging them to engage with you. Versus traditional marketing which is very much a one-way dialogue, where brands tell the world I have this product, buy it.

One of the key components to building brands is to really ask yourself, “what do I want to do?” What solution(s) is your brand offering to solve a problem in the world? By creating this core concept it provides your brand a Northstar and streamlines a lot of your efforts when it comes to marketing as well as creating brand experiences. The idea is to start with one sentence, cut it down to 7 words and then finally 3 words that describe what you do.

So the question becomes how do we use guerrilla marketing to encourage a conversation with our customers? It simply starts with these:

Asking Customers to Register For Something

Maybe you want them to register for a demo of your product or a chance to meet the founder of your company. This is also going to be a great way for you to start collecting email address of those who are interested in what you have to offer.  

Newsletter Signups

This is the most common ways of encouraging a conversation. Those who sign up for your newsletters find some kind of value in what you’re offering. They want to know more and this is the chance for your brand to shine and educate those qualified customers.

Giveaways and Contests

We see this a lot on Instagram these days where brands ask you to follow, tag a few friends in order to win something from them. If you want new followers for social media this will be the quickest way to do it.

Online polls

Is another way to get the conversation going. It’s also a great market research tool where you really get a glimpse into the mindset of your customers. Feedback is always great and this is a very non-invasive way of getting it.

With all these options which one really works? That’s going to take trial and tribulations because not every brand will have the same goals nor will the audience respond in the same way. It will depend on how you craft these experiences and what your goals are. You need a marketing combination, it’s no longer about just about a singular channel of marketing.

Startups with limited budgets can try creating a website, canvassing, telephone marketing, circulars, brochures, signs on bulletins, personal letters, classified ads, direct mail, outdoor signs, billboards (ask for remnant inventory it’s cheaper), demonstrations, seminars, event sponsorships, trade shows, Public Relations, T-shirts, free gift giveaways, newspapers, magazine ads, radio, or television.

Yes, some of these sound like dinosaur advertising methodologies, but I invite you to think about if a marketplace is very noisy, where you’re aggressively competing for attention would your brand be seen? So why not try an area where not many people are playing in.

5 Reasons Why Brands Fail to Launch

Ever wonder why brands fail to launch even though they have a fantastic product or unique offering? The truth is- it’s not about having a great product there’s an entire strategy that goes into crafting a brand from idea to something tangible customers need in their life.

Branding failure doesn’t just happen to start up brands but also well-established brands as well. According to Kristina Monllos, Senior Editor of Adweek, brands such as Pepsi, Dove, Uber, and even Mcdonalds have had their moment.

Brands who are consistent thrive in the marketplace while those who are chaotic tend to not resonate with customers. There are 2 categories that brands fall into.

For those brands who miss the mark usually are exhibiting few or all of these symptoms:

1. Identity Crisis

Be sure of what you want to portray to customers. Don’t decide that you’re going to be a sophisticated brand this week and next week you decide to discount all your products to $0.99. It’s impossible for you to attract the right customers if you’re sending out mixed messages.

2. Not Knowing Your Value

This happens too often where brands aren’t sure or don’t have a clear value system in place. The haphazard approach of throwing sh*t to the wall and seeing what works is a guaranteed failure. Sit down and write out what your brand’s core values are. For inspiration here’s one of Zappos, “deliver WOW through service.”

3. Going At it Alone

Yes, we know the “Hero’s Journey,” is so sexy, strong and very true in many cases. But when it comes to branding don’t try to be the “Hero Brand,” find a strategic partner. It’s ok to collaborate with another brand or even influencers, this doesn’t make you weak. In fact, it makes you look stronger and much sexier because you’ll be connecting with customers that you couldn’t reach before.

4. Not Designing The Customer Experience

This is a deliberate process of mapping out from start to finish what you want your customer to experience both online and offline. It can start with your logo and website but it needs to also be much larger than that. This requires that you pull in how you want your customers to feel from the moment you say hello. At each step, you want to make sure that customers are consistently feeling the same emotions.

5. Ignoring Your Team

Your team ones on the front lines when it comes to working closely with clients. You need to figure out ways to have your team drink the proverbial company Kool-Aid. This has to be done in an organic manner. The same way you serve organic ads to customers is the same way you need to approach your team. Get to know them as people what are their passions, dreams, and goals. What makes them light up and what makes them sad are equally important things you want to know about. Keeping your team happy, inspired and engaged will help move your brand to the next level.