Resource:How to use Guerilla Marketing and other creative strategies to reach students

Introduction

Introduction

Do you want to engage fellow students in your event or organization? Then follow the advice and guidelines below. This guide will take you through the how too's and midsets needed to convince and engage students through marketing and initial exposure both creatively and strategically. 

Make Viral Content or Advertising

An impactful guerrilla-style campaign will include several (but not not necessarily all) of the following:

• Social Currency -- Allowing people to look good, especially in front of others
• Triggers -- Other things will trigger thoughts about what you did
• Engages Emotion -- good OR bad emotion. Both a heartwarming tale and something with shock value both get noticed
• Has Practical Value -- If you can give people a tool, tactic, or otherwise help them, they are more likely to listen to you in the future
• Is public -- In addition to just having the most views possible, people tend to imitate--so being public allows the opportunity to set an example for people to follow when engaging with your campaign.

• Tells a story -- people love stories, both hearing them and telling them

Recruiting People

You have to understand why people may want to join. Empathy. Features and Benefits/Results. You want to focus more on Benefits. Have a good product and provide a lot of value.

Getting The Word Out

• Always build an e-mail list
• Flyers, Google Forms, Social media, face to face word
• Leveraging audience. Use as many contact points as you can.
• Have your own members reach out to a certain number of people
• Build your own data base
• Add a personal touch. Physically call them! (Fits along the line of pattern interruption)
• Make an irresistible yet broad offer Ex: Do you want to find internship, get a job, or start a business?

​Logistics

1. Try to choose the right time depending on your university
2. Food!!! <3 <3 <3
3. Break the norm, bring an incentive that people want, but won’t be expecting. Puppies for instance.
4. Engage people with you! Let them talk!
5. Make surveys, (ask people about what they like, what they would like to see? Paper or online works, but for best effect have a conversation and get them telling a story about their experience)
6. Test and see if it works! If doesn’t work then try something else. (Keep trying)

Mission Statement

• Start with why, everything else is secondary
• Self development through entrepreneurship principles
• Unite yourself with a common purpose
• Activities based on your mission statement

Engaging Different Departments

1. Invite presidents/leaders of the clubs/department
2. Build strategic partnerships--Departments often let you use their student/faculty email lists if you're providing value to them. Clubs can do the same thing
3. Show don’t just talk! Bring difference and new value!
4. Help them and they will help you