The Cartoon Network’s promotional campaign for its “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” TV show, which prompted nine bomb scares across Boston this week, is an extreme example of “Guerrilla Marketing” gone awry, marketers say. As a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach, I can say that what we saw in Boston was not true Guerrilla Marketing. “Guerrilla Marketing never offends people, it never frightens people, and it never breaches ethics,” said Jay Conrad Levinson, the “father of Guerrilla Marketing”   more »

When it comes to Tradeshows, there are four types of businesses that can benefit from them, and it is important that you realize which category your business falls in.   more »

There is a dry cleaning company in East Tennessee that adds a new store every few years. They recently opened a new store in downtown Knoxville, but with a different twist.   more »

How to use an 8 Million Dollar Carrot to differentiate yourself from your competition....   more »

I recently had a meeting with a gentleman who owns a number of motels. He just purchased an older motel and wants to use Guerrilla Marketing to turn it around. We spent some time going over his target market, niche, and talking about things he had tried in the past. The man had only recently heard of Guerrilla Marketing and told me a story that shows sometimes you can be a Guerrilla and not know it just by using a little time, energy and imagination.   more »

Guerrilla Fund Raising How to sell lots of Coupon Books, Guerrilla Style   more »

How asking one question can add to your list of Guerrilla Marketing Weapons.   more »

The 100 Guerrilla Marketing weapons are very powerful when used correctly. They can be equally powerful when used the wrong way, and you end up shooting yourself in the foot or sometimes just blows your whole leg off!   more »

“Attitude is everything” is a phrase I have heard for many years. I even use a coffee cup that has it written on it so that I see it constantly everyday. Whenever anyone talks about attitude, they refer to it from the positive standpoint..(but)   more »

"Within every setback or obstacle or disadvantage there is the seed of an equal or opposite or greater advantage or benefit." Napoleon Hill - Think and Grow Rich   more »

The book, Think and Grow Rich, was basically commissioned by Andrew Carnegie and consequently, Carnegie is mentioned a lot in it. As I re-read the book, it reminded me of when I read Carnegie’s autobiography many years ago, and there is one thing that I will always remember about it. Carnegie repeatedly said that one of the reasons for his success was that he was “always there.”   more »

Does 86,400 mean anything to you? It represents something you and everyone else in the world has completely at your disposal. Unfortunately too many people dispose of it wastefully. So, what is it? 86,400 is the number of seconds that everyone has to work with every 24 hour period. Since everyone starts each day with the same amount of time, the difference between success, failures and “also ran” is how you use that time.   more »

What about organizations that don’t have “customers” but instead have members, contributors, or donors? Whatever term used to describe this group of people, they are like customers since it is money or other resources from them that sustains the organization.   more »

What is a Guerrilla Certificate? It can be a certificate from any other business. I know of a music store owner who ran an ad and said he would take anyone’s gift certificates. When the customers came, many of whom were not current customers, he would gladly honor the gift certificate. He was able to introduce the new customers to his store, and also accumulate contact information. When someone uses a $25 gift certificate, since it is not like spending cash, they are more likely to increase their purchase than someone who just spent the same amount in cash. By taking other businesses’ gift certificates, he was able to expand his customer base, accumulate contact information, and increase the dollar value of each transaction. When they follow-up with the “new customers” and turn them into “repeat customers,” it doesn’t take long to figure out how valuable those certificates really are.

 

So what did they do with the gift certificates they took in? They used them, in some cases to buy supplies like from Wal-Mart. If you look at this from an analytical standpoint, it looks like you actually lose money, which you do. If you look at it from the lifetime value of a customer standpoint, then you see how effective this can be.

 

Would taking “guerrilla gift certificates” work in your business?

Trade, the business or work in which one engages regularly, is an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill. Science is the state of having knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding; something, like a technique, that may be studied or learned; knowledge, or a system of knowledge, covering general truths or the operation of general laws.   more »