Nowadays with the weak economy we are all striving to keep afloat, but if you do decide to launch a new business, times are not that dreary. You can use this bad moment to your advantage and advertise effectively using the numerous tools proposed on the internet, which due to the weak economy have flourished and are now very accessible to all.

You no longer need a go-between to help you advertise successfully due to the advancement in technology and user-friendly interfaces. You can make your business thrive despite the hardship of these times, for there are many options available and at low costs.

Although advertising by word of mouth is a good way to get your business know, it is not always reliable. You cannot rely on friends and previous customers to bring you all the business you need for your company to expand; you need other wide reaching forms of advertising.

Today a new marketing trend has surfaced, notably known as guerrilla marketing. This is an unconventional form of advertising that works on targeting potential customers in the most unexpected areas. It creates interactive and creative advertising that in turn engages and provokes consumers.

This new marketing style is specifically targeted for smaller businesses and uses three key points; energy, time and imagination. Human psychology is another key element used in guerilla marketing and the important issue that any marketer should focus on, is the number of interchanges he or she manages to achieve.

In order to take full advantage of this type of advertising one should concentrate on social networks now available on the Internet, such as You Tube, Twitter and Facebook and others including Squidoo and Bebo. Think how many consumers you can reach just with one account and its effectiveness has been proven, for nowadays more and more people use social networks to communicate and advertise, for they offer friendlier options, which are easier to implement.

Getting to understand and knowing how to implement this kind of modern form of advertising will allow your business to thrive without too much spending. It will help you build a personal and more intimate relationship with your customers, who in turn will bring you more clients because they feel they are treated in a special way.

Guerilla marketing works especially well with small businesses because the owner can take action quickly by using decision making tips, added to the advantage that small businesses are in closer relationship with their customers and can sense and act on their customers needs and are able to come up with an effective guerilla plan.

Being a small business you cannot afford the enormous budgets needed for traditional advertising therefore you have to use alternative methods that work on the direct relationship with your clients, hence guerilla marketing is ideal.

When planning your guerilla marketing tactics keep the following issues in mind:

·         Use psychographics in order to create an effective marketing plan

·         Keep your budget low and do not spend unnecessarily

·         Focus on increasing your product not only your sales

·         Focus your energy on existing customers and increase your sales through them

·         By dedicating time and energy on your existing customers you will eventually gain others through referrals

·         Try and make alliances and do not focus on competing with the other businesses in your market niche

·         Create a creative and unconventional marketing plan that will create a buzz and interest