Many times putting together a marketing plan can seem so daunting. Where do you start and what should you include? What if you don’t have a large budget but you really need to make a big impact?

One of the most common complaints that we hear from clients is that their timeframe is short and their budget is restrictive and they need to reach a large audience, quickly. When I hear of these issues, my mind automatically goes to one place. STREET TEAMS!

So why do we feel so passionately about street teams? Brands are able to make a large and meaningful impact on their customers while avoiding those other budget-busting techniques that are often included in a marketing mix. Street teams are one of the most efficient types of advertising for the simple fact that they can make the most of your budget and have a quick turn around.

Street teams generally consist of a team of trained, brand ambassadors, that work together with a common goal of communicating your brand’s key talking points to prospective customers. This can look different for every brand, but the commonality amongst brands are usually:

• A Promotional strategy in mind that the team will clearly articulate (i.e. promoting a limited time sale, promoting the use of a coupon, etc)
• Getting the customer to ‘try out’ the product or service, usually via sampling (either prepackaged or onsite)
• Simply educating the customer on the product (or making them aware of an event in some cases) in an effort to clear up any preconceived notions, misconceptions, etc.

There are, of course, hundreds of other goals and valid reasons to utilize street teams for your brand, however, the ones mentioned above are the most common.

Realistic outcomes for a Street Team Activation

So what are some realistic outcomes for a street team activation? What can you expect as a result of using this method in your marketing mix? Great question! The answer is not always clear…

• Street teams often create challenges for marketers to judge the effectiveness of. One misconception is that there will always be immediate results of the effort. This is not always the case! For example, a street team sampling a beverage product on a hot day, nearby to the sales source may produce immediate sales, while a protein bar sample may only produce a greater interest in the product, in general, and increase sales in a more periodical method in the future.
• Planning really does have a great influence on the potential results of the effort! Street teams that have a well thought out and meaningful plan and purpose nearly always have a better outcome than those that do not.

How to be successful with your Guerrilla Marketing efforts

As mentioned earlier, street teams and guerrilla marketing should not be overlooked in the marketing mix! They create a very effective opportunity for tight budgets and add additional value to a larger marketing mix as well. To reiterate the points previously mentioned, here are a few tips to making the MOST out of your planning and budgeting for Guerrilla Marketing!

• DO Plan, plan, PLAN! (We can not stress this part enough!)
• DO Layout the goals and framework for your guerrilla marketing project and discuss these with an industry professional to determine if your goals are reasonable and attainable.
• DO Write 1-3 objectives for your guerrilla marketing project and clearly communicate those with your brand ambassadors to be sure they’re aware of what the purpose of the project is.
• DO enhance the street team with valuable materials such as branded merch to wear, key talking points, and other information that may be needed!
• DO reach out to a professional event staffing agency to help with the planning, structuring, staffing and evaluation processes of your project! They can be an invaluable resource for you!
• DON’T set unrealistic goals for your team! Be sure that what you WANT to gain from the experience is obtainable! Talk to your professional event staffing agent about this to be sure!
• DO take time to learn what to expect in terms of timeframes for expectations!

If you need additional advice on how to use a street team or other guerrilla marketing in your marketing mix, please reach out to us! We have over 16 years of experience with event marketing execution and we love hearing about new projects and helping make events fun and successful!

Lindsay Merlin

Chief Operations Officer

lmerlin@lucky415.com

415-365-0041 Ext 3