93 Articles - Guerrilla Marketing (61-75)

Guerrilla Marketing, over 90 field-tested tactics to get yourbusiness into the frontlines

By: Jay Conrad Levinson.


61. TEMPORARY TATTOOS

Temporary tattoos are a fun way to promote your company at a conference or event. The SLO
Brewing Company of California put their name on a temporary tattoo and created quite a
buzz at a trade show. The SLO Brew Heart tattoo was picked by almost everyone that stopped
by the booth and proudly displayed by people all over the trade show floor. Get yours from
Boomerang Business Communications at 805/481-0760.

62 WOULD YOU LIKE TO REACH MORE
HOME-BASED BUSINESSES?

Home-based businesses (HBB) are rarely listed in directories and are shy about attracting too
much attention from local zoning authority. They can be pretty hard to reach.
Guerrilla Deborah Wilson had trouble reaching home-based businesses in her area, so she
suggested to her local chamber of commerce that they set up a special committee for HBBs.
They liked the idea and appointed her head of the HBB Committee and also let her use chamber
resources to organize the community. If your chamber doesnʼt have such a committee,
start one!

63. TROUBLE MAKING MONEY ONLINE?
MAYBE YOU NEED A NEW STRATEGY!

Guerrilla David worked for two years to develop a successful online sales effort before changing
objectives and finding success. David realized that it wasnʼt logical to sell their training
and technology products online so he decided to use their website to develop and qualify
leads instead.

They now provide useful information to prospects and collect information in online questionnaires.
They use the information they collect to follow up more effectively.

64. SILLY PROMOTIONS CAN WORK

Sometimes we avoid silly and obvious promotions but they can get the job done. Guerrilla
Terry Stone knows all about the great value of “cheap” things.
Terry gives away all kinds of promotional items with the business name and phone number
imprinted on them but rulers are one of the most effective items. Terry uses a corny opening
line for the rulers before a presentation, “Use these to measure the effectiveness of my presentation.”
It might be silly but Terry laughs all the way to the bank.


65. EVEN THE BEST-LAID PLANS CAN GO WRONG.

Stuff happens. Guerrillas know that itʼs what you do next that can turn it all around.
Guerrilla Larry Rudd was about to do his first trade show when the giveaway premiums
he had ordered showed up with the wrong phone number on them. The corrected items
wouldnʼt be ready in time for the show.
During the show they held a drawing for a free dinner and collected names from visitors to the
booth. Then, when the giveaway items arrived after the show, he sent them out with a letter
of thanks for visiting the booth and followed it all up with a phone call. Everyone remembered
him and the gift and sending them after the show had created a much larger impact.

66. MAKE THE MOST OF CHANGE

Guerrilla Melanie Deardorff knew that her company name no longer reflected her current services
and client base, so she changed the name of her company from Birchwood Publishing
to Birchwood Marketing Communications. Though the name change was not very drastic, she
wanted to make the most of this event.
After registering the name and converting stationery to the new name and logo, Melanie
developed a large postcard to mail out with images of the new $100 bill and her new logo.
The copy on the front said “Both got a new look…” and the back read “Only one increased in
value.” She then explained her expanded services and provided contact information.

67. ATTENTION-GETTING PITCH

Everyone has trouble getting the attention of a prospect at one time or another. So, when it
counts, Guerrilla John Rowley attaches one half of a US $20 note to a simple mail pitch. He
promises to give them the other half in exchange for 20 minutesʼ time. John says it gets him
an order from one in three attempts.

68. CUSTOMER LOYALTY PROGRAMS

Most customer loyalty programs are expensive to set up and manage but Larry Gaynorʼs
simple approach is the Guerrilla solution that turns it into a profit center.
Larry sends a Tootsie Roll Pop out with every order and attaches a client survey card. Each
week they get back hundreds of customer survey cards raving about the candy and good
service. Over 80% respond with some kind of comment.
The really positive survey responses get a follow-up letter from the president and a sample
issue of their paid newsletter. Over half of these customers go on to order the newsletter at
US $89 per year!

69. DO YOU FEEL FORGOTTEN BY
YOUR CUSTOMERS AND PROSPECTS?

Make sure they forget you not by following Guerrilla Helen Cottreauʼs lead. Before relocating
her business, she sent out packets of forget-me-not flower seeds with the announcement of
the move and the new address. She has not been forgotten.

70. TROUBLE SETTING PRICES?

Guerrilla Marvin Mansky tried letting his customers do it for him in an unusual promotion!
Marvin ran a promotion from Thanksgiving to New Yearʼs Day and let patients set their own
prices for his dental services. Patients got a complete basic exam and cleaning and then paid
what they thought it was worth.
Most patients paid close to the regular rate. A few paid very little, but had been putting off
dental care. And, some even paid higher-than-normal rates, because they so liked the whole
idea.
Marvinʼs dental practice was totally booked, and they had more new patient referrals than
ever before!

71. NEED CUSTOMERS FOR YOUR NEW BUSINESS?

Guerrilla coach Wendy McClelland suggested that her client build a bridal make-up business
by giving away free demos in local bridal stores every Saturday morning.
Some lucky bride-to-be gets a demonstration make-up session and everyone in attendance
gets some ideas for their own make-up. The audience for the demo also gets brochures and
drawing entries for free sessions.
Wendyʼs client got great exposure to prospects, referrals from stores, and a mailing list of
future brides and their friends.

72. LOW-COST COMPETITORS GOT YOU DOWN?

The Guerrillas at Karaʼs Hair Studio were facing new competition from a chain offering super
cheap haircuts until they decided to fight back. Karaʼs launched a radio and newspaper campaign
featuring victims of bad haircuts wearing bags over their heads. She also hired students
to wear paper bags on their heads and walk around outside the competitorʼs shop with
sandwich boards bearing her ad line. The message was simple, “Karaʼs fixes $5 haircuts.”

73. GIVE FREE SAMPLES

Free samples sell everything from cereal to software, so why not use them for your business?
Guerrilla Lil Zielke gives away work samples for a desktop design and layout business. Friends
collect flyers and promotional materials that they get in the mail. Then, Lil redesigns them,
marks them as “draft” and sends them off to the prospect with an introductory letter.
No one has ever complained and Lil has picked up plenty of business from the tactic.

74. COLD CALLS

Guerrilla Ramil Cueto gets through to prospects where others fail because of when he calls
and what he says. He is most successful with an approach using emotion and calls on his
prospects after 6PM!
He says that after work is when they are most relaxed and willing to talk. He asks the prospect
“why” they think, feel, or say what they do and shifts his approach to suit. This is no
simple “mirror” technique. Ramil says that sometimes it pays to surprise the prospect with
your tone and approach.

75. TOP TEN REASONS TO USE YOUR COMPANY

Instead of leaving business cards, brochures, pens, memo pads or the typical junk that gets
pitched as soon as you leave a cold call, Guerrilla Don Snyder will leave a list of Top Ten
Reasons they should be using his company.
List items are all true, sometimes humorous, statements why they are the best game in town.
He actually gets his prospects to call him and laugh about the list while he gathers data on
their needs!