Often the biggest challenge of any small business is trying to take a share of the market away from the big-box stores and big brands. It can be very frustrating to have a great product that no one knows exists. For many small beverage companies, advertising and marketing budgets are next to nothing. They can’t afford to compete with the advertisements and media of the big brands. Thankfully, there’s a way to take a share of the market without a big budget—guerilla marketing.
Guerilla marketing was all the rage from about the mid-90s until around the mid-2000s. As more and more companies moved to the internet, these practices have largely gone to the wayside. However, guerilla marketing practices can really help you get a share of your local market.
So what is guerilla marketing? Basically, it’s marketing without much of a budget, without the internet, and without media advertising. Take all of that away, and what’s left? Hanging flyers at post offices and community centers. Leaving a stack of brochures, postcards, business cards, or promo cards at gas stations and fast food restaurants. Talk to everyone you see about your product.
These traditional guerilla marketing tools should also be added with the use of social media marketplaces. These are basically big community bulletin boards, an internet version of guerilla marketing. The idea is that word of mouth and exposure will increase your business, and it really does work.
But before you jump on the bandwagon with guerilla marketing, you need to make sure that you can handle the volume of business that you receive. Sometimes these practices take months to bear fruit, but often word spreads quickly and order volume rises sharply. If you currently have a low volume production, you’re going to need to make some preparations for expansion.
The best way to do this is to automate your production and packaging process. We offer several options for compact automatic cartoners that put out a range of volume of 5 to 25 cartons per minute. We also have a 24-pack tray former machine that puts out 25 trays per minute.
If you want to make sure that you are prepared for your increase in product after taking a share of the local market, contact us today for assistance in expanding your operation.
