Being successful means growing revenues, and this is where marketing comes into play. There are all kinds of marketing techniques being touted today ranging from traditional forms like direct mail and print advertising to brand new tactics like using Web 2.0 avenues (e.g., YouTube, MySpace).For many small businesses, and a number of larger concerns, one approach that applies no matter what content is used is “guerilla marketing,” a term that has been part of the commercial lexicon for over two decades, since Jay Conrad Levinson’s book of same name hit the bookstores.

For start up or small businesses, marketing can be a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” proposition. Pouring money into marketing can blow the budget, but some kind of conversation with the market is needed. The key is finding smart ways to promote the business that are free, cheap, or promise a huge return on investment. This is where guerilla marketing comes in. It is an option that has proven quite successful for numerous industries. With this marketing solution, you use your time, information, energy, and creativity in lieu of money.

Tired of the high cost of traditional methods, Levinson introduced the concept of guerilla marketing as a better way to get the word out about a particular business. Unlike standard marketing, guerilla marketing offers a lower cost form of advertising with powerful results. One component of this approach is focusing on a specific niche market rather than trying to sell to everyone. This type of focus allows you to refine the business more effectively.

Guerilla marketing is essentially about using good, old-fashioned common sense in a creative coloring-outside-the-lines way. In other words, it’s about using unconventional methods for promoting your company, as well as using every source of publicity, some that you might not have considered before. Here are some interesting examples:

• A pizza store discount coupon that looks like a UPS delivery slip.
• A consultant who gives prospects a free quart of ice cream when they leave his office, then calls them with a special offer when he has calculated they’ve arrived at home (can’t let that ice cream melt!).
• A consultant’s business card that folds out into a bookmark; it includes the usual information, along with a list of her services as well useful resources for her prospects.
• A dry cleaner who doesn’t give out discount coupons; instead, he effectively sidesteps competitors by sending a personal letters to each customer, giving a credit to their account.

Actually, many guerillas have realized the value of writing a short note and mailing it off with business card attached; the note can range from just touching base to outright asking for business. Although guerilla marketing was originally designed for the smaller business, larger firms, even those in the Fortune 500 space, use the strategies as well, which is a sure sign that the approach works. Incorporate this strategy by applying some creativity spiced by a little nonconformity, and you can grow your business with great success without spending a fortune.