Tip for February 1, 2004

E-mail downloads got you down? One of the problems associated with the proliferation of e-mail is the way your file of downloads quickly grows. It's not the "serious" downloads that cause the problem, it's the proliferation of snapshots from friends, e-mail postcards, downloads associated with jokes, etc., that mount up. Roger C. Parker’s solution is to create a "disposable" folder located within my e-mail download folder. Anything that he's unlikely to refer to again gets placed in my "disposable" folder. Once a month he cleans it out and starts fresh. The result is fewer files cluttering up his hard drive, and less time spent looking for the truly important downloads.

Tip for February 2, 2004

Visually capturing the essence of your product advances the momentum that leads to the sale. Great advertising captures and projects the essence of a product or service in terms that your market can relate to on an emotional level. After all, prospects buy emotionally, then justify intellectually--i.e. with facts. Ask a photographer which camera "feels" best, and they'll probably respond "Leica rangefinder cameras, like the M7 or MP." They'll then describe how "good" the camera feels in their hands. Few contemporary advertising campaigns capture the essence of a product as successfully as the current Leica campaign does. Called "hands," each of the full page ads shows a Leica camera in the hands--just the hands--of a famous photographer. A single line of text expresses the photographer's feelings, i.e., "An extension of my eyes and hands." The hands and camera jump out of a solid black background. Memorable and compelling. And surprisingly effectively. At a time when digital technology is dominating the photo scene, the "honesty" and "warmth" of the all-mechanical Leica film cameras are capturing among their best sales ever.

Tip for February 3, 2004

Moving beyond fusion marketing . Roger C. Parker reminds us that guerrilla marketers are familiar with the concept of fusion marketing--where two or more, non-competing businesses work together to get the word out. Fusion marketing can take place when a resort and a restaurant distribute a joint promotion that benefits both parties. But, it's possible to do more. Roger elaborates: “Yesterday, I went to an eye doctor and was told I had to have minor eye surgery. (Minor in the eyes of the eye doctor, not mine!). He told me that he operates two days a month at a neighboring facility. “This makes perfect sense. Why should he invest in a dedicated surgery that would only be used two days a month? By sharing a joint facility, he is demonstrating his frugality that--hopefully--he passes on to his patients!”

Tip for February 4, 2004

What Do You Know? Guerrilla Roger C. Parker talks about education-based marketing. Although this concept isn't new, it is one that has been overshadowed by the old adage "It's not what you know, but who you know." For many years, I have worked with people, businesses, and organizations, helping them to understand that the key to a successful Marketing Plan really is "what" they know and how they communicate their knowledge to customers and prospects. For example, Magnolia Hi Fi, a Seattle-based consumer electronics company, spent many years "educating" their customers. This worked so well that they built up a huge repeat customer base. The reward? Two years ago, Best Buy purchased them for $87 Million Dollars! People want to be educated. They thrive on information. Yes, there will always be "shoppers" that are looking for the best price, but will those people be long-term, repeat customers? Possibly, but as a rule they are one-time buyers, looking for a deal. So, tell your clients what they need to know. Tell them how to use the information you have provided them with. Educate them, and they will turn to you as the "Expert" and a trusted resource for their needs. Educate them…and they will come to you!

Tip for February 5, 2004

Market for the Present, Not the Future Market to get a sale today, rather than "establish a presence" or "develop an image." The biggest difference between Guerrilla Marketers who survive, and the great number of small business startups who fail, is that Guerrilla Marketers are always striving to make a sale. Tomorrow your business will take care of you, if you take care of getting sales today. To get sales today, include a call to action in every ad, and test every detail of your offer: appeal, headline, price, and media, etc., and keep records of which variables generate the best sales.

Tip for February 6, 2004

Design should be intentional Graphic design is based on objective goals, not subjective opinions like "I like red!" The design of your ads, brochures, newsletters, proposals, and web site should be determined by the image you want to communicate. Guerrilla Marketers take an active role in working with graphic designers, commercial printers and web site designers by describing, in detail, the image they want to project. Guerrillas can define the image they want to communicate, whether it's "classic" workmanship, contemporary "cutting edge" technology, or "safe haven" investments in a troubled world. The more they define their market and their position relative to their competition, the better a job business owners can do in directing the work of the specialized talents they hire to help them.

Tip for February 7, 2004

Guerrillas Willingly Adopt New Technologies Guerilla Marketers are proud to be early adapters. They take full advantage of the economies offered by advancing technology and the up-to-date image which adopting it projects. While their competitors are concentrating exclusively on yesterday's solutions--yellow page ads, and newspaper/radio advertising--Guerrillas are promoting their expertise by hosting teleseminars, adding autoresponders to their web sites, and distributing e-mail newsletters to their opt-in mailing lists. They are also protecting their computers--and their customer's computers--by using the latest virus protection software. For Guerrillas, the learning curve never ends.

Tip for February 8, 2004

Guerrillas Start with a Plan Guerrilla Marketing is based on message, audience, and competition. Rather than talk about what interests them, Guerrillas analyze their market's information needs and develop content that satisfies those needs. Then, they "package" it using colors, layouts, and typefaces that will simultaneously appeal to their market while setting their businesses apart from the competition. Design, like copy, is always intentional, rather than haphazard or subjective.

Tip for February 9, 2004

Guerrillas Seek the Reasons Behind "No!" Guerrillas pride themselves on their subtle persistence. When awaiting a prospect's response to one of their proposals, Guerrillas ask questions to find out if the reason for a non-response may be due to questions based on objections that may not be valid. If they receive a negative response, Guerrillas then ask questions to find out about other frustrations or problems the prospect is facing. Very often, a simple question like, "What else is keeping you from sleeping at night?" may be enough to encourage the prospect to describe other problems the Guerrilla might be able to solve.

Tip for February 10, 2004

Guerrillas Use Technology to Fill Their Prospect Pipeline Guerrilla Marketers are not content to have a "one-way," or "brochure," web site. Instead, they create web sites that invite visitors to submit their names and e-mail addresses along with permission for later follow-up. In return, visitors receive a Special Report that offers helpful, non-advertising, educational content plus a monthly educational newsletter. Consistent follow-up with educationally oriented marketing materials replaces the unknown with familiarity and respect. As a result, when the prospect is ready to buy, the first business they think of will be the resource who shares valuable information with them each month.

Tip for February 11, 2004

Guerrilla Marketers Often Appear Bigger than they Actually Are Guerrilla Marketers are masters of disguise. They know how to project a large, professional image on a budget. One of the ways they do this is to place advertisements in the regional editions of national magazines. Prospects will view their businesses differently when their ads appear next to those of regional banks, resorts, or airlines. These ads can do double-duty when framed and hung as posters on the wall or reprints are handed out along with proposals or at the point of sale. Years after the ads have run, the reprints can still be used to impressed prospects.

Tip for February 12, 2004

Guerrilla Marketers Turn Opportunities into Exposure By intentionally looking for ways to leverage everyday events into resources, Guerrilla can reduce the cost of marketing and promotion. Consider one Guerrilla Marketer who was speaking at a corporate event. The corporation wanted to videotape the event, which normally the speaker does not permit. In this case, he was willing to make an exception--provided the corporation gave him a master copy of the tape and permission to distribute copies. As a result, the Guerrilla/speaker was able to offer not only offer evidence of his speaking style to speakers bureaus and event planners, but he was able to add short video clips on his web site.

Tip for February 13, 2004

Guerrillas Travel in Packs Guerrilla Marketers know that partnership and teamwork, rather than splendid isolation, helps them thrive. Accordingly, Guerrillas engage in a process called fusion marketing, which is based on seeking out marketing partners who serve the same types of customers as they do. Fusion marketing can reduce marketing expenses while making it possible to communicate with huge new categories of customers. A restaurant in a New England ski area, for example, can join with a local performing arts group, and hotel, a hiking and horseback riding facility, and a photography school to offer a special summer event calendar and sponsor a "four season" web site describing the area's off-season activities. By joining together, they can promote themselves as a destination for spring, summer, and fall getaways.

Tip for February 14, 2004

Guerrilla Marketers Make Reading Easy Guerrilla Marketers understand that their message must compete with the 3,000+ other marketing messages that their prospects encounter every day. These prospects have come up with sophisticated "filtering" systems that protects them from the resulting information overload. One of the easiest ways to break through these protective barriers is to make your marketing message as easy to read as possible. Ways to do this include choosing appropriate typefaces and type sizes, controlling line spacing, and properly hyphenating line endings. Guerrillas also add frequent subheads within the body copy of their message to break it into bite-sized chunks. At a glance, prospects make read/don't read decisions. Guerrillas use design to project a "read me" image.

Tip for February 15, 2004

Use Familiarity to Introduce New Ideas Guerrilla Marketers know that one marketing contact is unlikely to result in a sale. Sales result from a consistent series of contacts. These build up the comfort and familiarity necessary to make a sale. For example, yesterday I purchased a copy of Puccinni's Madama Butterfly. There's no news in that, except for the fact that I've never before purchased an opera recording. Yet, every Saturday afternoon, after "Car Talk" and Michael Feldman's "What Do You Know" on the local NPR radio station, I find myself leaving the dial where it is as they broadcast the Saturday afternoon opera live from Lincoln Center. After becoming exposed to opera over the course of several pleasant Saturdays, I realized I was missing out on something--and decided to get involved. The lesson? What can you do to make it easy for your prospects to build up a level of comfort and familiarity with you?

Tip for February 16, 2004

Why "Giving" is such a Successful Guerrilla Marketing Tool? One of the most important Guerrilla Marketing tenets is that "givers receive." Here's a recent case study. A recent caller on the Guerrilla Marketing Association Wednesday night calls mentioned that he was doing a book on Guerrilla Marketing for Artists, Craftspeople, and Photographers. The author was seeking case studies. That night, I referred several of my photographer friends to him. A few days later, I received a courtesy copy of one of the photographer's comments to the author. These comments included the remarkable statement that his One-Page Newsletter had permitted him to cut $5,000 a year from his advertising budget while improving the quality of his responses. (He was getting qualified prospects, instead of price shoppers.) If I hadn't "given," by introducing the two individuals to each other, I would never had known about one of the best case studies yet. I have since adopted that case study as the core of my marketing program.

Tip for February 17, 2004

Handle Rejection with Grace It's hard to be gracious when a prospect tells you that you were not chosen for an opportunity or position you desperately wanted. Yet, your "grace under fire" is important. One reason is that it's a small world, and the fact that you even qualified for the short list puts you in a relatively rarefied atmosphere. Out of all the people in the world, you were one of the few who made the initial cuts! More important, taking the time to thank your prospect for the opportunity of talking with them keeps you in the running for future opportunities. Circumstances change. The candidate selected may have received a better offer elsewhere, or may not work out as well as hoped. Other opportunities at the firm may open up for you. Never burn a bridge or fail to acknowledge a rejection with a Thank You. Your Thank You is the first step towards ensuring your consideration for the next opportunity to come along.

Tip for February 18, 2004

Multiply the Impact of Your Presentations The next time you create a PowerPoint presentation, make it into an Adobe Acrobat PDF file of it, and save the PDF with a short, 7 letters or less, filename. Then, upload your presentation visuals to your web site. Use a readily available FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, software to upload it. During your presentation, let the audience know that they-and on they--can review your presentation at their convenience by visiting www.yoursite.com/presen1/pdf. Your courtesy will be appreciated by your audience. It will also drive visitors to your web site. If the stakes are high enough, you might even want to include links to short audio clips that will play as each visual is displayed.

Tip for February 19, 2004

Two Inexpensive Ways to Back Up Presentation Visuals Before you grab your laptop and head for the airport, convert your PowerPoint presentation into an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. Save it with a short filename, and upload it to your web site. This ensures a back-up copy of your presentation will be available, in the unlikely event your laptop is stolen or crashes. If something goes wrong with your laptop, simply use your host's web browser to download the PDF copy of your presentation from your web site. You can then run your presentation in Acrobat's Full Screen mode (which hides the menus). Use the arrow keys to navigate from page to page. If you don't want to go to the trouble of uploading your web site, make a CD copy of the Acrobat PDF version of your presentation. The advantage of a PDF version is that there is no chance that the fonts you created your presentation in won't be available on your computer.

Tip for February 20, 2004

Printing Technology for Easy E-Book Reading Guerrillas are always hungry for information. They recognize that that their business must be supported by a continuing stream of marketing ideas and tips from others. This thirst for knowledge often results in the purchase of numerous e-books. E-books are fine, but many prefer to print and read, rather than read long documents on screen. But, how do you store the resulting e-books? Here's a suggestion: the next time you have to replace your laser printer, invest in a printer with duplexing ability. "Duplexing" refers to the printer's ability to print both sides of a single sheet of paper. Duplexing printers, or accessories that can be added on to other printers, are increasingly affordable. Duplexing printers cut your paper use in half, and also reduces the number of pages that must be stored. In addition to a duplexing printer, purchase a supply of 3-hole punched paper and a variety of 3-ring binders and report covers. Report covers with clear plastic front pages are great are publications of less than 100 pages. Larger 3-ring binders are ideal for longer publications. These days, duplexing printers are not luxuries, but necessities.

Tip for February 21, 2004

Keeping Large Folders Organized As the number of clients, prospects, and purchased e-books increases, file management becomes increasingly critical. Here are a couple of simple tips to keep things organized: Divide each large folder into just two major subfolders. Title one A-M, the second N-Z. Create a separate folder for each client, and store everything associated with them in a separate folder. Every time you add or delete a folder, select View>Arrange Files by> Name. This will keep the files in each folder alphabetically arranged. Create a new folder for each project associated with each client. This makes it easy to keep track of multiple projects for each client. Remember to omit words like "The" from firm names and titles. Otherwise "The Lebow Company" will appear with the T's, rather than the L's, which is where you would logically expect to find it.

Tip for February 22, 2004

Eliminating Client Folder Clutter Even if you divide your "Client" folders into A-M and N-Z, they are likely to get rapidly filled. The solution I have adapted is to add two additional subfolders to the A-M and N-Z folders. I title one subfolder: "Inactive." I title the other: "Proposals." Whenever I complete a project for a client, I remove their entire folder from the A-M or N-Z folder and place it in the "Inactive" folder. When another project comes along, I remove it from the Inactive folder. By eliminating inactive clients, I can quickly go directly to my current work for each client. And, likewise, I can easily locate outstanding proposals to new clients.

Tip for February 23, 2004

Getting Fence-Sitting Prospects to Commit Do you have several prospects at the "almost ready" stage who you'd like to nudge into action? One of the best ways to do this is to offer a free teleconference call. Your out-of-pocket costs are extremely low, typically $25.00, or less. Invite your prospects to attend, as well as a few seasoned clients who can be on hand to provide comment and testimonials about the value of your offering. Focus your teleconference calls on one or two key aspects of your offering where there may be prospect confusion or misunderstanding. Don't "sell" your product or service, but do address the possible objection in an educational way. Often, clients are unwilling to commit until they get to know you better. And what better way for you and your prospects to get to know each other than on the telephone? An investment of an hour or so of your time, preparing and delivering an impromptu teleconference or question and answer session may pave the way for numerous, profitable long-lasting relationships.

Tip for February 24, 2004

Creating a "Disposable" E-mail folder One of the best ways to manage the increasing volume of incoming e-mail is to create a "disposable" folder. Use it for those doctored photographs and other humorous files that your send you. Every time you receive a humorous downloadable file, download it to your "disposable" file. Then, once a month, either go through the contents of the file and selectively save the best, or simply delete everything and start from scratch with next month's contributions from your friends.

Tip for February 25, 2004

Auctions add interest to web sites In addition to the profits that they generate, auctions can add interest to email newsletters and web sites. There's a bit of a voyeur in everyone; people are always interested in what others who share their interests are doing. The PHoto-Eye bookstore and gallery, www.photoeye.com, in Santa Fe, NM, takes full advantage of this universal drive to find out "what's up?" Their weekly e-mail newsletter lists a variety of rare books and prints that are being auctioned. Even if you're not particularly in the market to buy, the "surprise" value of seeing what's being auctioned provides a strong motivation to open the e-mail newsletterr each week.

Tip for February 26, 2004

The Power of a Smile Guerrilla Marketers don't have to be small. In many ways, SouthWest Airlines is an example of a highly successful, Guerrilla Marketing firm. Two weeks ago, I flew them from Manchester, NH, to Las Vegas, NV. My wife and I had to pick up new boarding passes at Kansas City. As the ticket agent was handing us our boarding passes, she distinctly mentioned my wife's first name and my first name as she handed us our boarding passes and told us to "have a nice flight." And she acted like she meant it. Wow! What a nice, personal touch! Her small gesture did more to build brand loyalty than all of the full page ads in USA Today put together.

Tip for February 27, 2004

Encourage E-Mail Registrations by Showcasing Your Newsletter Online Guerrillas know that seeing is believing. They don't make the mistake of expecting visitors to their web site to sign up for their e-mail newsletter sight unseen. (It takes more than a registration form to motivate a web site visitor to share their e-mail address!) Guerrilla Will Reed displays a Flash Paper version of his two newsletters on his web sites, www.b-smart.net/news.cfm and www.gmarketing-genius.com/news.cfm. Using FlashPaper, visitors can read and/or print the current issue of his newsletters, which provide convincing arguments to sign up to receive his two One-Page Newsletters each month.

Tip for February 28, 2004

Begin Promoting Your Next E-book Now! Don't make the mistake of delaying promoting your e-book, subscription newsletter, or special report until you have dotted the last "i" and crossed the last "t." Start building for its success right now. As long as you're convinced your project will appear on time, begin to promote it by offering a table of contents and free sample chapter. Include a coupon good for Prepublication Savings. Why waste valuable sales opportunities? If you miss today's sales, you may never get another chance to sell the prospect. They may lose interest in your topic or buy from a competitor. Strike while the iron is hot, as long as you make it clear that you are trading a discounted price for your book in exchange for your buyer's patience. Just be certain that you can deliver it on publication day--and, perhaps--surprise them with a bonus!

Tip for February 29, 2004

Writing to length "boils off the excess" One of the best reasons writing to fit a specific layout, like a two-sided One-Page Newsletter improves the quality of your writing is that this "boils off the excess," according to Guerrilla Marketer Will Reed, www.gmarketing-genius.com. All of us have a tendency to write too much. When you're writing an open-ended document, discipline often flies out the window. There's no need to do the rigorous self-editing necessary for good writing. But, when you have only space for 625 (or so) words, you're motivated to search for long words that can be replaced by short words and eliminate unnecessary ideas and duplicate words. The result: strong, vigorous writing, instead of a never-ending monolog.