Utilize Guerrilla Marketing to Help Build Your Business

Over the past decade, entertainment has become increasingly multimedia, with a concept like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, available in multiple formats simultaneously — movie, video game, comic books, and other merchandise. This synergy across multiple entertainment platforms helps the property owner — in this case, Marvel Comics — market their product to different audiences.

Retailers can take advantage of this entertainment synergy by stocking products like comics, models, and other merchandise in their stores based on new and upcoming media properties, like the new Star Trek or Transformers films, using the hype around the films and video games to capture new customers. But retailers can also take a proactive stand to build their business by partnering with other retailers to help bring new sales to their storefronts.

The video game industry is one of the fastest growing segments of the entertainment industry today. Just two years ago, total revenues for video games totaled $40 billion dollars, and video games are projected to reach $58 billion dollars in sales in 2009. Many consumers have access to at least one video game console, if not multiple systems. The Nintendo Wii, the Xbox 360, and the Sony PlayStation 3 have all sold millions of units since their release, and the Nintendo DS handheld system continues to sell briskly five years after its debut.

Video games based on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and G.I. Joe are all due to be released for the major video game platforms this summer, to coincide with the theatrical releases of the films upon which they are based. A major title of interest to comic book fans — Eidos' Batman: Arkham Asylum, written by Paul Dini (Detective Comics, Batman: Streets of Gotham) — will also be released in late summer 2009. Such events are ripe for savvy guerilla marketing on your part.

The essence of guerrilla marketing is to promote your business unconventionally, fostering the sense that yours is a neighborhood and community business by reaching out to other local businesses and taking advantage of opportunities to build your customer base. A comic shop specialty retailer can use guerrilla marketing to partner with a local video game retailer to help promote both establishments' business, driving sales to both stores for games, comics, and other merchandise. A video game store is not a direct competitor to a comic shop specialty retailer in the way that a chain bookstore might be; the video game store customer is spending their entertainment dollar on different entertainment needs.

The key is to capture this customer with the entertainment products that your store offers.

What is your customer base, and where can you find them when they are not in your store? If your customers are from the local college, hanging flyers in the dorms and classroom buildings is a quick and easy way to promote your business. If your customers are more often found at the local shopping mall or movie theater, these would be areas for a guerrilla marketing campaign to target.
What businesses in your local area complement yours? Look at your shopping center and ones in your general vicinity. Are there businesses, like a video game chain or DVD rental store, that offer entertainment products targeted at a different retail segment? Are there restaurants that attract customers that would be a good fit for your business? These businesses provide opportunities for joint marketing ventures, as your customers can be a good fit for them as well.
Can your customers help you promote your business? Perhaps you have a customer who works as a deejay for a local radio station. Perhaps you have a customer that works for an entertainment retailer. Use your customers to promote your business, through free mentions of your shop or passing out flyers at their places of business.
Are you using the Internet? Create a fan group on social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. Create a Twitter feed or a YouTube video channel. Use free blogging services like LiveJournal or WordPress to create an online presence for your store. Participate in Google's AdWords program to help drive internet traffic to your online location.

What can a comic shop specialty retailer do to work with other retailers and create a guerrilla marketing campaign? Here are some ideas for partnering with a local video game retailer, like your local EB Games or GameStop location, to promote an upcoming game such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen or Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Invite them to demonstrate the game in your store. Video game stores often have demonstration units. Store reps can bring these to your location, set them up, and demonstrate the newest game to your customers. You get an event in your store that you can promote, at little to no cost, that they can use to bring new customers into your store to see the game in action. In addition, the video game retailer benefits by gaining access to customers who may not know about the new movie or comic book-based game who would be interested in the product.
Promote your business at their location through flyers and promo postcards. Have the video game retailer pass out flyers for your shop or hang promo posters for comic series that relate to their business.
Set up a video game tournament in your store. Comic shops with gaming areas for miniatures games or collectible card games can utilize their space to host a video game tournament. Use your local video game store to provide video game systems and to promote the location, driving new customers to your store.

Guerrilla marketing provides you with a low-cost way to build your businesses. Making the investment of time in working with local retailers will reap rewards for both your business and your retail partners. Investigate the opportunities that your shopping center and those near your location offer, and formulate plans to promote your business and grow.

Do you have guerrilla marketing ideas that can benefit other comic shop retailers? Contact Diamond and let us know!