Both internationally recognized brands and small businesses are trying to expand their marketing possibilities by connecting with consumers without resorting to staid, traditional methods. Yet with all the digital possibilities and consumer sophistication constantly growing, it’s getting more challenging to find new ways to connect with people, especially when a user might click away in just one or two seconds.

A guerrilla style of marketing may seem purely the domain of small businesses without much budget. But many large businesses have executed successful guerrilla campaigns, ranging from bus ads to art installations along a busy sidewalk. Content remains king in the marketing world, but can guerilla marketing still play an effective part in connecting with consumers?

Forging an unlikely combination

Both content marketing and guerrilla marketing have been around long enough to establish a track record, and examples of their successes aren’t hard to find. Yet the two may seem to be too incompatible to work together. One is a sophisticated and highly crafted means for increasing brand awareness among a large audience, and the other is a sometimes low-budget and unorthodox way to attract attention, usually from a much smaller scope of people.

What they have in common is requiring a balance of creativity and strategy, and both have the same goals in mind. Guerrilla marketing, when it’s done right, can make a positive impression on a consumer with something memorable and engaging. No matter what form it takes, it can draw interest to your brand and potentially pave the way to your online content.

Adopting a guerrilla style

For those who can take a guerilla-style approach to marketing—or who are interested in going beyond the normal routines to impress people—you can give yourself another way to promote your brand. It could be something simple but effective.

Even a YouTube video is now considered to be a guerrilla marketing tactic, and that’s because it meets all the guerrilla characteristics. It’s not prohibitively expensive, it’s easily accessible and it can be a step away from the norm. But most importantly, a YouTube video can showcase a brand’s personality, sense of humor and style in an interesting, uninterrupted way.

Devising a promotion (or guerrilla promotion) strategy

Content still rules the marketing world, and that’s for good reason: it’s an effective way to create interest among consumers. Yet great content can’t do the job all by itself. It’s imperative that you create a reliable way to allow the consumer to discover that content, and that’s where promotion comes in.

Guerilla marketing can work in tandem with a content marketing campaign by serving as a means of helping to promote your online content. Like any form of marketing, it’s only a matter of knowing your audience, our company goals and finding a creative way to connect these two entities. Whether it’s a flash mob, a street art installation or a viral video, a guerrilla-style approach to spreading awareness of your brand comes down to combining creativity and marketing in a way that will drive attention and give consumers an idea of who you are and what you can do for them beyond the rest of the crowd.

Think like a guerrilla marketer

Even if you don’t execute a full-fledged guerrilla marketing project, thinking like a guerrilla marketer can help take your creativity to a new level and develop new ideas for content strategies. There’s an audience out there waiting for the right message delivered in an unprecedented way that will win their curiosity and lead to a community of consumers loyal to your brand.

What kinds of guerilla marketing tactics has your brand tried? Tell us in the comments.

The post How to Blend Guerrilla Marketing and Content Marketing appeared first on Relevance.

Being talked about is at the core of inbound marketing, where the content found on websites, YouTube channels, and social media posts attracts people’s attention to generate interest in what a business has to offer. As someone who knew how important it is to get people talking, Oscar Wilde would easily recognize the value of social media and online content to the digital marketing world. The idea of “being talked about” depends on being actively creative and never being at a loss for great quotes, great work, and great ideas.

Starting the conversation

Building such a groundswell of interest comes about when people are engaged and stimulated by something that speaks to their interests and demands. Yet great content can’t be the final step in the process; that would be too one-dimensional. It’s about doing great work and then making people aware of it, getting some reactions, and starting some conversations.

Generating interest and curiosity is crucial for creating an organic form of marketing spread by those who embrace and support it. Content and social media are the foundations for this. Whether it’s a mix of Facebook posts, ebooks, infographics, videos, or tweets, your online presence must be vital, engaging, and continuous. This consists of reaching users on a level far from anything like a sales pitch. It’s about connecting with them about topics and news relevant to your field, using humor, and establishing a relationship based on a common point of interest. It’s about letting people know there’s some personality and thought behind your business.

Creating quotable content

Oscar Wilde may not have known that over a century after his death he’d still be as quotable as he is—not to mention that his work would still hold up to today’s sensibilities—but he seemed to know that the way to stay in the public eye is to be someone worthy of the public’s attention, and that’s achieved through a combination of creativity and promotion. Wilde was one of the earliest examples of someone who was both a serious artist and a prominent social figure of his day who never shied away from self-promotion. If a marketing group were to follow his example, it would face the dual challenge of creating cutting-edge content that intrigues and informs, as well as the task of smart, compelling promotion. If he were still around today, he’d likely see his Facebook page and Twitter account as being avenues for his creativity and wit that would, in turn, provide momentum and fuel anticipation for his larger creative efforts. He’d likely counsel marketers today with the idea that work and the promotion of that work go hand in hand, and both feed the other.

Wilde is also known for saying something less famous than his “talked about” quote: “Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result.” Inbound marketing is its own science of a sort. It has its methods and strategies and following them to create the optimal conditions can help your organization reach more people, which results in more leads arriving at your doorstep, increasing your company’s potential for success.

Creating the genesis for online conversations and shared content is where inbound marketing takes off, with the destination being your company’s website. Social media and content marketing provide excellent opportunities to get branded messages out to consumers, yet the challenge is determining how to get people talking and then ensuring they never run out of conversation.

Image credit: AbodeofChaos

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