Timeless Marketing Wisdom: Top Insights from Guerrilla Marketing for Trade Businesses

I first read ‘Guerrilla Marketing’ in 2008 and still refer to it regularly.  Guerrilla Marketing is a concept introduced by Jay Conrad Levinson in the 1980s. The book was originally published in 1983 and further editions included updated and expanded content. The final edition was published in 2007 (and re-printed in 2008.)

While the 2007 edition of Guerrilla Marketing incorporated digital marketing, the digital landscape has evolved dramatically over the past 17 years. Despite these rapid changes however, many of the book’s core principles and strategies remain highly relevant and effective, continuing to make a significant impact for small and medium-sized businesses.

In this article we will explore some of methods discussed in Guerrilla Marketing and see how these ideas can be adapted by trade and construction businesses to stand out in competitive markets.

What is Guerrilla Marketing?

Guerrilla Marketing is designed to generate maximum impact through a range of easy and inexpensive strategies. Originally aimed at small businesses competing against larger companies, it concentrates on leveraging  the fact that every bit of contact a business has with anyone in the outside world presents a marketing opportunity. It also recognises the importance of devoting marketing time to existing customers.

The Guerrilla Marketing approach is ideal for trade businesses who have a limited marketing budget and little knowledge of traditional marketing methods.  

Why Guerrilla Marketing Works for Trade Businesses

These are some of the many reasons that adopting Guerrilla Marketing tactics can benefit trade businesses.

Cost-Effective: Guerrilla Marketing doesn’t require a massive budget and is perfect for small to medium-sized businesses.

Profits focussed: Rather than focus on ‘vanity metrics’, such as website page views, and the number of social media followers, likes and shares, Guerrilla Marketing focuses on the only number that really matters – the size of your profits.

Relationship building: Guerrilla Marketing preaches the importance of following up, staying in touch with, and listening to, your customers. This helps build relationships which lead to repeat business and referrals.

Practical Guerrilla Marketing Ideas for Trade Businesses

Here are some actionable ideas tailored for trade businesses.

Branded Vehicle Signs

Turn your vans, trucks, and cars into moving billboards by having them professionally sign written or simply adding branded magnetic vehicle signs. This simple investment ensures your business details are seen wherever your team travels, and when your vehicles are on job sites, in traffic, or parked in the local area. It’s a low-cost way to boost visibility and make your business look professional and established.

Community Bulletin Boards

Posting flyers or business cards on local boards at place such as builders’ merchants, shops, supermarkets, takeaways etc can help you reach homeowners and local businesses looking for reliable tradespeople. As well as being geographically targeted, it is inexpensive, and sometimes free.

Door Hangers

After completing a project in, leaving branded door hangers on surrounding properties puts your business directly in front of potential customers. They may have seen your work, and having your details literally on their doorstep (or door handle!) may prompt them to get in touch with you.

As well as being memorable, door hangers can be tailored to highlight special offers or recent projects.

Online Reviews and Testimonials

Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google and Trustpilot. Positive online reviews are powerful social proof for trade businesses, helping to build trust and attract new clients who are searching for reputable local tradespeople.

Free Demonstrations or Consultations

Offering free consultations or demonstrations to showcase your expertise helps build relationships with potential clients. Whether it’s a site visit to assess a project or a short demonstration of a specialist technique, this approach positions your business as approachable and knowledgeable, increasing the likelihood of winning new work.

Summary

Guerrilla Marketing is about thinking outside the box and connecting with your audience in unexpected ways. For trade and construction businesses, this approach not only builds brand awareness but also fosters stronger ties within your local community. By focusing on creativity and engagement rather than budget size, you can achieve memorable results that set you apart from competitors.

Take Action

Ready to start Guerrilla Marketing? Pick one of the five examples from above and get started on it today. Or if you would like to explore over 100 other Guerrilla Marketing strategies, drop me an email and we can arrange a call to discuss Guerrilla Marketing methods that could work for your business.

Up Next: Why Isn’t My Website on Page 1 of Google? Common SEO Mistakes for Trade and Construction Businesses

In our next blog post, we’ll dive into why your website might be struggling to rank on Google’s coveted first page. From keyword mishaps to technical issues, we’ll uncover common SEO mistakes holding back trade and construction businesses, and how to fix them.

Found This Useful?

I hope you've found this exploration of Guerilla Marketing helpful. If you would like to discuss how to implement these strategies for your business, or explore other Guerilla Marketing strategies, please  email me. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn. If you would like to talk about your construction company's digital marketing strategy, feel free to reach out as well.

About the Author

John Wright started his career in the construction industry at Kennedy Builders Merchants in the 1980s. This marked the beginning of a 35-year journey in sales, marketing, and business development in construction.

In 2016, John transitioned into digital marketing as an it'seeze web design franchisee before founding RBC Marketing in 2022. Today, he uses his strong knowledge of the construction industry along with marketing skills to help construction companies create a strong online presence and drive business growth through both digital and traditional marketing strategies.