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I run a small business for smoking cessation and weight loss. I advertise on the radio a lot. It's expensive, and the response is so-so. Any thoughts?
"Old media" -- radio, TV and metropolitan newspapers--generally aren't good bets for small businesses. You're paying big bucks to reach thousands of people out of your area and thousands more who have no interest in your product or service. The Cowflop Gazette, your local community paper, may be a better bet--but why pin your hopes on a delivery boy who throws the paper behind the rose bushes or into the lawn sprinkler?
Instead, try guerrilla marketing -- the artful use of imagination mixed with hard work -- to reach a highly targeted audience. Executed well, such shrewd tactics can achieve big results, says Jay Conrad Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets For Making Big Profits From Your Small Business, and a 12-year veteran of major ad agencies, including J. Walter Thompson and Leo Burnett.
Guerrilla marketing is all about efficiency, but that doesn't always mean spending less. Companies tend to allocate about 4% of sales on marketing, although some crafty guerrilla marketers may go as high as 8%, Levinson estimates.
The real investment here is the time and sweat spent understanding the needs of your customers and coming up with creative ways of communicating your value proposition. "Broadening your search isn't as important as aiming your message at the right people," says Levinson.
Offering free information is a relatively inexpensive way to build relationships with your customers -- and to keep them coming back. That way, you become a resource for your customers, not just a vendor.
For example: If you run a bike shop, offer tips on weekend rides and provide maps. If the tours start at your shop, offer a good price on all the little last-minute
It's no news that you should have a Web site. The tricky part is building the right one. Keep it simple: Prospective customers aren't interested in your humble beginnings and roaring success -- they want to know what you can do for them. A simple tab labeled "About Us" that takes users to three or four paragraphs about you and your company is plenty, says Levinson.
You'll also want to compile as much information on your customers as possible. Include a question box on your Web site that allows users to shoot you questions or comments. This is a painless way to collect e-mail addresses of customers who really seem interested. (Remember: Don't get so wrapped up in being a guru that you forget to include your contact information at the bottom of each reply; always make it easy for people to find you and do business.)
Guerrilla marketing isn't just about the medium -- it's about the message. It's not enough to offer people a way to lose weight or stop smoking when your competitors are offering similar services.
Instead, tap into your customers' timeless fixations with vanity and fulfillment. Show them that -- by quitting smoking or eating right -- they'll find love, earn the cheers of their spouses and kids, have more energy, or simply live happier lives. As for tone, says Levinson, go for cheeky, but never offensive.