Guerilla Marketing, the revolutionary approach to marketing that gave small businesses the tools to compete and beat the ‘big guys,’ is famous for its “Secrets For Making Big Profits From Your Small Business.” Jay Conrad Levinson, the author of Guerilla Marketing, tells how “Guerilla tactics…provide you with an alternative to standard expensive marketing.”
Guerilla Marketing: “outside the box”
“Marketing is everything you do to promote your business.” That’s the opening line of Guerilla Marketing. And the key is “everything,” from the traditional to the “outside the box.” It’s not just putting an full page ads in the paper or commercials on TV, printing a brochure or planning a “sale.” It’s every detail, from strategic plan and sales approach to your name, location, and your products. In its purest form, Guerilla Marketing is all of the ideas that help you promote your business on a ‘shoestring.’ Anyone can launch a marketing campaign if you’re well funded and have “big bucks” behind you. It takes more creativity and unconventional thinking to come up with successful marketing ideas that don’t require lots of investment. That’s the essence of Guerilla Marketing.
Big Marketing ignores the value of Guerilla Marketing tools
Levinson tackles marketing with tools that the “big marketers” might scoff at: personal letters, “dialing for dollars” with personal phone calls, classified ads and even creative Yellow Pages advertising. Direct mail is a cheap, pinpoint adverting tool that was underappreciated when the book was first published in 1984.
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Today’s Guerilla Marketing Ideas
Since its first publication, Levinson’s Marketing strategy has grown up, and capitalized on new technology, but stayed true to its roots of getting the biggest bang with the smallest investment. “Guerilla marketing involves recognizing the myriad opportunities and exploiting every one of them.” (p 7) Reading and rereading the book, you become aware of more and more opportunities that you’ve taken for granted, and see them for what they are: ways to grow your business. An opportunity missed is an opportunity lost: being unprepared to introduce yourself with an “elevator” pitch, overlooking the value of signage on your vehicle, missing out on social media or hyperlocal blogging, and how you answer the phone. Examining every aspect of your business under a magnifying glass helps turn of the shortcomings of your daily routine.
Levinson continues to hone his message, and find more tools that others overlook. On his official website he has mentioned the value of seemingly minor details like hand-written addresses on your direct mail, interesting postage stamps, and the use of post-its on your letters. Ad specialties are still a favorite. And training your staff to answer the phone and provide great service costs little and pays long term dividends.
When the prospective customer does call, remember that 69% of business phone calls get put on hold (according to AT&T research). In his Tips Email, Levinson says simply that “On Hold Marketing Works.” It “reduces hang-ups by 77’%…and 19% of callers buy in response to a powerful on hold message.”
If marketing is “everything you do to promote your business,” Guerilla Marketing is the way that small business can actually afford to do it! Call now for GM tips on one of Levinson’s favorites, Messages on hold, because “it works.” Call 800-862-8896. Or click here to set up your own strategy session.
