Guerrilla Marketing

by Charles Rubin

One unfortunate side effect of the Net's growing commercializaton is a proportionate reduction in the free exchange of information. In the old days before 1990, the Net existed solely to promote the free exchange of information, and most people participated. But now that we have deep-pockets corporations putting up Web sites all over the place and a new generation of consumer-oriented citizens joining the Net, this "gift economy" ethic seems to be slowly fading. For every active member of an online discussion group or website, there are dozens or hundreds of lurkers, and sometimes calls for comments or input go begging, even on sites that get hundreds of visitors a week.

One reason for the reduction in participation may be newcomer's jerkophobia--the fear of looking stupid. After all, as Mark Twain said, "Better to keep your mouth shut and appear an idiot than to open it and remove all doubt." And of course, lurkers on the Net are totally invisible, so lurking brings no social penalty.

Another reason for the decline in exchanges is that the new breed of Netizens, many of them steeped in the superficial tradition of "point, click, look, and leave" that's been nurtured on online services for years, are now practicing the same sort of online window-shopping on the Net.

But whatever the reason, we must ask ourselves as marketers whether lurking in the darkness is a good thing. I'd say it's not. Without active participation in your chosen Net community, you'll never gain the visibility, credibility, and relationships that are essential to success online. Here are four specific reasons to come out of the darkness and express yourself.

• It's the best way to get and maintain broad visibility with likely prospects.
• It helps you overcome the anonymity of the Net and begin forming a human relationship with your customer.
• It shows your desire to fully participate in an online community, rather than hanging back and looking for quick profits.
• It gives you a chance to demonstrate your expertise, and thereby build credibility.

Cyberspace is no place for wallflowers. Guerrillas know that profits only come to those who go out and get them.