In the early 19th century, guerrillas, soldiers who used unconventional marketing tactics to combat their enemies, were instrumental in defeating the French dictator Napoléon. Today the term has attached itself to marketing — unusual, fresh, provocative strategies that are no less effective in reaching your customers and best prospects. If you want to put guerrilla marketing into your overall battle plan, here are some ways to do just that, both in print and online:

1. Treat your home page like a storefront window display. Think of a shop that’s constantly refreshing the look of its curbside window. It’s appealing and inviting, and it entices return visits. Do the same with the copy on your home page so you don’t see the same thing over and over.

2. Be a giver. Some businesses are only interested in getting into a customer’s wallet rather than building a customer relationship. Position your company as a “giver.” Offer free resources — newsletters, online reports, white papers, and other information — about how what you sell can help customers succeed. “Customers know the difference between a business that gives them information and one that just wants to sell them something,” says Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series of books.

3. Build it to be shared. Whether in print or online, let it be known that information about your business is there for use in complimentary publications and Web sites. “The more popular your link partner, the more likely your article is to get top placement in search engines,” says Kimberly McCall, author of Sell It, Baby!

4. Use feedback. If you have a print or online customer questionnaire, grab positive comments and stick them in your print ads and on your home page. Comments such as “great customer service” and “will come back again” from one consumer resonate with others.

5. Become an expert. Offer to write a free column for the local newspaper, a Web site, or an industry trade publication. Post informative articles on your Web site as part of brand building online. That way, when a prospective customer considers a topic, he may well think of you.

6. Consider cause marketing. Few things make a business look better in print or online than news about a partnership with a worthwhile goal, not just for the great PR, but for the tangible benefits as well. “A study showed that consumers will pay up to 36 percent more to a company that’s environmentally responsible,” Levinson notes.

7. Invite your competitors. Take the cause-related marketing notion a step further by recruiting others, including your competitors. Point out in print and online information how your business took the lead in rallying others to a worthy goal. “Contributions stretch further if you involve competitors and everyone looks good,” says Joanna Krotz, president of Muse2Muse, a content producer.

8. Offer gift certificates in print and online. By offering consumers complete freedom of choice, this oft-overlooked guerilla marketing strategy almost automatically boosts business. It’s not only effective but also as inexpensive a customer relationship marketing weapon as is likely to be found anywhere.

9. Involve your customer. Approach print and online as media that flow both ways. Offer discounts and free gifts for coming into your business or visiting the home page. Sponsor a contest. It engenders interest and is an effective and cheap way for getting new customers.

10. From print to Web to store. Think of your overall integrated marketing communications plan as a baseball diamond. Getting to first is great, but there are further stops to be made. Approach your guerilla marketing strategy with an eye to moving customers from one step to the next. In print, invite people to visit your Web site. If you have a brick-and-mortar location, make sure your home page encourages them to stop by the store.

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