When it comes to marketing, guerrillas
become creative in very special ways and they're not the ways that
are demonstrated by most marketing.
Guerrillas view
creativity in marketing the same way that drivers view steering
wheels in their cars. The creativity is supposed to guide the
marketing toward its goal of producing profits just as the steering
wheel is supposed to guide the car toward its goal of arriving safely
at the destination.
It doesn't always work out that way. The
bummer is that although there are tragedies on the highway because
accidents happen, there are tragedies in marketing and none of them
have to happen. Worse yet, they don't even happen by accident People
actually plan, sweat over and focus hard upon marketing that is
headed from the start directly towards disaster.
Creativity
in marketing is very much different from creativity in the arts,
although marketing is as eclectic an art form as has ever been
devised by humankind. Marketing embraces writing, design,
photography, video, special effects, music, dancing, and acting-and
yet its purposes are not those of the arts.
Guerrillas view
marketing with ten insights into marketing creativity that
illuminates the path for them. These insights prevent them from going
over the edge, losing their way or wasting their time and money. Why
wait? Here are the ten insights:
1. Creativity in marketing
should be measured solely by how well it contributes to your overall
profitability. If it helps you sell at profit, it is creative and if
it doesn't, it's not creative. That makes creativity easy to measure.
Awards and compliments have nothing to do with it.
2.
Creativity should always be blended with its ability to withstand
repetition because purchase decisions are made with the unconscious
mind and repetition is the best way to access the unconscious. If
your creative marketing idea can get stronger with repetition, you've
got a winner.
3. Using creativity in marketing that resorts
to humor is like reaching into a bag filled with poisonous snakes.
Not only might you get hurt on your very first time reach into the
bag, but the more you reach the more it works against you because
repetition helps marketing but murders humor.
4. Creativity
in marketing not directed towards motivating a purchase is like
employing a vampire in your marketing. The vampire sucks attention
away from your prime offer, your benefits and your main idea in an
inane attempt to be creative at the expense of your profitability.
5. Creativity should be seen as an opportunity not for show
business but for sell business. Marketing is business far more than
entertainment, and although it may be entertaining, that is not its
prime requirement. It exists mainly to create a desire to buy and not
mainly to entertain.
6. Creativity is a way to implant your
name and not an excuse not to mention your name. Gain awareness and a
crucial share of mind by showing and saying your name creatively,
helping people remember your name the next time they're in the market
for what you sell.
7. Creativity in marketing is the
challenge of demonstrating your benefit in a way that people will
remember. It is important that your prospects remember your name and
equally important to know what makes you special and why they should
own what you are offering.
8. Creativity comes not from
inspiration or even perspiration. It comes from knowledge. The more
knowledge you have, the more creative you can be. You require
knowledge of your benefits, prospects, industry, competition, media
options, and the Internet-for starters.
9. Creativity begins
not with a headline, graphic idea, special effect or jingle; it
begins with an idea. The idea should center around your offer, your
competitive advantage or your main benefit-and it should come singing
clearly through your marketing in any medium.
10. Creativity
of the highest form in marketing has longevity and improves with age.
How long has the Green Giant been ho-ho-ho-ing in his valley? Have
United's skies been friendly? Has the Maytag repairman been lonely?
Great marketing creativity is both flexible and enduring.
* *
* * *
It's a cinch to sit here in my comfy chair typing out a
bunch of insights about how you should be creative. It's easy for me
and hard for you. But hey, I've got my job and you've got yours. I'd
like to tell you that it's going to be simple and that list of
businesses with timeless marketing creativity goes on and on.
But
I'd be lying because it's a short list. Amazingly brief. Most
business owners have this ridiculous notion that their marketing is
supposed to constantly change. And most people who create marketing
have their eyes on their awards wall on not on your bottom line.
So
it's going to be a tough job for you to separate the true creativity
from the pretend creativity. Most marketing you see these days is of
the pretend variety. Still, armed with these insights, the creativity
that you employ will be guerrilla creativity and will lead not down
the garden path but directly to your bank vault.
Jay Conrad
Levinson is the author of the "Guerrilla Marketing" series
of books, now in 34 languages and the best-selling marketing books in
history with over 1,000,000 copies sold. You can call Jay at
800-748-6444, and his website is at http://www.gmarketing.com/.
You’ve got a great idea and a plan to turn it into a business. Now all you need are customers--and to get them, you need to spread the word about what you’re doing. One problem: Your marketing budget makes your grade school allowance look like a princely sum.
Not to worry. There
are plenty of ways to promote your business without spending a lot. The
key to effective penny-pinching promotion, say marketers Travis Miller,
32, and Jimmy Vee, 33, founders of Orlando, Florida-based Gravitational
Marketing, is to apply creativity to established techniques and
emerging opportunities to reach a specific audience. Here are some
ideas to get you started.
Get Profiled
In 2007, when Seth Mendelsohn founded Simply Boulder Foods LLC, a
Boulder, Colorado, company that makes gourmet sauces, he started
posting profile pages on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking
sites. Mendelsohn, 31, estimates he has “a few hundred followers, and
they all want to hear about our company,” which has projected 2009
sales of more than $100,000.
Some of these sites allow users to start special interest groups or fan
pages, which Miller says you can use to talk about your products and
build bigger audiences.
Make Yourself a Star
Perhaps you’ve never thought of yourself as the next Larry King, but today’s media vehicles make it possible for you to host your own show--for nothing. PR expert Karen Taylor Bass, 42, author of You Want Caviar, But You Have Moneyfor Chitlins, hosts her own show on the free network BlogTalk Radio,
a social radio network where hosts can create free, live, call-in talk
shows using an ordinary phone. The shows are archived and available for
download as podcasts. You can also post podcasts to your website or
shoot your own videos and place them on YouTube or in your blog. “Don’t
forget public access television, where you may be able to create your
own show and reach local audiences for free,” Bass says. Business
owners should check with their local cable companies for terms and
restrictions.
Pluck from the headlines
Publicity 101 tells you to build a media list and send relevant news
releases to the contacts on it. That works, but Stacey Dolezal Susini,
35, a former TV news reporter and the founder of Zontis Public
Relations in Dallas, says you can get even more mileage by watching
what’s in the news. First, understanding the beats--or specific topics
and regions--each reporter covers can help you better target your list.
In addition, by piggybacking on existing headlines, you can put
yourself in the spotlight. “Is there a charitable organization in
trouble? If so, host a food, coat or clothing drive for them at your
place of business,” she suggests. Then call your local media and tell them what you’re doing.
No time to compile a media list on your own? Try services like Contacts on Tap, (which
costs as little as $395 for a year-long subscription (and offers a
15-day free trial), or use a service like Bulldog Reporter
(bulldogreporter.com), which lets you build a list, then pay $2 per
name.
Go for the Demo
By demonstrating your
product or service, you get to show prospects firsthand why they should
buy from you, Mendelsohn says. While he now has a hectic
grocery-store-demo schedule, he got his start at local farmers markets
that only charged him a percentage of the day’s sales.
“Look for local events where you can connect with a lot of people, then
let them know where they can buy your product in the future,” he says.
Get more mileage by filming your demo or presentation and posting it
online.
Find businesses in your backyard
Got local businesses that would be good customers? Susini suggests offering employee incentives
to various businesses. Call their headquarters and ask how you can
offer discounts or other special offers to their employees. If it’s a
good fit, the HR department will promote your business to staffers
without you having to do more than ring up sales. Similarly, she says,
you can cross-promote your business with other businesses, offering
discounts to their customers--and vice versa.
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Be a Winner
Jenny Hwa, 31, founder and creative
director of Loyale, a New York City sustainable clothing company that
saw first-quarter sales growth of 70 percent, scours magazines and
trade media on the lookout for awards competitions. In 2008, she was
honored in awards co-sponsored by Glamour and O
magazines, as well as one from iconic fashion designer Eileen Fisher.
Another award she won was judged by editors from Glamour, Lucky and
InStyle magazines, as well as popular website DailyCandy.com. “It was a
big year for us,” she says, “and we got a ton of great publicity and
met some important contacts because of the awards we won.”
Give it Away
Free stuff is always a hit. Miller suggests offering free reports or
special offers on your website in exchange for the prospect’s e-mail
address. Retail businesses might consider a small gift with purchase or
other loyalty program for customers who make repeat purchases.
Speak Up
From local chamber of commerce meetings to national trade events,
booking yourself as an expert speaker can be a great way to get
attention--and new business. While it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, Bass
says, many events and meetings are hungry for good speakers who can
share valuable information, rather than an overt sales pitch. Best of
all, she says, you can recycle your speech by turning it into a podcast
for your website, a blog post, an article for a trade publication or
even a series of Twitter posts. While you’re at the event, be sure to
collect contact information from the people there and follow up. Says
Bass, more than 70 percent of prospective leads are never pursued.
Get Sourced
When reporters need sources, they may turn to a handful of services.
Help a Reporter Out, also known as HARO, started as a Facebook group
and is now a service with more than 50,000 subscribers, connecting
reporters and sources. Sign up for free at helpareporter.com. Similar
services charge fees such as PR Leads--which helped Hwa get interviewed by national magazines--and Publicity Hound.
Don’t do it
There are some things that aren’t worth the money, no matter what your budget. Here are a few:
Going after Oprah: Yes, The Oprah Winfrey Show is the gold standard of publicity; but it’s a long shot. If you spend all your time and money going after this, you could miss valuable, revenue-generating publicity in smaller vehicles that are easier to crack, says Jimmy Vee of marketing agency Gravitational Marketing.
Printing costly press kits: PR expert Karen Taylor Bass cringes when she sees glossy printed media materials. She says, “It’s far more effective to use e-mail.”
Hiring a big agency: If you need to hire help, find a good service provider who works with startups and understands budget constraints, Vee says.
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