We are always trying to think of new and different ways for home performance professionals and companies to maximize their marketing dollars and get the most "bang for their buck" when they invest in any given channel. That fact is one of the biggest reasons why we believe so much in online marketing tactics like SEO, social media, content marketing, and so on - they truly embody the spirit of high return relative to cost.


Guerrilla marketing is something we have been thinking more about lately as a tool and marketing approach for home performance. You've probably seen many examples of this kind of marketing in the real world, both from small local businesses and also huge national and global brands. Because it is so flexible and well suited to any type of business and reflective of the above principle we thought we should explain a little bit more about what guerrilla marketing is and how you might start using it in your home performance business.


What Is Guerrilla Marketing


Generally speaking, guerrilla marketing refers to any marketing tactics that are outside of the box, extremely simple, cheap (usually), unconventional, and high visible. You don't need a big marketing budget to engage in guerrilla marketing, you just need the right mix of creativity, time, and passion. It could be as simple as some creatively placed logos or a special giveaway, to something more involved like participating in a community event (check out how one home performance company used a soap box derby as a marketing event, for example). The whole point of guerrilla marketing is that it's outside of the box, so the sky is really the limit when it comes to guerrilla marketing ideas.


Why Guerrilla Marketing?


Aside from its value as a cheaper and high return method of marketing, guerrilla marketing tactics can help solve a problem I have repeatedly come across while working with home performance companies - they tend use the same words and concepts in their branding & marketing. How many times have you seen these words in your competitors marketing:


  • home
  • green
  • professionals
  • energy
  • save
  • conserve
  • efficiency


I think you get the idea. We don't want to say this is a bad thing in and of itself - these are the words that communicate a lot of the value of home performance. But by using these terms with a tactic that is a little bit different and stands out from the "noise" out there you can make a lasting impression in a customer's mind that gets them to think about energy efficiency in thier home and makes sure you are the company they think of when it comes time to do some work.


Where to Start


If you're ready to get your feet wet with guerrilla marketing, we recommend picking something that will be fast, easy, and will pay off over and over again. It might not generate hundreds of leads and jobs for you in the next 30 days but it will help you make a strong impression with potential customers over and over again. One of our favorite guerrilla tactics is to integrate your brand with your tools - the branded or specially colored blower door is a classic example of this. Get your logo on the blower door, maybe buy it in a color that fits your company's color scheme, and then every time you set it up it will be showing off your brand with no extra effort on your part.


If you're already trying some of these guerrilla tactics we want to make sure you're getting the most out of them, so definitely utilize your social media (you're on Facebook, right?) to promote what you are doing and get the most benefit from your efforts.