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
http://www.gmarketing.com or contact Kate Smalley at 203-641-3739
or kms@connecticutsecretary.com.
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