Guerrilla Marketing Definition - Explained

This term has, at times, sounded a little extreme to me. I wondered if it entailed camo-clad rebel sales people pouncing on unsuspecting consumers forcing them to buy THEIR products at gunpoint. However, when I broke down the guerilla marketing concept, I realized just how it actually was a way to get maximum results from minimal resources. Bear with me, you'll be glad you did.

Guerrilla Marketing Definition

As defined straight from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia:

The concept of guerrilla marketing was invented as an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing campaigns are unexpected and unconventional; potentially interactive; [1] and consumers are targeted in unexpected places.[2] The objective of guerrilla marketing is to create a unique, engaging and thought-provoking concept to generate buzz, and consequently turn viral. The term was coined and defined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his book Guerrilla Marketing. The term has since entered the popular vocabulary and marketing textbooks. More innovative approaches to Guerrilla marketing now utilize cutting edge mobile digital technologies to really engage the consumer and create a memorable brand experience.

Wow, I don't feel threatened by that at all! As a matter of fact, I can see how this sort of marketing method could build great long term relationships. But there are a lot of factors involved in that definition. Sounds like it could be a bit complicated to properly utilize all aspects.

The Guerrilla Marketing Breakdown

Why don't we break this down a bit and really look at a few guerilla tactics in simpler terms.

* They engage our imagination instead of our pocket book; they can be inexpensive to implement - sometimes free! What avenues can we use that may take our time more than large marketing budgets? Is Social Media passing us by because we are busy planning our next ad campaign? Maybe just being social could take a few minutes a day, but begin building relationships that will last forever. Folks all over the world are making a difference in 140 characters or less. According to Fox News, even matching up with new employers, a huge necessity.

*Our personal commitment in time and effort will be necessary, especially now, when we want to hold on to as much profit as possible. Perhaps we could write a blog creating a platform where other like-minded consumers want to visit to catch up on the latest industry news, or just share ideas and innovate on others. Blog writing may take some time to build a following, but when used with Social Media, can really solidify YOU as a brand.

*Consumers are looking to build relationships and partner with like-minded folks who have their best interest in mind, not be hard-closed by aggressive salespeople who may quickly move on to the next prospect. Mentoring is one of the best ways to build relationships. Can you offer some tidbits of wisdom, perhaps a video bootcamp that helps others to move closer to reaching their own goals, all the while, strengthening their alliance with YOU as a brand. Offering consumers, to your industry, the answers they beg for - at no cost- creating a simple 'how to' video once for people to use for years to come is one simple example of guerilla marketing. Letting them know they can come back to YOU for the answers they seek.

*These tactics may be so attention getting, that the consumer doesn't realize they have just been closed, but they were shocked, realizing that someone else relates to how they feel. If you took the time to do the most important online market research of all- keyword research- would you find the problem statements that other folks ask with supplication? Would this small task, once mastered, hone you in on the people who are looking for you? We can't provide what others' need until we find out what that is.

Guerrilla marketing may be the best answer for a couple of reasons: (1) the current economic climate, considering purse strings being tightened the world over on expensive ad campaigns, and (2) the most profound reason: because the multitude of consumers are turning to the World wide Web for the answers they seek; not only for what to spend their hard earned cash on, but for answers on how to make more of it in these tough financial times.

Don't wait to learn more about this and other powerful marketing methods.

Guerrilla Marketing - How to Use Leaflet Distribution to Gain Free Publicity For a Web Site

If you have a new website or business that you want to promote, but you have a limited budget, how do you advertise at minimal cost to get visitors? Using some of the ideas from guerrilla marketing, one of the first approaches you should consider is leaflet distribution. The leaflets can be printed about the size that would fit into your hand easily. In a brief and informative way, the leaflet captures peoples' imagination and whets their curiosity enough to want to visit your web site to get more information.

The cheapest and easiest way to produce the leaflets is to print them on a single A4 or US Letter sheet, arranged in a 2x2 grid, then use a guillotine or paper cutter to split them into individual leaflets.

What can you do with leaflets like these once you have produced a pile of them? Here are some examples of why these leaflets are so useful:

• You can have a bunch of them ready to give to people who ask about your web site, showing the URL they can go to for more information.
• You can leave a small pile of them in places where people are likely to spend time waiting and reading magazines, such as in doctor's and dentist's surgeries, the hairdresser, the library, and so on.
• You can post them through letter-boxes.
• You can put them on car windscreens as you pass them.
• You can leave them in shops - at the checkout, for instance, when people have to wait and potentially spend several minutes looking at them.
• You can put one into magazines or newspapers.
• You can leave a few at kebab or hotdog stands, or at take-aways and fast-food restaurants.
• You can leave them anywhere you sit, or wait in line, as you go about your daily business.
• You can stand in the street giving them away to passers by.

The use of these leaflets is so flexible that your own imagination is the only limit. The results will not happen overnight, but the more you distribute, the more people will see the leaflet, and either remember the website, or pick up a leaflet and take it home. The more people see the leaflet and go to the website, the more your web site traffic will increase.

Just imagine the effects of these leaflets over time. If you leave some in a fast-food restaurant, dentists, doctors or hairdressers, for example, a small pile of leaflets could be sitting there for weeks before they are eventually taken away. In the meantime, with a captive audience spending many minutes looking at the stack of magazines, your leaflets will be seen by dozens and potentially hundreds of people over the next few days. It is inevitable that some of them will go to your web site, and you have gained traffic at almost no time and expense to yourself.

Over time, as you start to build this into your daily routine, you will automatically start to take leaflets with you everywhere you go and everywhere you travel. You don't need to do anything more.

As long as you only leave a few leaflets in places where you ordinarily go about your daily business, you will get free advertising. The only cost is printing out a new batch of leaflets every few days. Spend some time with your word processor and produce the leaflets yourself.

As long as you don't carpet bomb an area with leaflets littered absolutely everywhere and get complaints, using leaflets is an excellent way to steadily raise awareness of your web site in your local area and beyond. If you travel away from home, don't forget to take a stack of leaflets with you! Over time, tens of thousands of people will see your leaflet. That's pretty good advertising for a free idea!

Guerrilla Marketing - How to Be Effective to Any Target Market

A term frequently thrown around in the 21st century is "new media." With the emergence of social media and digital content, new media has become a large portion of people's lives. With very little research regarding the effectiveness or stability, companies are reluctant to pursue marketing campaigns where the ROI isn't clearly defined.

However, as the economy suffers, the best way to make money is to think smart. The belief is that if you spend more money on advertising/publicity, you will get more impressions or buzz. Of course, like with any investment, your expectations can fall very short.

In no way has guerrilla marketing been the lone execution in establishing a product or company, but it's a cost effective way to jump start a brand's image and street cred. It can also be used to incite short-term recall or to re-iterate a company's stance on certain issues (speaking through their brand).

One thing guerrilla marketing shouldn't be is a major expenditure. Yes, the ideas behind the execution should probably be insightful and inspiring - but it shouldn't cost you money. This is where your creativity and strategic thinking come together for smart, effective executions. Guerrilla marketing should always summarize a positive characteristic of your brand, but never summarize your entire brand.

Whether you're a large, fast-food brand or a small independent sewing company, the gist of guerrilla marketing are the same: it's a low cost medium to add personality and build awareness for potential consumers.

Examples can be found among city streets or local town halls. Here are some tips, supported by examples, to help ensure that your guerrilla marketing campaigns are successful.

1. Respect and Inform

There's nothing more annoying than a political flyer that assumes your level of intelligence is below that of a monkey. Not one consumer will embrace your brand if they feel the brand has disrespected them as a person or as a part of a bigger group. Although it is creative to be somewhat controversial, you must tip-toe this line carefully, as your image has a lot to lose by going overboard.

A great example of this is from my own experience. A college-campus food company had a specific execution in their men's urinals. The mat in the urinal read: "In Your Hands, You Hold the Power to Stop Rape". A powerful, straightforward piece of copy that lingers in the minds of males, even if only for a few seconds. It acknowledges an audience and respectfully educates them at a position that is appropriate to the message and receiver.

2. Don't think "outside the box" - Look at the box from a different angle

Whoever came up with the phrase, "think outside the box," never took full advantage of exploring the content inside the box. Thinking outside the box generates subjective ideas that are likely hard to relate or just too far fetched for the average consumer. As a brand, you must respect the target's level of intelligence instead of trying to compete with it. If you want to speak to them on a personal level, you don't want to leave or try to shake up their "box." Instead, look left, look right, and stand at a different angle from the corner. I know this is all metaphorical, but the point is this: don't rise above consumer mindset, it will only give you more work trying to explain your actions.

3. Think about how you can help your community, your consumer, and your brand

Companies benefit from building a trusted, reliable community of customers that will not only speak well on their behalf but continuously use their product. To support the "target triangle" (consumer, community, company), some smaller brands choose local sponsorships or simply rely on word-of-mouth service. However, there are plenty of ways to break the hustle and bustle to bring a spotlight onto a win-win-win situation.

KFC, in the midst of its "re-freshen" movement, decided to forgo a segment of their traditional advertising to pursue a cheaper and interactive route: repairing potholes. This had a profound effect on the community - as potholes are a major issue to frequent drivers - as well as KFC's image. Not only was this a buzz-worthy execution, but it worked to provide solutions to more than one problem.

4. Catch them during their "routine"

Advertisements have become so numerous that we see thousands upon thousands of them just in a day's work, the majority of which we simply process and forget. However, using unconventional material or an unusual presentation can halt people in their tracks, causing them to take a step backward and ask themselves, "what was that?"

A good example is an ad for Crisis.org.uk, which required no durable ad space or use of Photoshop to create a stunning effect. Instead, a little bit of realism and hard-hitting copy did the trick just fine.

There are several other great examples of cost-effective marketing that depend on the product's purpose, but even when a product can "sell itself," marketing can strengthen the brand's overall dominance in the consumer arena. Unfortunately, with advertisements shot at us from every angle, we have become almost 'immune' to certain mass media executions. A movement to quality instead of quantity has slowly taken over the advertising and marketing spectrum, while every brand wants to know exactly where their consumer leaves footprints. With data collection and an increase in information availability, we will see various, strategic guerilla campaigns that will strike a chord at the hearts of their brands' core consumers.

Guerilla Marketing Examples & Guerilla Advertising Strategies For Sales Professionals

Guerrilla Marketing- is a phrase coined by Jay Conrad Levinson as a take no prisoners way of marketing (not to be confused with prospecting tactics taught by most sales organizations) Guerrilla marketing can be an inexpensive way to market for the entrepreneurs who are on a "shoe string" budget. Guerrilla marketing can be used to generate new business right in your own back yard.

This strategy is highly recommend to first time entrepreneurs and independent professionals who are having a hard time prospecting for new clients.

Guerrilla Marketing can be defined as going after conventional goals using unconventional methods. Most business owners and sales professionals usually start out by throwing money at their marketing campaign before investing in their marketing education.

When using guerrilla marketing the focus is to find as many ways to market your service with little or no cost at all. It essentially about the creativity that you can bring to the marketplace.

"7 Steps of a Guerrilla Marketing Plan"

1. Call to Action-What do you want your customers to do (i.e buy your product or services)

2. Competitive Audience-who are your competitors and what are they doing

3. Target Audience-Who is your core audience and what is the best medium to reach them through)

4. List of Marketing Weapons (Tools)-What tools are you going to use (signs,special reports,newsletter)

5. Positioning -How to your want to be perceived in your niche market by your audience

6. Company Identity- Do you want to be known as the cheapest guy or the most expensive, the most classy, the quickest the easiest?

7. What's your marketing budget- How much do you have to put toward your guerrilla marketing campaign.

"Guerrilla Marketing Strategy"

An example of guerrilla marketing would be referral marketing. As you all know referred customers are the best customers. The great thing about referral marketing is that it can be absolutely free.

If you already have some existing customer base ask them for a referrals but offer them something in return. For example a free offer of your product or service next time they purchase. When the person or people they referred to you buy give them the same offer.

Another example will be advertising in high traffic areas. Lets say you have a restaurant you can make an offer and post it on a sign professionally from a FedEx Kinkos for less than $35.

Create a picture of a delicious plate your number and address. You can tie balloons around the sign or make it in the shape of a person on the side of the road. This will drive tons of traffic to your business since they are already in their car.

Public speaking is another guerrilla marketing tactic. There are many organizations both for profit and non that are always in need of a speaker to keep there events exciting and valuable. With the right educational approach this can prove to be a perfect way to generate leads and position yourself as an expert.

Be sure to present valuable educational content that is relevant to your product and service but leave the sales pitch out. Studies have proven that with a good follow up process more than 50% of the audience will turn in to paying customers.

Writing Articles in your local papers is a favorite for guerrillas. Public relations usually proves to be more profitable than advertising and the media is always looking for a good story or at least content for their columns. Try submitting press releases on interesting ways that your bringing value to the marketplace.

Database Marketing- If you have been in business for at least a while than you should at least have a list of you current customers. These are often the best prospects because its always easier and less expensive to sell to people that have already bought from you. Try offering special offers to previous customers and customer appreciation discounts.

"Guerrilla Marketing Tools"

Print materials- flyers, Signs, Special Reports, On or offline newsletters, postcards, banners, seminars are all good guerrilla marketing tools. Try anyone of these tactics with the right tools and your guerrilla marketing campaign is sure to get off to a good start.

Print Wall Stickers - Guerrilla Marketing

The current direction of today's businesses is to keep up with the ever-changing market trends to survive Guerilla marketing through print wall stickers is an effective medium in targeting potential customers. This method is very ideal for small and medium enterprises who wish to be efficient without wasting too much cost and manpower. Below are practical print wall stickers ideas to boost your branding:

Optimize your Print Wall Stickers in Four Steps:

1. Plan ahead. Avoid wasting your time and valuable resources by plotting your promotional campaign way ahead. Be sure to study and identify places that your potential customers frequent most. These will be the "battleground" for your guerrilla campaign.

2. Think of an eye-popping design. The objective is to grab your potential market's attention. Conceptualize a design that would call people's attention even in the busiest section of the city. You only have 3 seconds to hook them to your print sticker so use the most awe-inspiring image you can get hold onto.

3. Use Screaming colors. Yes, it is highly recommended to use attractive colors like orange, green and red for your poster. However, the color elements shouldn't compete with your brand message. Use colors to highlight significant text and downplay less important print wall elements.

4. Get straight to the point. Communicate your message in the fastest and clearest way possible. Keep in mind that you will have to deal with an audience of extremely short-attention span. Ambiguity is a no-no. People will be too busy to focus and figure out your message.

5. Go for quality. The impression that people will get upon first seeing your print wall sticker is crucial. This will determine the success of your promotion campaign. The quality of your sticker will be in the hands of your chosen printing company. Considering this, it is best to search and choose for the best printing site that offers excellent overall printing services, not to mention highly competitive prices.

Marketing, guerrilla style, demands optimum maximization of resources. Your print wall sticker should instantly connect with your target audience, thus the quality of your promotional material is of great importance.

Guerrilla Marketing Online - Effective, Low Cost, High Impact Tactics

Times are tough across the boards. Yes, some people are thriving and having the best year they have ever had (like ours at Taz Solutions, Inc.) but I could only imagine the year we would have had had this been an up-economy. This downswing in spending has been causing massive cuts to marketing. These massive cuts to marketing are causing massive decreases in sales. Rather then sink your ship, now is the time to think out-side the box.

In both up and down economies there are a set of tools and tactics that we employ regadless. These tactics are referred to as Guerrilla Marketing.

As a certified Guerrilla Marketing coach, I bring the entire Guerilla Marketing philosophy to our company in our online and offline efforts.

In fact, Guerrilla Marketing Online has recently been even more impactful then our offline efforts from an ROI standpoint. We're able to get a much quicker response by leveraging the power of the web.

If you're not familiar with Guerrilla Marketing - check out their site, it will change the way you think about marketing forever (click on Guerrilla Marketing). Boiled down, Guerilla Marketing is low cost, high impact. Rather then using a ton of money, you use time, energy and imagination.

Online Marketing doesn't need to need to cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. In fact, most of it can be done free of charge!

Here are six examples of Guerrilla Marketing Online in Action:

• A fan of the social networking site Ecademy hosting a virtual Anti-Facebook Party
• A media firm hosting it's holiday party on secondlife.com and inviting their customers
• Gary Vaynerchuk starting a blog from the ground up voying to make an impact on his audience. He crush's it by posting a vast amount of useful, transparent and thoughtful content. To date, he has a massive loyal following and some pretty exciting deals taking place.
• Starbucks launching Starbucks Ideas to get FREE Ideas on how to grow their business
• Zappos.com using Twitter to give special twitter online offers
• Matthew Ferry giving away his famous webinar worth over $500 to support his loyal followers (and rocking in over 1000 registered people)

There are millions of ways to practice Guerrilla Marketing Online, it's all about getting creative and putting a little bit of sweat into the process. I promise you, now is the time to really kick your marketing up a notch, you can't afford not to!

What Is Experiential Marketing and How Does It Work?

Experiential marketing is a relatively new phenomenon within marketing circles. It has been heralded as a completely unique approach when compared to traditional tactics as its main emphasis is to connect with the consumer, giving them an experience that will they remember, subsequently helping them to remember the product or brand being marketed. Essentially it is by engaging peoples' emotions and thought processes that memorable and successful campaigns are completed.

Experiential marketing has one underlying aim, this aim is to enter consumer minds, creating thoughts that connect with fun and pleasure. It is through the cognitive connections between enjoyment and the particular brand that success will be achieved. Understandably, creating experiential marketing campaigns is not easy; finding the original concept that relates to the target audience is a difficult and arduous task. This fundamental process involves researching the consumers in the audience, understanding how they think, feel and react to certain situations so that it is possible to market the product or brand on a level that they will be able to receive.

The senses play a massively important role in experiential marketing. Marketers are well aware that when designing campaigns it is vital to incorporate impressive, striking visuals that catch the eye, sounds that stir the emotions and in some cases an experience that will be both enjoyable and memorable.

For those still in the dark about experiential marketing it is likely that you have already been involved in a campaign. At most major events, there are some brands pushing their latest product, either by allowing consumers to try a free sample or by getting them involved in using it, playing it and generally interacting with it. That said, experiential marketing does not always have to focus around a product, equally it can be used simply to promote a new brand, or a brand trying to change its image in the public eye.

Importantly, this form of marketing, particularly if associated with a brand must be coherent and uniform. There is little point, for example if you have an old brand, that is not seen as modern or youthful and holding a brief, one day event that is promoting the brand as youthful is unlikely to change many minds. Instead a longer term process of changing people's perceptions through experiences is likely to achieve success.

Creating A Guerilla marketing plans

Marketing deserves special attention because success of a business depends upon it. Not everyone has enough money to launch expensive marketing campaigns. People with sufficient budgets can opt for expensive marketing methods to promote their products. Guerilla marketing is about cost effective methods of promoting a brand, product or service. Follow these steps to create an effective guerilla marketing plan:

1. Clearly define your target audience. Who is your prospective customer? Why people need your product? Answer these questions and you will know the best way to reach your customer. There is no point of reaching old people through email campaigns. You can draw young customers through online marketing campaigns.

2. Underline your niche and selling point. Find out the unique benefits of your product. You have to be really creative to see benefits that other people want. Consider the brand perception that you want to create through a marketing plan.

3. Prepare your budget and allocate the amount for different tasks. You can spend on flyers and posters or you can build a website and promote a product online. Consider the nature of business that you are in. Pay attention to the minute details of competitor's marketing plans.

4. Reach out to the customer. Don't limit your marketing efforts to one or two mediums. Depending upon the product and target audience, you can choose suitable marketing channel.

5. You can sponsor an event, give away prizes at a football match, collect charity for a cause, give away small gifts such as pencils, bookmarks to the prospective customers and create online presence.

6. Hire talented people to execute your marketing plan. Be wise, even to select the guy who passes out the flyers to college students or pedestrians outside supermarket. Try to be cost effective so that you may continue your marketing efforts until you have actual sales.

Guerilla Marketing That Worked

Saint Paul, Minnesota: Before the opening of the first Crazy Carrot Juice Bar, marketer Eric Strauss engaged
in some forward thinking. He spent $73 to put together a life-sized carrot costume, which was worn at several
special events around town.

Over the next year, the "Carrot" made many public appearances. It was featured in various print, radio, and television media, and became largely responsible for catapulting the company's success. Eventually, the Crazy Carrot Juice Bar expanded to five stores and 65 employees, and was then sold to industry giant Jamba Juice -- all for a mere $73 investment.

Irvington, New York: The Flying Fingers Yarn Shop, just outside of Manhattan, was looking to expand its customer base. At the suggestion of a marketing consultant, the company secured three giant balls of yarn, complete with knitting needles, to the roof of a modified van and called it the Yarn Bus.

On weekends, the Yarn Bus travels between Irvington and NYC, promoting visibility and making special appearances at news events. Flying Fingers has seen a good increase in store traffic, but more importantly, people who might not make the physical trip to the store are made aware of their website, where they can learn about knitting classes offered by the store and purchase knitting supplies. The high visibility of the Yarn Bus has produced excellent results.

Manhattan, New York: Even not-for-profit businesses look to expand their reach. The Marble Church sought a way to attract younger members and revitalize their congregation. So, they turned to a marketing firm who
came up with some unusual ways to get the word out.

One Labor Day weekend, hundreds of Hamptons weekenders visitors to the Hamptons spotted an airplane banner bearing the intriguing message: "Make a friend in a very high place. Marblechurch.org." In addition, the
church rented a low-cost mobile billboard (mounted on the side of a van) that drove around Manhattan. The
sign read: "In This Town It Doesn't Hurt to Have God Onon Your Side."

These creative messages, delivered in creative ways, introduced Marble Church to people who would otherwise never have heard of the place. As a result, the church reported a 31% increase in membership.

Oregon: Odd giveaways abound. People are intrigued by the unusual, which may explain why the Les Schwab tire dealership's "free beef in February" promotion keeps customers coming back, or why a nearby bank receives excellent local media coverage for their yearly tradition of giving away free Vidalia onions to anyone who walks in.

Five Guerilla Marketing Tactics For Promoting an Internet Television Show

What is guerilla marketing? Guerilla Marketing is the use of low-cost niche marketing tactics. The tactics are designed to be cheap and easily implemented. Some are online, some are offline, but all are readily available to implement immediately.

1.) Bandit signs! This is by far the most effective way to generate interest fast.

You can purchase bandit signs online at baditsigns.com or you can buy poster board or corrugated board and hand write your signs. Studies have shown that handwritten signs pull better results. This is because people think you took the time to 'personalize' your message to them. It's also, A LOT cheaper.

2.) Flyers- Passing out flyers around your town with information about your TV show will generate local interest in it.

3.) Contests! Hold a contest for your viewers... Offer a spot on your show in return for some kind of participation, submitting a show idea for instance.

4.) Press Releases, write a press release about your show and submit to your local newspapers and TV stations.

5.) Promotional items... pens, buttons, things people use with your show's logo or name on them. Pens are great because of how much they 'get passed around'.

There are a lot of guerilla marketing tactics that can be used to promote an Internet Television show. Use all of them that you learn about. Any one item used alone will produce results, but it's using all of them together as a system that sets apart the men from the boys.

Guerrilla Marketing - 4 Ways to Generate More Traffic Next Week

You can create more traffic for you and your business without spending any additional money on marketing. With guerrilla marketing, it is more about out-smarting the competition than it is about out-spending the competition. Boundless opportunities and countless positive effects on your business await you when you take advantage of the guerrilla- marketing concept. guerrilla Marketing is defined as unconventional marketing designed for low budgets and maximum impact. guerrilla marketing gets you and your company in front of future customers in the places that they frequent. Customers today are bombarded with traditional advertising and have become resistant and unaffected by it. Meaning: it is time to change the way you market.

Guerrilla marketing works when complimentary businesses agree to come together and take a cooperative approach to marketing their businesses. There are synergies between companies who serve a similar customer base. Identifying these synergies and getting to know one another's business are the first steps towards creating a lasting guerrilla marketing relationship. The possibilities are as vast as your imagination. Here are four guerrilla- marketing techniques that you can use to generate more traffic next week:

1. Thank-You Take-A-Way Packets

A thank-you take-a-way packet enhances your sale, helps validate the customer's purchase, and provides a valuable service to your customers while simultaneously thanks them for being your customer. The key to the take-a-way packet is to have something that is high quality and feels like a thank-you gift. It should, by no means, represent a selling piece. The thank-you take-a-way packet will vary depending on your type of business. For a high-end retail location we suggest using a small folder about the size of a half sheet of paper. On the outside of the folder should be an effective and professional design with the words "Thank You." Inside the folder should contain all the relevant paperwork associated with their purchase as well as all necessary information to make sure that their after purchase experience is pleasant and well informed.

This information should go on one side of the folder only. The other side of the folder is where you will put your pieces of value. Pieces of value can include anything that your customer will enjoy receiving. Successful examples include, a free appetizer at a local restaurant, free dry cleaning, a small book on a topic relevant to their purchase, or a small ad-specialty item from a complimentary business. The pieces of value will differ depending on the type of business that you are in. Use your imagination and have fun with it. These thank-you packets work because every company that is represented in your packet will reciprocate by including your piece of value in their packet. Therefore, you are quadrupling your exposure to customers from complimentary businesses in exchange for giving your customers something that they perceive as a gift.

2. Website Co-Branding

When you have a strong guerrilla partner network, you can use a similar approach with your website. The group of businesses can link their websites together in a way that 'provides value first'. Providing value first means that the link needs to be positioned in a way that is more than an advertisement. A good cooperative link on a website is more than just an advertisement. It must be something that would interest a customer. Examples include interesting tips, suggestions, or examples of how the customer can enhance their experience. For example, having an interior designer and a realtor provide design tips could add value and augment the experience of buying a new home.

3. Lunch and Learns

Whether you are a financial planner, a realtor, or a fitness expert, you have valuable information that people would love to hear about. When you provide value first and you provide value without expectation of something in return, a return is exactly what you will get. Office buildings love food -- especially free food. The lunch-and-learn program is a guerrilla marketing strategy that has been proven successful. The lunch and learn program is an educational lunch program for an office that would be sponsored by you or your company. The office personnel would gather and eat lunch while listening to your talk on something both valuable and interesting. Do not try to sell them anything; this should be treated as an opportunity to share valuable information that they can use. The best contact to set up these lunches is the office manager.

Most times the office will provide the lunch and you will provide the talk. If they do not provide lunch, you will be able to negotiate for a local restaurant to provide the lunch for free in exchange for some signage on the lunch table and their information in your packet that will accompany your presentation. Topics will naturally vary depending on your profession. If you are a financial planner you can give a talk on "10 things you can do now to guarantee financial security," "investing tips for the non-investor," or anything else that is both creative and interesting. After the mini seminar, ask "If anyone would like to hear more about (topic), just drop your business card in the basket at the front." You can also have a mini- book prepared on the subject and offer to send it free to anyone who is interested. You will leave with an established reputation in the field as well as a small stack of qualified leads with whom you have already established rapport and credibility.

4. Be A Guest Columnist In A Newsletter

There are networking organization newsletters, non-profit newsletters, and internal company newsletters. These newsletters are always looking for guest columnists that will provide a relevant and an interesting article. This technique is similar to the concept of the lunch and learns. Seek out these newsletters and offer to write a column. When they run your column, you will provide valuable and interesting information. By doing so you will be getting your name out into the community as an expert in your field. By having a brief bio at the end of the column, the readers who have an interest will have the information necessary to contact you for further information. You may even direct them to your website to download a small mini-book on the topic where you will capture their information for proper follow up.

The different types of guerrilla marketing are endless and are only limited by your imagination and willingness to get out in front of people. guerrilla Marketing is incredibly effective because the rapport that the partner business has already established with their customer is transferred to you and your company. When you successfully implement guerrilla marketing into your marketing plan, then your cost per lead will be significantly reduced while the quality of your traffic will dramatically increase.

Viral Marketing - A Promising Trend

Today's Competitive world has made the term marketing to have more familiarity in all our lives. Of course, the techniques of marketing will change but will not change the effect of it. Many companies have attempted many more techniques of marketing to influence the market. All innovations are will become obsolete in future. Even now many companies and their authorized agents, those who have used direct marketing, telemarketing, e-marketing etc., to intrude the market have started facing their problem. It's highly true that even those above stated techniques, will have to be changed as people have started expressing their grief towards the salespersons, telecallers and e-mail blogs. Influencing the customers has become complicated as many them feels marketing as one of the biggest headache. So it is high time for the marketers to use techniques that are lively to create a sense of trust among the customers.

About Viral marketing:

One such is Viral Marketing which has come in full swing. This will spread as fast as a Virus could do. Viral Marketing refers to the method of using the existing social networks to increase the level of brand awareness. It is being done in the forms of interactive and funny Flash games, interesting Video clips and even through text messages. This is also known as Buzz marketing or Word of Mouth Marketing. Because of the Human tendency to interact with all around, it is being strongly believed that any information delivered through this way will bare a layer of Credibility. So this technique is being highly valued by the Marketers.

It is true that a satisfied customer spreads his/her level of satisfaction about a product/ service to three people. A dissatisfied customer will spread his/her dissatisfaction about a product/service to eleven people. This general tendency is a base for viral marketing. Nowadays, marketers are more interested in finding out people who have strong Social networking Potential. After that, they are creating programs that convey their viral message through those people with an appealing effect. They never fail to make sure about the probability of the message being passed over.

Many companies who followed this technique have succeeded to a greater extent. After the intervention of Web 2.0, many web start-ups like Youtube, Myspace etc, have used this buzz marketing with the help of the social networks developed by themselves. Using Internet as a communication platform, this BUZZ has become even more powerful and useful for the Consumers. This has given rise to the services and tools called buzz monitoring, which is used for online Public Relations.

Marketers tend to focus over the development of Products and services, that creates positive buzz naturally. The biggest challenge for them would be in finding out an influencer, who has high level of authority and personal connection. The whole campaign stays on the shoulder of that influencer. The Influencer attempts to inject a positive buzz into a conversation, that happens naturally with in his surroundings. This creates a sense of Anxiety among target people, as the buzz is being created by an influencer who is highly relied upon. People obviously believe that the influencer, who speaks honestly and are unlikely to have secondary or ulterior motive.

It is highly unknown to the Target that the influencer receives incentives for his/her referrals. The emphasis would be more on the creation of beneficial and transparent conversations as per the requirements of Section 5 of the federal Trade commission act. It prohibits all sorts of activities that are conducted with a notion of deceiving the noble public. Being involved in Viral marketing, it is high time for the marketers to understand the difference between unfair and legitimate practices. Many more organizations have given their recommendations regarding Ethical conduct.

Viral marketing and Guerilla marketing:

All these buzz marketing/Viral marketing/Word of Mouth Marketing comes under a broad term called Guerrilla Marketing. It is a method where customers will no where feel the sense of marketing. Without knowing that they are being marketed into, emotionally, they will follow what they see. Of course, effective marketing creates interest. For example, a company might book an actor/actress/ a socially sound person. The company will ask them to use its product in a crowded area visibly in all the places where the target customers tend to assemble. That ambassador may even offer trial samples that are economically feasible to the target audience. This will stimulate them without even making them to realize that a marketing campaign is going on. This is done with a 'befriend' attitude and so it gives out a big impact. Both the Viral Marketing and Guerrilla marketing are same in all perspectives. But at times Guerrilla marketing may act as a start for Viral Marketing. A Word of Mouth Marketing may start from a Guerrilla campaign.

Why these techniques......?

A Consumer can stay away and free from all sorts of media but he can never put him out of people around him. A company can even send a salesperson door by door to create brand awareness and can make few sales. But, the ultimate motive of creating a sense of trust and Credibility will be in vein. But a Consumer subjected to Guerilla marketing will not only try that product, but also spreads it (buzz) to his/her circle. The financial risk associated with this is also very low, and so, it is a cost effective method. These undercover marketing methods are used when the traditional marketing methods becomes outdated. They will act as a new solution for the need of marketing.

There are few aspects behind screen which should not be revealed to the customers in these campaigns. A consumer's sense of trust is the main reason behind his/her purchase and recommendations. The consumer will really feel that as an unforced recommendation. The Influencer gets commission for every sale that he brings in. He is ultimately benefited by the company. But, these things are something called as off-the screen activities.

Conclusion:

Innovation is the only way to stay alive in this world. Difference alone can make a difference. Differentiation is the best strategic way to create brand power. Such difference could be in the products, as well as in the way they are marketed. But, staying in tune with the creative ideas will keep the brand alive. Any new idea will become obsolete one day. But, it is wiser to change the trend of marketing once after a trend gets ruled out. Even this viral marketing will have to face a change over a due course of time. That's how the traditional marketing was ruled out. But, it is always better to get adhered with the marketing ethics before designing a marketing campaign to stay on the safer side.

What is Guerrilla Marketing?

The history of these battles is the history of guerrilla warfare. There are similar stories in business.

One example is that of the "Marlboro Man". Before the Marlboro Man, the Marlboro brand of cigarettes was ranked 31st - almost rock bottom. After the introduction of the Marlboro Man, and the guerrilla branding campaign to promote it, Marlboro became the #1 brand in a multi-billion dollar industry. It may shock you how many of the "big business" names (that are now household words) started out as struggling small businesses.

The history of the ascent of these icons is the history of guerrilla marketing.

Until 1984, the principles of guerrilla marketing were known only by a select few people in the world. They jealously kept this information quiet with almost fanatical secrecy. And who can blame them? If you had some special knowledge that allowed you to rise to the top of your field, would you want this information to be made public? Of course not!

The balance of power was dramatically upset by a maverick marketing genius named Jay Conrad Levinson - a man who is arguably the most respected marketer in the world.

He is the man who coined the term "guerrilla marketing" and introduced these secrets to the average Joe (like me). His concepts are so successful that he has published 27 books on the subject (in 37 languages), his books are required reading in the most respected MBA programs in the world, and he is now the most widely read and respected author of business books in the world.

And Jay did all this "from scratch". That is, the success of the "Guerrilla Marketing" brand is a testament to the very principles Jay himself teaches.

It just so happens that he is also one of the creators of the Marlboro Man. (Think what you will about tobacco, but you can not deny the power of the marketing behind Marlboro - arguably the most successful marketing campaign in history, and the most widely recognized brand in the world.)

So, what then, is Guerrilla Marketing all about?

Let's take a segment from Jay's new book "Guerrilla Marketing for the New Millennium" to learn:

"Marketing is absolutely every bit of contact any part of your business has with any segment of the public. Guerrillas view marketing as a circle that begins with your ideas for generating revenue and continues on with the goal of amassing a large number of repeat and referral customers.

"The three key words in that paragraph are EVERY, REPEAT, and REFERRAL. If your marketing is not a circle, it's a straight line that leads directly into Chapters 7, 11, or 13 in the bankruptcy courts.

"HOW IS GUERRILLA MARKETING DIFFERENT FROM TRADITIONAL MARKETING?

"Guerrilla marketing means marketing that is unconventional, non-traditional, not by-the-book, and extremely flexible. Eighteen factors make it different from old-fashioned marketing: "

Jay then goes on to list 18 things that separate guerrillas from "mere mortals".

(See below for info on his new electronic book - it's recognized as his most powerful work yet - and can't be found in book stores.)

So, how then, does this information apply to those of us marketing on the Internet?

Far more than you think! The Internet is not just a new guerrilla battlefield - it's the *ultimate* guerrilla battlefield. There have been more small business mega-success stories in the last 5 years than in the combined history of business.

And there are clearly two factors that have influenced this more than anything:

1. The Internet

2. Guerrilla Marketing

Ever wonder why big businesses are totally blowing it online? Because they are not guerrilla thinkers!

These big bloated bureaucracies are sluggish and set in their ways. This means that someone like you can step in and out-maneuver them. (More and more big businesses are turning to small business entrepreneurs to teach them how to market online - the tables have turned!)

So, start thinking like a guerrilla right now. You have the advantage - all you have to do is take it.

Here's the definitive place to get started - where you will find an easy to follow step by step plan for launching a "guerrilla attack"! History is full of stories where tiny, unadvanced armies have handily defeated better equipped and much larger armies.

Online Guerrilla Marketing - Simple Rules to Success

As small business owners, we often do not have the advertising and promotion budget of most multinational corporations have - we cannot afford to splurge our money on big billboards right in the middle of a shopping street.

However, we can employ guerrilla marketing techniques - creative and unconventional marketing tactics to reach out to our target audience, often at a minimal cost. When these tactics are employed properly, these tactics can bring a good steady supply of traffic and leads to your website.

Most of these techniques, however, do take time. Here are some simple rules for success:

1. Focus on your objective and target audience - whenever you employ a new marketing technique, or start a new campaign, always be sure about how that technique is going to reach your target audience. If it does not link you up to more profits, then don't wait miracles to happen, or waste any more energy. Move on to the next tactic.

2. Plan your work, and work your plan - because you are essentially trying to be creative and trying to take your target audience by surprise, it also becomes easy for you to be led astray by your own actions. Be sure to always have a written plan on how things are going to be done, and follow your plan. If changes need to be made along the way, these changes need to deliberate and planned.

3. Keep track of your results - as you try out a variety of techniques, some will invariably work better than others. Learn from your own experiences and always keep track of what works and what doesn't. You can do this simply by starting a spreadsheet and documenting the date, activity and outcome.

4. Review, rinse and repeat - when you find a particular guerrilla marketing technique that works, quickly review what you have done exactly, and then rinse and repeat. Sometimes, a marketing technique will only work for the short term, for example, until your target audience gets fatigued of your "creativity". Roll out effective marketing techniques quickly to leverage on the market responses.

Proper implementation of guerrilla marketing techniques might not be easy, but it can well save a small business from folding. If you are a small business owner, consider implementing some of these creative marketing tactics today!

Guerrilla Marketing Ideas For Real Estate - 3 Affordable Marketing Ideas With Proven Results

I used to think that in order to market effectively as a Realtor, large amounts of money needed to be spent on marketing strategies such as events, flyer's or media exposure in order to see results. While those methods can be effective, I don't think that way anymore. Ever since I have become a experienced Internet marketer, I have seen first hand the proven methods that work well, and won't necessarily cost you a lot of money. Here are 3 affordable guerrilla marketing ideas for real estate that can boost your sales dramatically.

1. Internet Marketing: The world wide web has spread to millions of households, so naturally, the Internet is by far at the top of the list for guerrilla marketing ideas for real estate today. There are different types of affordable Internet marketing techniques such as video marketing, article marketing or blogging. Video marketing is a huge way to brand yourself as a Realtor. Just by posting some videos of yourself looking presentable and talking about creative home selling tips or even videos of the city you are living in and why it is a great place to live, can promote you worldwide. Article Marketing is another one of the guerrilla marketing ideas for real estate. You can write anything you want about real estate and the more articles you have, the more you look like a pro. Having your own website and promoting it is another excellent and affordable way to market. Once you have learned how to use the top Internet marketing techniques effectively, and know how to get them ranked high in the search engines, you can use them daily in your promotional efforts. Find a good training and mentoring program that will teach you how to do that.

2. Online Free Classifieds: In my experience, I have been finding that free sites such as Kijiji or Craigslist can produce major results which is why it is on my list of guerrilla marketing ideas for real estate. Writing a good Ad with all the attractive details of the property can bring you tons of potential buyers because thousands of people are turning to these sites instead of looking at local newspapers. It is a great way to advertise and the best part is its free.

3. Social Media: You would be surprised to find out how well social media works. Every real estate agent spends a huge amount of their time trying to reach and interact with people. Popular social sites such as Facebook and Twitter attract millions of users everyday so that is why it is one of my guerrilla marketing ideas for real estate. Word of mouth spreads quickly so if you have a good Facebook page that has creative content and shows how helpful you will be in the home buying process, you will have a lot of users join your page in a short period of time. You can also post contests, discussion boards, polls, free tips or up coming events to create interest.

If you want to take your real estate business to the next level and attract hundreds of buyers, you will put some time and effort into these guerrilla marketing ideas for real estate. The more content you get on the web, the more traffic will come to your website. Using keyword research is absolutely crucial if you want to see major results. As I mentioned above, I suggest finding a proven mentoring and training program that will teach you how to master Internet marketing and how to build and promote your business.

Guerilla Marketing is Not For the Timid

Do you want to be a guerilla marketer? Do you have the temperament to be a guerilla marketer? Are you ready for battle?

Jay Conrad Levinson popularized the term with his 1984 book, "Guerilla Marketing". He describes it as unconventional marketing. Some industry experts even questioned the ethics of this new form of marketing. Considering that this book was published more than 20 years ago can we really consider Jay Conrad's Guerilla Marketing new and unconventional today?

And more importantly should you consider using guerilla marketing tactics in your business today? Maybe - if you have the mind and heart for it.

Guerilla Warfare

To really understand guerilla marketing we need to examine the concept that it is based on - guerrilla warfare. For this lesson in warfare there might be no better book than "Guerrilla Warfare" (1961) by Che Guevara. Yes, that Che - the South American revolutionary who fought alongside Castro in Cuba and later died in Bolivia.

In his book Che clarifies some fundamentals of guerilla warfare that might help with modern marketing. Perhaps this is where Jay Conrad Levinson found the inspiration for his book. Let's see what lessons we can still apply.

Mobility and Flexibility

Che points out that the most important equipment for a guerilla army is boots. The guerilla army needs to move quickly on a moment's notice and be prepared for a long march over difficult terrain. A good supply of boots enables that mobility.

The guerilla marketer needs good boots. You need to be flexible to move and adapt to deal with threats and take immediate advantage of opportunity. A guerilla marketer takes mountain paths not the highway.

Unfair Competition

The guerilla army is massively outgunned by the opposing forces. The size and resources of the opposing forces grant them an unfair advantage over the guerilla army. The guerilla army learns to bob and weave instead of fighting toe-to-toe.

The only way for the guerilla marketer to win is to find and use an unfair advantage over the competition. You will not win when you fight head-to-head with your bigger competition. Instead, pick on their weakness. If they are big then emphasize your more personal service. If the competition has annoying return policies promote your no-hassle returns. Even their strengths can be used against them. For example if the competition advertises lower prices you promote greater value. Attack your competition where they are weakest.
Word of Mouth Marketing
A guerilla army cultivates popular support from the locals. The locals provide food, shelter and information to the guerilla army.

A guerilla marketer cultivates popular support from the marketplace. Word of mouth is often the most powerful form of marketing. The guerilla marketer builds relationships with clients and prospects to survive the ups and downs of the market.

A guerilla army is lead by popular leaders that spawn legends of their deeds. The guerilla marketer tells stories to inspire the guerillas and offer hope to the locals. The locals spread the legends of the great leader and hope for victory.

Legends and Story Telling

A guerilla marketer spawns stories and legends of the new exciting brand. The stories of going above and beyond normal expectations are spread by clients, prospects and the media. The guerilla marketer is not normal. She is controversial, unique and outspoken. She will infect staff and advocates with her passion and vision. Consider the guerilla marketing tactics and legends of Sir Richard Branson.

Strategy and Tactics

The guerilla army has a clear objective and supporting strategy. All tactics correspond to the strategy. The opposing forces often follow an unclear or outdated strategy. Tactics are prone to be the fad of the month.

The guerilla marketer takes the time to plan a clear strategy. Tactics are evaluated on congruence with the strategy. When you have a clear and solid strategy tactical decisions are easier and quicker.

The guerilla army is prepared and committed for a long fight. On the other hand the opposing forces are looking for a quick fix.

The guerilla marketer focuses on her goal beyond the horizon. She knows that there might be some bumps along the way. She is committed to her vision and gathers those about her to help reach the goal. She plans for the long win not the temptations of immediate gratification.

The guerilla army strikes and runs away. They could not survive a major toe-to-toe battle. They accept the small wins, regroup and move to fight another day.

The guerilla marketer never invests all her assets on one fight. She knows to take her gains and minimize her looses. It's not necessary to win every battle. The guerilla marketer understands that the real goal is to win the hearts and minds of the marketplace.

If you are ready to be an effective guerilla marketer, get yourself a good pair of boots.

7 Steps to Becoming a Guerilla Marketer

A staggering 85% of small businesses destined for failure bite the bullet or go bankrupt during their first five years. The remaining businesses that hang in there only break even: only 4% of new businesses make a sizable profit after 5 years.

Lack of marketing savvy is one of the main reasons this happens. Marketing is a waste of time and money if you are not attuned to the real world. Reality is that your clients and prospects are constantly being bombarded with cut-rate pricing, new products and services and enticing offers everyday. Successful marketing can not happen in a vacuum and does not have to cost millions.

Instead, businesses can have a very successful marketing program on very little budget if they do it the right ways. During a recent teleseminar for the Internet Master Series, Jay Conrad Levinson outlined a seven sentence marketing plan for listeners. The plan should take no more than five minutes to write and marketers should revisit the plan every 6 months.

The plan should follow this outline:

1) Define the physical action you want your target audience to take. For example do you want them to buy things, respond to a promotion, click on your website, call your 800# etc. By listing this out you can start to refine your message and determine how to reach your targets.

2) Define your competitive advantage that you will stress to get them to take this action step.

3) Define your target audience or audiences. Marketers often overlook key audiences so make sure that you list them all.

4) Define the marketing weapons you are going to use to get your message out. There are 100 ways to market and 63 of them are no cost. You need to select the things that you will do to get your message to your target audience.

5) Define your unique position, what is your niche in the marketplace.

6) Define your identity. Your identity must be steeped in the truth and stem from a place of trust.

7) Know your budget. Express this as a percentage of gross sales. The average business in the U.S. only spend 4 percent of their gross sales on marketing This is a key reason most businesses fail in the first five years.

Just as in a good marriage, marketers need to do everything with commitment. Mediocre marketing with commitment will do far better than great marketing without commitment.

By following a simple discipline of guerilla marketing and launching a savvy marketing campaign, you can tip the scales in your favor and be one of the survivors.

Guerrilla Marketing, Ideas That Will Get You More Sales

There are many small business marketing strategies that when implemented will get you lots more new business. However as you are considering various sales prospecting techniques, it is important to also remember what not to do. Here is the most the common mistake small businesses make with their marketing. If you avoid this, your small business marketing solution will pay off with lots more new clients.

The most important trap to avoid is to make sure you do not focus on activities rather than developing a business development process. Here's the scenario. Business is a bit slow so Mort the Business Owner wakes up one morning and says to himself, "It's about time we got some new business." So when Mort arrives at the office he immediately puts in place his Marketing Strategy. "Let's make some cold calls. Or write some letters. Or update the database. Or write an article." The list goes on and on.

What Mort has done (which virtually all of us do at some point or another) is to confuse activities with strategy. But why is this a problem? Well let's say that Mort sends out some letters or emails. And maybe a few people respond. And maybe Mort actually calls one or two of them. But then he gets busy (or decides that following-up really isn't that much fun) and he lets the leads grow mold.

Now obviously that's a waste. But here's what's even more wasteful. What do you think the reaction will be from those who responded the first time, when Mort decides to send them another letter during the next slow season? Probably not much.

Getting people to raise their hand and self identify themselves as having interest in your services is a time tested method for effective business development. But whatever method you use to make people aware of who you are and what you do is simply an activity. Sending letters. Making cold calls. Writing articles. Giving a speech. None of these are your marketing strategy. They're parts of your marketing strategy. It's important to always remember that they are simply activities.

A marketing strategy has three components to it. A method for making people aware of you. A method for capturing data about those people, and a method for staying in touch. When you have those three components linked together, then you have a marketing process. When they're not, then all you have is just have a bunch of activities. And the results speak for themselves.

One of the main reasons that marketing fails to yield the results we want is because we focus on the wrong things at the wrong time. If you start to drive traffic when your marketing trap is not established, the result will be that visitors will simply bounce off your site. That is a great waste of money, time and energy. Thus, make sure you're thinking about a marketing system rather than focusing on marketing activities.

Strategic Marketing: Developing Innovative and Creative Customer-Centric Strategic Marketing Plans

Introduction

Organizations that are successfully executing customer-centric strategies while seeking competitive edges and innovative strategies do one thing in common that will lead to their long term success:

They place the customer as the prime reason for every action they take within the organization. From the accounting department, through production and sales, into marketing and even the executive boardroom the customer is the most important focus for each and every activity that occurs.

In order to do this effectively the organization must develop a marketing plan that creatively incorporates customer values on many different levels.

The Marketing Plan

The successful entrepreneurs know that they have an advantage over the larger companies when it comes to the customer. They have the ability to get to know each and every client by collecting as much information about their spending habits, as well as their personal preferences and then utilizing that information to make the customer feel special. The larger companies often are focused on a greater mass-market target and cannot target individually, but the small companies run by the smart people, know how essential it is to take the time to get to know the customer and everything about them.

The Marketing Mix

Every successful marketing plan must encompass at least the following four essential points through answering these questions:

1) Product - What kind of product or service will meet the target market needs?

2) Place (Distribution) - How can we get the product/service to the customer in an efficient and timely manner?

3) Price - What kind of pricing system will best fit the needs of the market to induce maximum sales profitability and maximum customer satisfaction?

4) Promotion - What kind of marketing strategies will be most successful in getting the message to the target segment?

Do all marketing strategies need to be expensive? Not anymore. Even the company of one can develop excellent affordable marketing plans by utilizing guerilla marketing strategies.

Guerilla Marketing Strategies

L. Conrad Levinson wrote a book about "guerilla Marketing" a few years back where he explained how small companies can battle the bigger, more slow-moving entities through cheap marketing tactics. The prime points he specified are as follows:

1) Find a niche market and fill that market. - Trying to be everything to everyone will fail.

2) Don't just sell, entertain the client. - Provide added-value experience through "atmospherics".

3) Be unique in your product, service, and how you offer. - This will get you remembered and the customer will come to you to see what is different.

4) Create a business identitythat the customer can relate to. - People like relating to things.

5) Connect with customers on an emotional level. - It has been proven that 72% of all purchases are made on impulse regardless of how much prior research is done on a product in advance, therefore target the impulse triggers: emotions.

By focusing everything on the customer, the guerilla marketer will create an unforgettable experience for the customer which will bring them back.

Market Research

Small companies can utilize very few resources and develop comprehensive market research in order to design their business plan. The internet is an excellent way of collecting cheap, detailed information on the market segments that the company wants to get involved in.Perform the due diligence to collect as much information as possible on the market, the segment, the clients, the products and the services bydefining theproblem and thenthinking about how to solve that problem. Here are some steps on what kind of information to collect:

1) Collect the market data on individuals. - The ultimate market niche is "one to one" where companies can target individuals to design products that meet their special needs. Dell Computers is an excellent example of this kind of marketing.

2) Provide detailed product and service information to the customer. - This will allow them to make comparisons on the rival offerings and give feedback to the company.

3) Improve service through following through on customer complaints. - It is difficult to "fix" something that is right, but it is important to "fix" something that is wrong. If you accept complaints gracefully and then act on them, solving them and reporting back to the client, you can improve the product/service and show them that their voice was important. This customer-centric feedback will impress the customer.

4) Astonish customers through exemplary service and products. - Don't just sell them something they need, make them so absolutely happy with the product that they utilize the most powerful marketing technique: word-of-mouth to spread the word to their friends. Dissatisfaction kills business far faster than satisfaction produces it.

5) Know the customer's buying cycles and time releases. - Develop a "Just in Time Marketing" system to decrease wasted costs through inventory control and bring only that which the customer wants to the market when they want it. This is an excellent way to cut costs and gain a competitive advantage.

6) Calculate the long term value of each client. - It is possible to determine which customers are profitable and which are not through simple calculations. Spend more time and effort on your profitable clients, and let the less-profitable ones go away to the competition. Frank Purdue developed a very good way to determine how much buying power his average customer had over their shopping lifetime and he then developed a system that focused on them.

7) Collect personal information about the customer. - Learn what customers like and dislike and increase their target likes. Get to know their names and thank them personally at the cash register to make them feel special. Use membership cards for this purpose. Note the names on credit cards at the register and offer thanks (e.g. "Thank you Mrs. Dill, please come again."). Make the customer feel good about coming into the business and making a purchase.

It is possible through data mining techniques to gather huge amounts of "competitive advantage data" through mining, or looking through the customer buying habits on the data base and making relational correlations to products and services. Use that information wisely to improve the circumstances for the customer.

Pinpoint Target Marketing

Larger companies tend to market more to the masses. If a customer's tastes are different, they must compromise their needs and buy something that is not exactly what they want. The smart entrepreneur can exploit this hole in the marketing plan by pinpointing a target market that is very specific, determining how they can fill that hole by meeting the specific needs of the customer with their product or service. They can then create a clear image of the target and jump in to excite the customer.

Relational Marketing

As previously discussed, one of the most important things a company can do is to develop a long-term personal relationship with each customer through the use of a variety of tools. As clients continue to return and make repeat purchases the per-customer cost for advertising decreases dramatically. It costs five times as much to get one new customer to buy as it does to get a repeat customer to make the same purchase.

By creating these personal relationships the customer will give the company a huge amount of data that can then be fit into the marketing plan so that the needs are met even better than before. As we get to know the client, they will provide us with more personal information which can then be used to provide personal marketing to each and every client (birthday discounts, anniversary sales, etc.) Their feedback is one of the most valuable "purchases" that the company can make therefore it is essential to invest in every action possible to gain their confidence. Once again, make the customer feel special, important, and satisfied. Small companies have the means to do this while large companies tend not to. Capitalizing upon this difference will allow the smart entrepreneur to gain a bigger customer base and improve profits.

Plotting a Market Strategy and Building the Competitive Edge

Companies that want to develop a competitive edge focus on the customer in the following ways:

1) Focus on the customer, not the product. - 67% of all lost business is due to a rude employee. 96% of all dissatisfied customers will never tell the company why they are dissatisfied and 91% of them will never buy again. 100% of unhappy customers will tell at least nine people of their dissatisfaction and this is a huge loss to business. Poor treatment loses 15-30% of all gross sales so by cutting the losses in profits through expending money, time and resources on creating very happy customers, in the end the company cuts costs and improves profits. It is essential to build this into the employees on a very deep level so the concept is not just "lip service". Ask the customer what can be done to improve.

2) Develop quality in products and services, not as the company defines it, but as the customer sees it. - This must be a Total Quality Management development that works its way through every single aspect of the business and every single relationship. There must be a continual drive for quality improvement in everything.

3) Make the experience as convenient as possible for the consumer. - Develop convenient locations for the customer to shop. Make the shopping hours convenient and appropriate to the market segment. Offer special services such as valet parking or a pick up and drop off service. Make payment easy and pain free. Be polite, efficient and speedy in every transaction. Allow employees to make their own decisions to solve problems rather than always having to look for a supervisor. Focus on the customer.

4) Concentrate on innovative products/services. - This is importantin order to continually excite the customer and keep them coming back for more. It also keeps the rivals one step behind. This is one of the greatest strengths of entrepreneurism.

5) Dedicate every aspect of the business and every single personnel in the company to service and customer satisfaction. - Astonish customers. Listen to them. Define superior service in their mind. Set standards and measure the performance against them. Hire the right employees and train them. Use technology to improve service. Reward employee superior service to empower them to work harder on customer satisfaction. Get top management support and not just lip service. View the customers as an investment and not as an expense.

6) Emphasize speed in every aspect of the business. - Most individuals have "no time" to wait and would rather go somewhere else than waste a minute or so anywhere in the purchase experience (parking, looking for goods, asking questions about prices, checkout, bagging, etc.). Reengineer all processes in the business to speed things up by cutting out waste. Create cross-functional teams to solve problems creatively and innovatively. Set difficult to achieve goals and push for them, sticking to the schedules. Redesign the supply chain (Wal-Mart is the God of supply chain efficiency). Use the latest technology to speed up all aspects of work.

It is absolutely essential that the company ingrains this into the essence ofeach and every employee in the business. This includes the executives, the managers, the HR department, accounting,the line workers; everyone must be devoted to the customer be prepared to do whatever it takes to delight them.

Understanding the Product Life Cycle

It is essential for a successful marketing attack to understand that like people, all products have a lifecycle that affects the profitability from sales:

1) Introduction Stage. - Customers are hesitant at first but then excited. The company must spend a lot of money at this stage on product development, marketing and distribution. This is a capital-heavy time.

2) Growth and Acceptance Stage. - Product becomes known and marketing costs decrease. Repeat purchases increase raising profitability to the maximum level.

3) Maturity and Competition Stage. - Other companies enter the market to take a piece of the pie. Profits peak here because more money must be spent on marketing tools to keep the customers from defecting to the competition. Competition forces prices down, and organizations need to find ways to cut costs in order to maintain profits.

4) Market Saturation Stage. - At this stage the market reaches maximum saturation, costs must be cut to continue profitability. Profits decline and the product loses some appeal.

5) Product Decline Stage. - New and more innovative products enter the market to replace the older products. Customers migrate to the newer technology and improved quality, service and lower price. The product enters the death phase and profitability is usually negative.

The entrepreneur that understands this cycle will be able to develop a timely exit strategy in order to leave the market before they start to lose more than they make, and before the rivals leave, forcing the barriers to exit higher. This strategy must be planned during the overall strategic marketing plan that the company develops into the business model.

Conclusion

Everything discussed above has one common thread: the customer is king and all attention should be focused on making the customer as comfortable, as happy, and as satisfied as possible while not only meeting their needs, but exceeding them. There are many ways to achieve this outcome and all of these tools should be employed to exceed the needs and expectations of clientele.

"To prosper while exceeding the needs and expectations of clientele and associates in all aspects of cooperation through mutually beneficial Win-Win agreements." - Intrmarket Solutions Mission Statement