Guerrilla Marketing and How It Can Work for You
When most people think of marketing, they think of advertising. But marketing is much broader than that. Marketing is everything it takes to get your product or service into the hands of buyers–from product development to product delivery.
Think of marketing as a continuous process, not a single event. It typically begins with creating an identity for your business . a name, logo, tagline, etc. It extends to product/service creation, manufacturing, packaging, advertising, promotions, sales, customer service, shipping and delivery. It can involve any number of tools brochures, direct mail, websites, postcards, press releases and print, radio and TV advertising.
Now that you understand these fundamentals of marketing, you're ready to engage in guerilla marketing warfare.
Guerrilla marketing is marketing that is unorthodox and often revolutionary. Unlike traditional marketers, guerrilla marketers throw out the rule book and apply creative, flexible strategies to achieve results – rather than money. In a nut shell, guerrilla marketing can help you work smarter, not harder. And it can save you time and money.
Here's a good example of guerrilla marketing: A new home security business wanted to gain clients as quickly and cost-effectively as possible in a market dominated by a well-established competitor. The rivaling company offered basic service, but had built a reputation for outstanding customer service.
To overcome this competitive challenge, the home security business decided to offer a more comprehensive product and included a 100-percent, money-back satisfaction guarantee. It also offered free security seminars to neighborhood watch groups, discounts for referrals and complimentary security audits to customers who signed up for a time period. The new approach worked like a charm. Within several months of opening, the business received double the amount of customer sign-ups it had originally anticipated.
Here are some simple ways you can you capitalize on guerrilla marketing:
Invest time, energy and creativity into marketing, instead of money.
Use a blend of marketing weapons, instead of a single tool.
Carefully focus all of your marketing tactics, instead of using a random approach.
Tailor marketing messages to individuals, instead of groups.
Focus on making long-term relationships, rather than sales.
Form mutually-beneficial business partnerships.
For more information about guerrilla marketing, visit
www.gmarketing.com or contact Kate Smalley at 203-641-3739 or kms@connecticutsecretary.com.
About the Author
Copyright 2005, Kate Smalley
Connecticut Secretary – Business Transcription Services
http://www.connecticutsecretary.comkate@connecticutsecretary.com
