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Guerrilla marketing is a term used to describe unconventional marketing tactics, particularly those of low-cost or no-cost.
We’ve all heard the key tips for promoting a website, but this article is guaranteed to have some new ideas for you. Some are clever, some are crazy, a few are farcical (if you wonder whether I’m joking, I probably am!). I think these seventeen unconventional ideas should get you thinking differently about the way you promote your website.
Guerrilla marketing for Website Owners
1. T-shirt Marketing. Get a T-shirt made with your website’s logo and URL on it. Offer the T-shirt as a prize in a competition. If the T-shirt looks decent the winner will wear it and act as a walking billboard for your blog. (You can get a T-shirt made at CustomInk.com, though there are plenty of websites that do this).
2. Bumper stickers for all. Mail out bumper stickers for your website to readers who want one. The price of an envelope is not much to pay for some advertising on busy roads. (You can get custom stickers made up at Kinko’s or your local equivalent).
3. Post some bills. Stick a poster about your website on your work or school’s noticeboard. You probably want to wait until no-one is around before you try this one.
4. The browser trick. Go to your local library, internet cafe or computer room and set your website as the default browser homepage on all the computers you can easily access. I can’t help you when it comes to dealing with tetchy librarians, however.
5. Release a free eBook. Link back to your website throughout and encourage sharing. If the eBook is good it could go viral and drive traffic back to you.
6. Go to the beach and write your website’s address in the sand (preferably out of the way of the rising tide, and large enough to be seen by passing airplanes.)
7. Run a competition to win items you own and could do without. Instead of auctioning CDs, furniture, art, video games etc. on eBay, why not use them to build your website?
8. Carry around blank business cards with your website’s URL on them. You can hand out a card whenever your website comes up in conversation — or whenever you bring it up.
9. Get your website URL tattooed on a visible part of your body. Warning: this might look a little dated if the no-www movement wins out in future. Scared of the needle? A temporary tattoo or permanent marker will do the trick. Better yet, draw the URL on someone else, preferably while they’re asleep.
10. Run a competition and make the prize a service you’ll perform. This could be marketing consulting, graphic design, a guest-post, or some other service which utilizes your own individual expertise.
11. Organize a meet-up for webmasters and bloggers in your area and use it as an opportunity to network.
12. Leave fliers for your website at niche hot-spots. For example: leave fliers for a personal finance website outside the economics faculty of your local university, or fliers for a book review website outside a library.
13. Participate in forums related to your niche. Drive traffic back to your website through your forum signature.
14. Run a competition to win advertising space on your site. This is yet another no-cost prize you can use to market your website: free for you but valuable for others.
15. Take out an ad in your local newspaper. They’re often pretty cheap and local papers can have a circulation of thousands.
16. Add your website’s URL to the signature of each email account you use. If appropriate add a funny comment or quote to draw people’s attention.
17. Wear your URL. Make a custom hat, T-shirt or hoodie with your URL on it. This is bound to be a conversation starter.
Have you used any unconventional strategies to promote your site?
Skellie on November 19, 2007 
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Some of these can definitely be classified as “guerrilla” no doubt. I wouldn’t try a whole lot of them though, just too much effort.
I prefer a good link bait article any day
Hyder, yeah I guess it depends on the type of website. Some of these tactics are not appropriate for a simple blog, for instance, but they might be very efficient if you have an ecommer site or if you provide some online service.
18. Tell your friends to blog about it.
The beach idea was a very different and it can get a couple of visitors. Good out of box thinking.
One thing I want to tell is that, there is nothing in BOLD in the 16th point. It looks a bit odd when we see along with the other points.
Anyway, it a great post. Cheers.
It sure is a guerrilla idea….LOL none can be tried except a few
Great ideas.. I am sure I will try some of them.
Thanks,
Lara,
I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration ;). Some of them might not be to your taste (and aren’t mean to be), but none of them are impossible!
Not many people use the bumper sticker method. I think that if it’s a computer-related product, they should provide laptop stickers
I’m trying to get my laptop decorated for trade shows and conferences and it’s been tough!
Skellie- Great post, I think I will try number 14 soon
btw, I am really enjoying your guest posts on other blogs I read.
Hilarious! I wouldn’t mind using the technique number 9 on someone while they are asleep.
lol
I put my site in my e-mail signature and I know that I get people looking at it. I even know that when people forward my e-mail address that sometimes who they have fowarded an e-mail to look at my site
One of my favorites:
put a flyer/business card in niche related library books
Nice ideas - I like the pre-internet methods in particular. The T-shirt idea is a winner - who couldn’t use another T-shirt?
Here’s another old idea from the world of marketing - SEX SELLS!!
I write about the most fascinating topic of all - human psychology in everyday life. And I’ve noticed how any article on sex brings new readers.
These are not readers mis-directed in their porn-trawling (as can be determined by their search-words, etc).
I’m not saying include something off-colur just get a few prurient visitors - that would only damage your site, of course. But if you have something interesting to say about sex (and if it’s relevant to your site!) go for it.
I’ve used the browser trick many years before. It works.
These are awesome tips. While at the library you might also want to put your business card in books that your target audience might read.
I’m surprised that you haven’t mentioned using the local media to gain publicity.
Either pull a stunt, run a promotion or even have one of those warm success stories “Local man makes it big on the net”
I’ve done this for another site to the tune of 40,000 visitors but ……. even for 40,000 visitors I didn’t think it was worth the effort. You can get more visitors using easier methods.
Good point Jonk, I should try that sometime.
Nice, I’m enjoying the new Blog. Excellent ideas, well most anyway. I’ve done the beach sand thing previously, just for fun. I’ve also written the URL on the bathroom walls of a few of the local watering holes along with all the other graffiti.
Nice article.These seventeen unconventional ideas are different from other ideas of internet marketing to generate more website traffic.when you get traffic to your website you can convert that traffic into leads.
The T-Shirt is a bit expensive at about 20 bucks. Most bloggers won’t be able to afford it. That said, I’ve worn mine around and it has paid off…
Edgar.
I sell plenty of t-shirts and now whenever I go out into public, I’m usually wearing one of them. They’re pretty funny too, so they do tend to spark up conversation about them. Even if they don’t, I still catch people glancing at the more controversial designs.
If the T-shirts are funny or controversial you could also leave one or two at local high schools and/or colleges. I’m seriously thinking about doing just this. The only discouragement is the price.
I am certainly going to use some of these tactics, and I actually came up with many of them on my own. I just might have to try the browser homepage trick.
It is also very useful to comment on other people’s blogs. If you leave intriguing comments then people will follow them back to you. Getting out there and participating in the online community really makes a world of difference.
investment is required to apply these tactics, bloggers tend to earn money without spending single penny. otherwise good tips.
These are good tips..I like the sand advertising..^^..it’s fresh and original..^^
Thanks Skellie for sharing these tips..^^
These are some awesome ideas. I actually wrote a post covering the tshirt marketing strategy here: http://www.winningtheweb.com/g.....tshirt.php
Let me know what you think.
#20? Donate a shirt and a service/product at events you attend for their raffles and Chinese auctions. It’s easy for me because I print tee shirts. Last week end I gave away my logo tee shirt and a photo tee at a craft show. And like Gyutae Park said in http://www.winningtheweb.com/g.....tshirt.php
tees aren’t expensive.
I always do 8,16,17 + 20. For 6, I’ll have to get a shorter URL…we have small beaches where I live. And I’ll definitely try some of the other ideas.
Thanks for posting these.
These are great ideas, specially if you have a local website for the specific area you live in.
Hello! Found your blog on yahoo while searching for Carlsbad Home Insurance Quotes - quite some good info thanks, J.Sanders
What a superb ways and fantastic ideas in your information.This is especially important for national website.
Yah, I could see all of them working.
If I’d use them all, I’m not too sure.
Ok, my favorite is the 8th one. Very practical, nothing much to do, but seems to be very effective.
Excellent ideas…never tried anyone of these. I’m going to try now…
i just wrote a blog artice on the topic - the traffic to our site is exploding
you may want to check it out
http://alphasoftware.blogspot......t-how.html
How about getting a paint bucket to the roof of some house and painting URL on the roof? After some time it will be visible via Google Earth
How about posting in a related post like this and inviting people to visit your site… like…
“Hi! Since this is about Guerilla Marketing Ideas, I would like to invite you to visit my site at http://www.webbyist.com. Thanks and see you there!”
Very informative post. I will definitely try some.
It is a good topic and nice discussions. 17 marketing ideas are very easy to understand and easy to implement to our business
Cool beans.
One technique I love to use with telemarketers . . . when they call, I tell them I have a policy that they must check out my website before I’m able to speak with them.
Then, I hang up.
About 1 out of 20 will actually call me back and tell me about the website I referred them to.
Great ideas. But, I’m wondering if it might be better to ask permission for some of them? Many workplaces will let you put posters on their work notice board. I’ve mailed larger business before and they’re often happy to do so - especially if you provide a discount or incentive for their staff.
You could also bribe checkout workers at your local supermarket to put your flyers in the grocery bags.
I particularly like number 6! I would also suggest writing your website smaller in the sand and taking a picture of it. Then post your picture in the different photo sites on the net. For me… my eyes always gravitate to pictures that have writing in beach sand. Probably because I love the beach!!
please visit our site at http://www.flyasim.com and tell us what you think. we do need to do a better marketing job to get the word out. thanks, charley
website design good idea your site
The beach idea was a very different and it can get a couple of visitors. Good out of box thinking.
These are all great ideas! I really like the library one. I actually started a guerrilla marketing ideas list on a marketing wiki. Please visit it and add your ideas:
http://whamwiki.com/index.php?.....ting_Ideas
I’m not sure I would call these guerrilla but it’s not a bad start. The key in all of this is finding unique new ways to generate an increasing level of traffic from a increasingly less interested audience.
this is nice im enjoying it!
I truly enjoy reading your article. It is filled with great advice that helps me a lot. Not to mention it is enjoyable to read as well
Try a good social media campaign will surely boost traffic (mind that traffic will most likely be sales also). Sandy Rowley, a friend of my who develops social networking sites, also agreed on the same thing. He also think we need to have something to retain those customers. Believe me, if it is done properly, it’ll be more than great for business.
And you’d probably won’t have to tattoo your site’s address…
Great post, I truly enjoyed it.
Just kidding
I’ve done #4 whenever we would go on vacations. I would use hotel computers in the lobby and make Great Talents the home page
Thousands and look closer buy cytotec then announced daughters.
I know someone who did the t-shirt thing. He walked around a mall for hours doing nothing, just walking around so people could see his t-shirt. He said that when he checked his stats later that evening - his stats went up and the visitors were from his area and more then that - they stayed on his site for a nice period of time.
You can buy decals for your car’s back window for about $30. I got one on ebay with my web site address. Believe it or not it does generate traffic from traffic !
Another tip is to print some glossy pages and insert them in in-flight magazines whenever you travel by plane. Same- same with the magazines in doctors and dentists waiting rooms and appropriate books in you local library.
Free balloons with the web site address on them are a great give-away and cheap to produce. Very good for family or children oriented web sites. I Stumble you for your efforts.
I use its way for my website :http://www.modesupplier.com
Interesting set of posts on a newbie guerrilla marketer putting some of these tips into action:
http://spiffyowl.com/tag/screenscape/
Great chronology of discovering the ins and outs first hand…
Hahaa.. really funny! My Grandma likes the tatoo idea! (Better yet, draw the URL on someone else, preferably while they’re asleep). You really make my day.. I just can’t stop laughing… haha..
I’m in the process of opening my homemade craft and sewing business. I’m going to make pillows, blankets, etc. I thought that it would be a cute idea to make pillows to support my business, having my business name and website URL on it, and putting it them on the chairs and benches of my local mall and clothing stores.
Please, can you PM me and tell me few more thinks about this, I am really fan of your blog…
Let these grapgic designers work on your t-shirts graphics. Basic artwork is free of charge along with your custom t-shirts order.
these are great ideas!
seriously!
My favourite one!
4. The browser trick. Go to your local library, internet cafe or computer room and set your website as the default browser homepage on all the computers you can easily access. I can’t help you when it comes to dealing with tetchy librarians, however.
Pretty good tips in the article and from the responses. I found this page with the search words guerrilla marketing.