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Say you have got all the basics for setting up an internet business. The product is good, the online storefront looks great, and your website shows up quickly on most search engines. Yet, you feel something is missing. Of late, you've been wondering about what to do next. How can you take your business to the next level? What kind of tactics will you need to get more exposure, more customers?

You're not alone in feeling this way. Finding innovative ways of marketing is a key concern of most entrepreneurs.

Guerrilla Marketing ' Does This Sound Weird?

This isn't monkey business! Neither is it a type of warfare.

Guerrilla marketing is the use of wide and varied unconventional marketing tactics to achieve conventional business goals. This type of promotion is designed in such a way that most times the target audience is unaware that they have been marketed to! Talk about surprise tactics.

The beauty of this type of marketing is that it can be done with very simple tools. Some examples of guerrilla marketing techniques which find application for internet based businesses are given below. See if you can relate any of these to your particular line of activity.

1. Including a website address on all business cards and stationary. This looks professional and helps people reach out for information at the first instance. No one needs to ask where the particular company can be found.

2. Placing a bumper sticker on company vehicles or personal cars is another great way to get noticed. You will be surprised to know that people remember web addresses that they've seen on vehicles better. Also, shorter names are known to fetch better results.

3. Taking advantage of any advertising opportunities on signage in strategic locations. On a busy road there are thousands of people who could be potential customers.

4. Branding staff uniforms. Printing a URL on T-shirts and caps makes it easily identifiable by the audience. This is a useful tactic at trade shows, along with handing out company leaflets to passersby.

5. Small giveaways like pens, mouse mats and coffee mugs printed with the website address are generally appreciated by customers. A memento of this nature will always remain in memory.

6. Press releases in local newspapers work well for websites of community interest. Alternatively, an interview on the local radio channel is likely to enjoy a decent audience. It doesn't necessarily have to be pure advertising. Subtle approaches work well too ' for example, an online retailer of organic foods can talk about what constitutes healthy nutrition.

7. A bit of lightheartedness has worked for many businesses. Flash cartoons featuring a URL could get forwarded to a lot of people in a short time. They are often found on free download sites.

8. Taking advantage of the holiday season. During holidays people spend more time surfing the web, so many businesses develop a 'holiday version' of their logo to attract attention. If this is backed up by special price offers for online purchases, there's a better chance of popularizing the website.

Guerrilla Marketing ' Does It Really Work?

A guerrilla marketing tactic employed by Vodafone in Australia was to have their logo painted across the back of a person. At an appointed time during an international cricket game, which is a hugely popular sport in that country, the man with the logo on his back lost his shirt and ran onto the pitch. Eventually the police caught him, and he was taken away. However, this was caught on camera and aired live around the world. Vodafone paid the streaker's fine, but got worldwide TV coverage of their logo for the princely sum of $250! Although we don't recommend you break the law, this is an example of how being creative can return big results.