Book Review: Guerrilla Marketing For The Home-Based Business - Get Articles by Ramona Creel |  |
> Get Articles > Working At Home - Starting Out > Book Review: Guerrilla Marketing For The Home-Based Business Book Review: Guerrilla Marketing For The Home-Based Business Download as PDFRamona Creel ramonaonlineorganizing.com OnlineOrganizing.com http://www.onlineorganizing.com It all started with "Guerrilla Marketing" -- and the phenomenon has continued on through a whole slew of books, including "Guerrilla Marketing Online" and "Guerrilla Marketing With Technology." But in my opinion, Jay Conrad Levinson's most useful book for Professional Organizers is "Guerrilla Marketing For The Home Based Business." This book had a tremendous impact on me when I read it two years ago -- and I am still finding new ways to implement the suggestions within! Mr. Levinson -- a world renowned trainer, speaker, and marketing consultant -- really understands what is involved in running a HOME-BASED BUSINESS. He recognizes that you can not marketing a "one-person show" the same way as a large corporation -- nor would you want to! Guerrillas don't have huge marketing staffs -- or budgets, for that matter! Guerrillas have to be more creative to get their message across. The major advantage of being a "GUERRILLA" is that you can give your marketing efforts the PERSONAL TOUCH in a way that big business simply can't match. This bit of humanity in the midst of capitalism can make all the difference in the world -- and allow you to compete on the same turf as the big boys. Mr. Levinson points out three key issues to consider when creating a guerrilla marketing strategy: YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY Mr. Levinson's beliefs often fly in the face of conventional marketing wisdom. If you were to seek advice from an ad agency or PR firm, the first suggestion would probably be to increase your MARKETING BUDGET. However, home-based businesses don't have tons of excess cash to spend on advertising. They have to think of less-expensive -- but still just as effective -- methods for spreading the word. Mr. Levinson offers a number of ingenious suggestions for getting the most bang out of your buck. He's a big fan of BARTER -- and I can attest to the power of trade, as I have developed a wonderful barter relationship with a local PR agent. Mr. Levinson also talks about "TESTING" the advertising waters before throwing any big money at marketing. Try a simple one-page flyer before you invest in a fancy four-color brochure. Test your message in a classified ad before going with a full-page display. And most of his suggested marketing strategies are free or very nearly free. His message throughout the entire book is to spend your business marketing dollars as wisely as you would you're own personal money. IT'S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS Guerrillas -- being small -- are in a wonderful position to build personal relationships with their clients, vendors, and colleagues. A large firm that has hundreds of people on staff, is burdened by an overwhelming bureaucracy, and is simply interested in making sales can't begin to treat each client as an individual. However, you can. Mr. Levinson suggests that you treat every person who walks through your door (literally and figuratively!) as FAMILY. Ask about their kids, send birthday cards, keep track of what is going on in their lives. This small bit of attention doesn't take much effort, costs almost nothing, and will make you stand out above the crowd. And don't forget about FOLLOW-UP! Mr. Levinson offers some excellent suggestions of ways to check back in on your clients regularly -- not in an attempt to sell them anything, but just to stay in touch. Do whatever you can to keep your name in front of people's faces, but don't make them feel like they are always a CUSTOMER. HAVE A LARGE AND VARIED ARSENAL OF WEAPONS The most useful portion of this entire book is the list of 100 MARKETING WEAPONS used by Guerrillas. As Mr. Levinson runs through this list, he asks you to think of each weapon in one of three ways -- either you are currently using the weapon and getting good results from it, you are currently using the weapon and could do a better job implementing it, or you are not using the weapon and should add it to your ARSENAL. He also offers detailed examples of ways guerrillas have put these weapons to work in the past. I was so inspired by his suggestions, that I ran right out and started a company newsletter and started sending out customer-satisfaction surveys -- both of which have netted me a tremendous response and repeat business from my clients. Just imagine what kind of inspiration you might find from "Guerrilla Marketing for the Home-Based Business!" You must include the following resource box when publishing this article: Ramona Creel is a Professional Organizer and the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com -- a web-based one-stop shop offering everything that you need to get organized at home or at work. At OnlineOrganizing.com, you may get a referral to an organizer near you, shop for the latest organizing products, get tons of free tips, and even learn how to become a professional organizer or build your existing organizing business. And if you would like to read more articles about organizing your life or building your business, get a free subscription to the "Get Organized" and "Organized For A Living" newsletters. Please visit www.onlineorganizing.com or contact Ramona directly at ramonaonlineorganizing.com for more information. How useful did you find this article? 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