Go Guerrilla!

This article is adapted from an article on Entrepreneur.com by Jay Levinson and Al Lautenslager.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/guerrillamarketing/article203248.html

Coupons

The name "guerrilla marketing" is a relatively new invention from the 1980s, but the very first guerrilla marketing tactic is attributed to C.W. Post. In 1895, this cereal manufacturer did something unheard of...he offered the first ever money-off coupon for one-cent off the purchase price of Grape Nuts® cereal. This was a lot of money at the turn of the century, but this little penny coupon revolutionized the way we look at marketing.

Since the invention of the coupon, users have saved over $4 billion. The bottom line is that people use coupons to save money, but a coupon will bring a customer to a business to spend more than the incentive cost of the coupon. The lifetime value of a new customer coming in from a coupon is well worth the coupon cost if the customer returns to buy more product. That's guerrilla marketing.

Rick Oppermann doesn't use coupons with a cents-off. That doesn't work for a high-end chocolate product. But he has used a postcard for a free truffle. He told of a client who brought one in that was handed out by another BNI member. That new client got her free truffle, and then proceeded to spend $30. That's a fine example of guerrilla marketing.

Speaking

Who here dislikes public speaking?

Have you ever noticed that people who enjoy their jobs have no trouble at all talking about it? Think of public speaking as a one-to-one conversation with a whole group at once. That's not only guerrilla marketing, that's great multi-tasking!

BNI is a perfect place to hone your message, increase your confidence and set yourself up as an expert.

You are your best marketing vehicle.

A number of dynamics happen when you are speaking to a large group. First, you are the center of attention (like I am now). Your audience feels as if you are speaking directly to them. You are not an envelope that goes unopened. You are not a telemarketing call that gets screened. You are not a t.v. commercial that gets TiVo'd over. Usually when you are public speaking you have a captive audience and their undivided attention is focused on you. Use that to your advantage.

When you position yourself as an expert you are also establishing credibility. People like buying from experts. If you have chosen your venue correctly, there will be paying customers there. If the audience doesn't contain potential clients, then you are wasting your time speaking to them.

But the most important thing about public speaking is that it is marketing, not selling. Your speaking should offer something of value, not a sales pitch.

Sample speaking topics...
Top ten mistakes made when buying....
Seven insider secrets of...
Three points to consider when...

Where can you practice your public speaking other than at BNI meetings?

Seminars: show your expertise and teach prospects how to do something you are an expert at
Demonstrations: show rather than tell how to make what you make best
Panel Discussions: choose a public event, like the Farmshed where Sarah Raikowski was a panel member and be perceived as a resident expert
Present an Award: this is a form of public speaking that can hone your skills
Sponsorships: take advantage of a few moments in the limelight by sponsoring an event

Now that's good guerrilla marketing.

Contests

There is no free lunch...unless you dropped your business card in the fishbowl at Subway®!

Why are restuarants always giving away a free lunch? Because they are savvy guerrilla marketers and know that the value of the free lunch will be in the leads that are generated.

Like a coupon, the free lunch contest is worth a lot more than the cost of that lunch. The value is in word of mouth marketing and growing that mailing list. This is a small price to pay for a permission-based list with a potentially greater return. That's the way all guerrilla marketing should be.

Contests are great at trade shows, but also at related businesses. I did a fishbowl technique at Randy's UPS store when I was the business of the month. The prize was to win a free piece of jewelry. People love the chance at free...no matter what it is. And my mailing list sign up indicated that I would not use this for anything other than communication about me and my jewelry. (Actually, I have not done a thing with that mailing list generated...but that is a story for another time.) I also host a giveaway each month on my blog Treasures Found and that has generated a lot of buzz and new prospects for me. Check it out!

Tip: Always have more than one winner. The more people who win the prizes, the more they will share that with their friends and the more followers you will have. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to "pick" an extra winner if you see a key entry in your fishbowl. You need to grab at those hot prospects if you see them swimming in your fishbowl.

Working Words of Wisdom
"The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."
~Marcel Proust