| Jay Conrad Levinson's many books about guerilla | | | | classified ads, local business Internet directories, and |
| marketing have empowered entrepreneurs and small | | | | cable TV advertising - just to name a few. Successful |
| business owners alike to find creative, low-cost ways | | | | guerilla marketers are always thinking of new ways to |
| to market their products and services. | | | | get the word out about their business. The only limit is |
| Large corporations tend to favor creating and | | | | their imagination and the resources available to them. |
| executing 3 or 5-year marketing plans. This traditional | | | | Passionate and Bold: To keep the creative juices |
| approach is better-suited to these "800 pound gorilla" | | | | flowing, guerilla marketers must remain passionate and |
| corporations because they rely on more standard | | | | bold about their product or service. Trying new |
| marketing media channels such as mass media | | | | marketing methods that nobody else has tried (or that |
| advertising and public relations. | | | | no one else has personally shown you how to do) can |
| Of course, these marketing methods can be | | | | be an intimidating notion. To maintain a high level of |
| extremely effective if you have a multi-million dollar | | | | creative output, guerilla marketers must be passionate |
| advertising budget and a relatively well-established | | | | about what they are offering and they must be bold |
| brand. However, they also require longer-term planning, | | | | enough to go where no one (or at least no one they |
| hefty marketing budgets, and very large marketing | | | | know personally) has gone before. |
| departments staffed with scores of well-paid people. | | | | Repetition and Consistency: Guerilla marketers need to |
| By contrast, entrepreneurs and small business owners | | | | be creative, but they must find ways to consistently |
| usually cannot rely upon putting together these | | | | shower their target customers with the same |
| traditional techniques. Rather, in many ways they must | | | | messages, over and over again. It can take up to 7 |
| have a greater sense of urgency to get the word out | | | | times for a person to be exposed to the same |
| about their products or services right now, by any | | | | message before they decide to make a purchase. So, |
| (ethical) means necessary. For these folks, following | | | | creativity in communicating with their target customers |
| guerilla marketing tactics today, rather than making and | | | | is a wonderful thing, guerilla marketers must at the |
| executing marketing plans over the next 5 years, is | | | | same time maintain a consistency of message across |
| what is necessary to succeed. | | | | all chosen marketing methods and media channels. |
| Here are some key characteristics of guerilla | | | | And, they must be sure that each method is reaching |
| marketing that you can model right now in your | | | | roughly the same target customer group. Reason: |
| marketing practices for better growth and more | | | | hearing the same message 7 different ways is more |
| success: | | | | powerful than hearing it just one way 7 times. |
| Creative: Guerilla marketers are extremely creative in | | | | (You can find more key characteristics of guerilla |
| the ways they get the word out about their product or | | | | marketing in Part B). |
| service to would-be buyers. There are tens, or maybe | | | | Whether you prefer to remain small-and-successful or |
| even hundreds, of methods you can use to market | | | | whether you intend to become the next 800 pound |
| your product or service, including bulletin boards, flyers, | | | | gorilla of a corporation, applying these guerilla marketing |
| pay-per-click Internet advertising, affiliate programs, | | | | tactics may be the smartest thing you can do right |
| partnerships, co-branding, co-bundling, trade shows, | | | | now to market, grow, and make your business more |
| turning your car into a billboard, direct mail, opt-in e-mail | | | | successful. |
| marketing, brochures, opt-in telephone marketing, | | | | |