Gaebler Ventures Gaebler Ventures is a business incubator and holding company providing venture capital investment and shared services to early-stage companies. We've invested in some great portfolio companies. Some of the best resources for entrepreneurs -- all based on our real world experiences! Our guiding investment philosophy is to provide exceptional returns for our investors. Check out the latest news from Gaebler Ventures. Learn more about Gaeber Ventures! Get in touch. We'd love to talk with you!   
 
 
Gaebler Ventures is a business incubator, holding company, and private equity firm. We help entrepreneurs transform ideas and innovations into greatness.

Articles for Entrepreneurs

 

Small Business Marketing

 

Guerilla Marketing

Written by Richard San Juan for Gaebler Ventures

Guerilla Marketing is a type of marketing that was described by Jay Levinson. It is a marketing discipline that is mostly geared towards small business and entrepreneurs, because they only utilize a low budget. Guerilla marketing is known to be aggressive and sometimes unconventional in its practices.

Guerilla marketing is sometimes mistakenly used to describe aggressive marketing and selling techniques, like the tactics that are often ascribed to a used car salesman.
(article continues below)

While it is aggressive, guerrilla marketing still incorporates some of the traditional aspects of marketing such as marketing towards a specific target segment.

In fact, the term guerilla marketing really refers to conducting marketing and promotional activities on a small budget.

Traditional marketing is what large marketing agencies or marketing departments in large corporations use. They perform their marketing activities on a large budget. Having a large budget, the large marketing agencies and corporations have time on their side.

However, for small businesses and entrepreneurs, they don't have the luxury of too much time—they need revenue quickly to pay off the startup debt. Thus, with a low budget and little time, small business owners and entrepreneurs have to use sometimes unorthodox but still effective methods of generating cash flow and hopefully bring profits.

The unconventional marketing and promotional tactics are designed to provide maximum impact in transforming previously cold prospects into loyal customers.

Guerilla marketing works effectively because it promotes brand recognition and customer loyalty by utilizing fine-tuned tactics.

In guerilla marketing there are several tools that experienced marketers employ to achieve their objectives without having to endure high costs. For example, printing flyers and posting it in various areas is one method of guerilla marketing that can be effective.

For startups and small businesses, an initial cost-effective strategy could be offering free samples of products or services in an attempt to attract more customers. If the customers like the free samples, they will buy more of your products or services.

In addition, those customers become, in a sense, extra marketers by spreading the good quality of your products or services through word-of-mouth. Some grocery stores utilize this technique when they provide free food samples.

Public speaking is another concept that guerilla marketing favors. Unfortunately, it is known that public speaking is the number one fear of most people. If an individual is an aspiring entrepreneur, he or she must put in a significant amount of effort to overcome that fear.

If you can master public speaking, your small business has the possibility to gain much publicity, both for the company and the product line. Holding seminars at no cost is an additional method of public speaking that can help a company's product or service get exposure.

Utilizing some of these tactics of guerilla marketing, an entrepreneur or small business owner will have a good chance of expanding their organization.

Richard San Juan is currently pursuing an MBA degree with an emphasis in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. He is particularly interested in writing about business news and strategies.


Comment Board

We welcome your comments on guerilla marketing techniques.

Be the first to comment on this article.



Write a comment  Code Image - Please contact webmaster if you have problems seeing this image code
Problem Viewing Image
Load New Code

If you are an ambitious entrepreneur or an aspiring executive looking to get involved with a startup, please take the time to learn more about Gaebler Ventures.

 

 

Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Attributes - Small Business Failure - Starting a Business

Business Incubators - Business Location - Business Partners - Startup Costs

Entrepreneurial Backgrounds - First Year of Business - Inventions

Network Marketing - Online Startups - Startup Resources - Entrepreneurship

Young Entrepreneurs - Business Ideas - Naming and Branding - City Guides

Buying a Business - Writing a Business Plan - Raising Money - Incorporate

Small Business Marketing - Advertising Advice - Public Relations -

Customer Service Tips - Entrepreneurial Selling - Workplace Safety

Startup Leadership - Strategy - Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurs

Articles on Exporting - Human Resources for Entrepreneurs - Workers Comp

Legal Information for Entrepreneurs - Sarbanes-Oxley - Accounting - SBDC

Business Credit Cards - Nonprofit Entrepreneurs - Mission Statements

Tax Tips and Resources for Entrepreneurs - Operating Your Startup Business

Real Estate Decisions for Entrepreneurs - Franchising - Selling a Business

Starting a Home Business - Small Business Technology - Business Travel

Business Finance - Advice for Retailers - Entrepreneurship for Scientists

Administrative Professionals / Office Managers - Family Business Advice

Good Businesses to Start - Start an Energy Business - Start a Hedge Fund

Payroll Service Information - Productivity Tips - Bad Economy Advice

Small Business Websites - Search Engine Optimization - Online Reputation

Search Engine Marketing - Social Marketing Optimization - Business Forms

Business in the Jungle - Business in Fiction - Negotiating - Radio Ad Costs

Newspaper Advertising Rates - City-Specific Resources for Entrepreneurs

Small Business Insurance - Global Entrepreneurship - China & Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Features - Employee to Entrepreneur - Small Business Ethics

Acquisition Speculation - Good Business Books - SBA Franchise Loans

Small Business Loans - Studying Entrepreneurship - How Kids Make Money

Social Entrepreneurship - Mergers and Acquisitions -

Veteran Entrepreneurs - Useful Web Sites for Entrepreneurs - Dell Deals

Buy.com Deals - Female Entrepreneurship - Small Business Experts

Entrepreneurial Resources by State - Resources for Young Entrepreneurs

African American Entrepreneurs - Resources for Hispanic Entrepreneurs

Resources for Asian Entrepreneurs - Resources for Women Entrepreneurs

Resources for Gay Entrepreneurs - Businesses for Sale - Office Supplies

Economics - Lists of Small Business Incubators - Lists of Angel Investors

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms - Franchise Opportunities

Recommended Products and Services for Entrepreneurs - Contributors

Get FREE Price Quotes from Multiple Vendors - Business Glossary