Growth Hacking is just Good Old Guerilla Marketing

Compliments of the Dunvegan Group

Perhaps you’ve heard of something called “guerrilla marketing” and wondered what it was.

The name is derived from guerrilla warfare, a technique that allows a small force to fight a much larger, state-sponsored army by being creative and doing a lot with little.

In general, of course, marketing is a contest for people’s attention. According to author and business blogger Seth Godin, it’s about conducting research, determining a market, and planning, implementing, measuring and optimizing results. It requires constantly watching the marketplace and deciding what is working and what isn’t. It’s an evolutionary process rather than an event.

Guerrilla marketing, then, is about creative ways to increase market share inexpensively.

“Guerrilla Marketing is about focusing on results over activities and profits instead of revenues,” Jason Myers, chairman of Guerrilla Marketing Global LLC, said in a presentation he gave at a sold-out Port Charlotte SCORE and Northport Area Chamber of Commerce meeting.

“Guerrilla Marketing” (1983, Amazon, $12.58), a book by Jay Conrad Levinson, a founder of the same company, sold 22 million copies and has been required reading in almost every MBA program in the world. It has been named one of the 10 most important business books.

Guerrilla marketing encompasses publicity, marketing, retail sales, deal making, financial advice and efficiency. It’s about unconventional thinking as well as out-of-the box stuff; making things happen out of very little. It’s important to be profitable in a small business, or there will be no business.

Here are some highlights from the presentation.

Guerrilla marketing presentation

Jason Myers will give his presentation on guerrilla marketing to the Manasota Chapter of SCORE, its clients and mentors, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 in the Benderson Family Finish Tower at Nathan Benderon Park, just south of University Parkway and west of I-75. Myers will provide a list of 200 marketing weapons. The event costs $20.

Create a 7-sentence marketing plan

1. Purpose – Define what you do and what you want to do.

2. Prime benefit and advantage – Name the one thing you do better than anyone else.

3. Target audience – Identify your customers and your potential customers.

4. Weapons – List the resources that you have to communicate with customers and prospects.

5. Niche – Use a one-word description of your uniqueness.

6. Identity – Determine your business personality.

7. Budget – Decide how much you can afford to spend.

Your competition

You must know what your competition is doing by assessing their strengths and weaknesses. What does your competition market and how do they market? Are they the leader or a follower in your space? When you target your ideal customer, you need to know where they are most likely to see your message. Where do they hang out?

Your elevator pitch

In the time it takes to ride in an elevator (about 30 seconds), you should be able to describe your business. Succinctly explain what your business does and how it is unique. Your elevator pitch should be memorable, repeatable and all employees should know it.

I stumbled upon a good template for an elevator pitch. It goes like this: My company (name) offers (what you offer), helping (audience) value proposition (problem solved) by (how you do it, the secret sauce).

Sample: My company, Zink Business Alchemy, offers consulting services to help business owners become the dominant force in their niche with guaranteed results.

Reciprocity

Leverage the law of reciprocity by giving a gift to prospects such as free samples, trial periods or a free consultation.

Business card tips

Make sure your business cards stand out. Quality matters, and don’t forget to use both sides. Declutter, as less is more. Include an offer and a call to action. Make sure the paper can be written on (ink friendly) because people often scribble notes on business cards.

Website priorities

Most small-business websites are poorly designed. Make sure your website is focused on generating leads. Update your website regularly, keeping it fresh and current. Answer common questions and measure results. Your website must be mobile friendly or you will be penalized by Google in search results. Look at websites you like and consider how their design can apply to your content and marketing.

Organic social media

Create a group (LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.) around a topic related to your business, but not your business. Contribute to this group in an effort to help others and build relationships. Be aware that constant promotion is annoying and ultimately will be ignored.

Create a topic-based (not brand-based) MeetUp group. Develop a community of fans. Over time, people will get to know, like and trust you. Network in other communities such as Facebook groups, associations and clubs.

Testimonials and referrals

Collect testimonials for use in your business. Always ask for referrals and thank your customers for them.

Remember, the jungle is a rough place, and learning guerrilla marketing will help you survive.

Dennis Zink is a volunteer, certified mentor and chapter chairman of Manasota SCORE. He is the creator and host of Been There, Done That! with Dennis Zink, a nationally syndicated business podcast series. He facilitates a CEO roundtable for the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, created a MeetUp group, Success Strategies for Business Owners and is a business consultant. Email him at centreofinfluence@gmail.com.

How Video Marketing Rocks for Content

Content marketing and video marketing

What makes content marketing different from other forms of marketing is that, it adds value to the customer. Supporters and followers of content marketing believe that delivering consistent and valuable information to customers will eventually lead them to support and patronize certain companies or brands. It is not selling to consumers. Rather, it is informing, educating, or entertaining them in the hope that they will buy a company’s products. What is important is to give customers quality content – content that they are willing to seek out, pay for and share.

Content marketing has gained popularity and traction among marketers and companies over the years. Marketing leaders and experts agree that it is not only the present of marketing but also its future. You will normally see content marketing online in websites and in social media. Examples include infographics, articles and podcasts. And content marketing does not stop there. Most people would not think of the “The Lego Movie” as a content marketing “masterpiece,” but this box office hit effectively captures and promotes the Lego brand and weaves it into a story told in a fun, awesome and enjoyable way. It tells, but does not sell, which is what content marketing is about.

Video marketing is also an effective form of content marketing. Video marketing is basically using a video to promote a product, service or brand. In terms of content marketing, video marketing can be how-to videos, training videos, online tutorials or promotional trailers. This format is also steadily gaining popularity among companies and brands. Some of the reasons behind this are that:

  1. Videos are effective ways of communicating to consumers. They make use of the visual and auditory senses of people to present or explain concepts and ideas. Viewers who watch a video are more likely to retain information than those exposed to written or spoken media alone.

  1. Videos appeal to consumers’ emotions. They make use of elements such as body language, facial expression and music to connect and relate to viewers. People make decisions using their emotions and videos can tap into that aspect to influence a viewer to buy a product.

  1. Videos increase sales and conversions. Studies show that online consumers are more likely to purchase a product after watching a video. The company Stacks and stacks reports that a shopper is 144% more likely to add a product into the cart if he/she sees its video on the product page.

  1. Videos are highly accessible. Companies can post their videos on the company website or on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. These are not only limited to desktop and laptop users but also on-the-go consumers who access the internet through their mobile phones.

With these advantages and more, it makes sense to add videos into a company’s content marketing mix. Volvo Truck’s “Epic Split” video featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, for instance, garnered 70+ million YouTube views and 8 million shares online. This epic video boosted awareness for the brand and increased its customer engagement. It is great content videos like these that show the success of video marketing and encourage other companies and brands to start making quality videos to promote their products.

How to Do or Do Not: Marketing on Facebook

Getting to Know the “Dos” and “Don’ts” of Facebook Marketing

About 1.39 billion users are active on using Facebook and half of them log in every day. There are 5 newly-created profiles every second and approximately 30 million fan pages belong to businesses. On top of all this, about 1 billion Facebook searches are made every day.

Given all the statistics, it is important to use Facebook marketing strategies in order to catch up with the growing number of active Facebook users and fan pages.

While it is hard for marketers to build loyal followings on Facebook fan pages, knowing the “dos” and “don’ts” is essential for them to see what’s working and what’s not in the field of Facebook marketing.

This article will compile some of the important things to apply and the classic mistakes to avoid as a Facebook marketer.

  • Draw fans by being authentic. Use Facebook to post original contents that should not be missed. In the end, let people know what makes a company stands out among the rest.

  • Value customer service at all times. Satisfied customers keep coming back for more and might also end up recommending the business to their connections. In order to keep them coming back, a facebook marketer must be able to listen and quickly respond to customer queries.

  • Set-up Facebook fan pages, not profile accounts. Using profile accounts for business is clearly a violation of Facebook policies. Also, Facebook pages have certain privileges on analytics, ads and apps which are not applicable in profile accounts. While facebook pages can accommodate unlimited fans, profile accounts can only accommodate 5,000 friends/connections.

  • Develop solid posting strategies. Content and consistency are the two main keys to have a firm posting strategy. Identify the marketing goals first then come up with solid posting strategies that can achieve the ideal results.

  • Understand customers’ needs by getting their feedbacks. What they will say is important for the improvement of products and services. There are a lot of ways for them to give feedbacks. Some of these include:

  1. Completing surveys

  2. Responding to posts

  3. Giving recommendations

Remember that investing time on reading customer feedbacks is good for any business.

  • Never spam Facebook pages. Spamming people is worst thing to do in marketing because it can lead to the loss of followers and prospective customers.

It is important to mix up contents through sharing videos, quotes and articles as well as asking questions about particular issues. Contents that contain pushy marketing messages are considered as spams.

  • Do not measure success through the number of likes. The real basis for having a successful Facebook page are the following: engagement, conversions and reach. Getting a lot of likes doesn’t equate to having connections. They are built through customer interactions.

  • Do not be confined with using marketing strategies on Facebook alone. Relying solely on it is effective but integrating it with other marketing strategies of social media platforms is more effective. Doing cross-promotional strategies on various social media networks could expand the content’s reach.

Moving forward, it is essential to apply these “dos” and “don’ts” of Facebook marketing because Facebook isn’t definitely going anywhere.

The A- List of Facebook Marketing Strategies

While other people use Facebook to chat with their friends or to share pictures and videos, business people use it for marketing and branding. In order to become successful through gaining traffic and sales, businesses should use the most effective strategies of Facebook marketing. Have a look as this article will list down some of them:

  • Making use of the site’s existing traffic. It is essential to have a company website because it will serve as a hub where people purchase the products and know everything about the particular services. To maximize existing traffic, insert clickable social media icons on the website which can redirect the user to the company’s Facebook page or any social media pages it has.

It is recommended to put these icons on the homepage header because they are noticeable on this area. This action could also provide better CTR (click-through rate) placements.

  • Displaying fan page URLs by using e-mail signatures. When sending e-mails to potential customers, include fan page URLs beneath the email message or signature. By doing this, there will be an increase in traffic or following if the recipients click these attached URLs.

  • Sending out email blasts. One way of letting people know that a particular business has a Facebook page is through sending email blasts. AWeber and MailChimp are some of the tools used in e-mail marketing.

  • In-store promotion of a Facebook page. Offline promotion is an ideal way of telling people that a business is now on Facebook. Print and include the Facebook page URLs on store’s wall, glass doors, business cards, paper bags and etc.

  • Knowing when is the best time to post and schedule the status updates. By consistently planning the posting schedule, target audience will be more engaged in liking, sharing and commenting on posts especially if they are educational and entertaining.

  • Using Facebook Ads. They can help in gaining followers and business growth. They are also used to create Facebook marketing campaigns. Plus, they are not that expensive.

  • Creating Facebook Contests. Facebook users like a particular fan page in order to participate in its contests. Conducting a simple photo contest can increase Facebook likes for up to 5 times more than a regular post. Prizes to be given away may vary ranging from items to services. Don’t forget to do promotions during the contest period to draw more fans.

  • Using Facebook’s “@” Feature. Tagging people and other pages with this feature will make them feel recognized. Therefore, it establishes relationships between the business and its customers.

  • Developing Facebook custom tabs and apps. It is an additional option that can be used to gain more likes and fans by allowing fans to access event details, deals and other exclusive advantages.

  • Engaging with own Facebook community and other Facebook fan pages. This is like a win-win situation. Apart from building strong relationship to customers, it could also create fan conversions when additional people will like the page upon seeing it on other Facebook pages.

  • Joining and creating Facebook groups. Their privacy is classified into three: open, closed and secret.

  1. Open Facebook group is typically used for increasing brand awareness and growing network. Therefore, it should focus on interactions and participations from the fans.

  2. Closed Facebook group can be seen by anyone but only the members can see the posts inside it. It is mainly used for customer support services.

  3. A secret group is only seen by members and is used for confidential discussions.

Even if these 3 groups have different functionalities, the ultimate goal is to build the ideal relationship for every group type.

There are a lot of Facebook marketing strategies out there but having the above-mentioned examples on hand is enough for businesses to do marketing wonders.

Achieve Facebook Marketing Success by Taking One Step at a Time

In all businesses, the game plan is always the key to success. To come up with a solid game plan and strategy in Facebook marketing, do not forget this 5 easy steps:

1.) When putting up a business, it is important to have a clear mission and vision. A lot of brands’ success stories came from these two objectives. These two points must explain the purpose of the company and why it exists.

In starting his Apple Company, Steve Jobs was motivated by supporting people’s creativity, not by selling computers. Before becoming the largest florist shop, Jim McCann’s 1-800-Flowers.com was motivated to help people express their feelings to others.

Therefore, before planning to do some social media marketing strategies, a person should:

  • First, exactly know the type of business he will engage himself into, and

  • Second, fulfill other people’s desires and solve their problems.

2.) Take the six Vitamin C’s of Facebook every day. In order to come up with a successful marketing campaign, keep all these 6 C’s in mind:

  • Content: post stories that will gain a lot of shares, likes and comments. In short, it should be interesting.

  • Clarity: clearly show what the fan page is all about and what it has to offer. Update the “About” section of the page and add taglines on the cover photo if necessary.

  • Campaign: maximize the use of Facebook’s promotional tools in order to support a particular campaign.

  • Connection: build and grow the page’s network.

  • Culture: make the fan page as an extension of the company’s culture or a particular brand. The same look and feel of the fan page should not be used all over again. This will depend on proper page management which includes: the type of content shared, response time, way of response, humour and etc.

  • Conversion: convert fans and followers into a network of paying customers.

3.) Post shareable contents. Consider these basic rules on creating shareable contents:

  • Make it short. (a content with 80 characters will gain more shares)

  • Vary the contents by using photos, videos, audios and links.

  • Reply to people who shared the content by liking their shares.

  • Interact by asking questions

  • Visit other pages to know what people like

  • Determine when is the best time of the day and week to interact with the fans.

4.) Consider experimenting and testing then, track the results. It is important to learn what Facebook marketing strategy is working and what’s not. Try variating the post frequency, contents and time zones.

5.) Learn from the success of other Facebook fan pages. Oreo, Disney, Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Skittles are some of the popular consumer brands that are doing well in this social media platform. Monitor their Facebook pages and view other fan pages in order to see what particular types of content could gain significant amount of shares. Examine everything on their fan page starting from updates up to the promotional campaigns used.

To become good at Facebook marketing, it takes time and patience. By following the above-mentioned steps and seeking the help of people who are knowledgeable in this field, success will be on its way!

Exploring the Benefits of Facebook in Business

Facebook ads for Local Business Video pic
Facebook ads for Local Business Video pic

Touted as one of the most popular social media platforms today, Facebook has its own unique advantages and benefits. Apart from personally connecting with the members of the family and friends, it can also be used for advertising and promoting a business.

Marketing strategies play a vital role in the success and growth of a business because they are used to draw customers’ attention. This is where a Facebook business page has the advantage over an existing company website. This article will show some advantages of using Facebook marketing:

  • Using Facebook for business is a low-cost type of marketing strategy. Signing-up on Facebook for free is ideal especially for small and medium start-up businesses that are on a tight budget. Without going for expensive marketing activities that cost about thousands of dollars, these companies can target millions of audience which can turn into potential paying customers as they go along. Large businesses also take the opportunity to use Facebook for their trial marketing plans and concepts before stepping up on bigger campaigns.

  • Business information can be shared. Since Facebook is the right avenue to promote a business, it is important to provide information about the business name, address and its contact details. In order to draw more customers, a business page should also contain brief descriptions on every aspect including its products and services as well as its history and staff listing.

  • It is interactive. Apart from posting texts, uploading of photos and videos is also allowed, thus, making Facebook easier to personalize than a company website. There are no technical skills needed in order to maintain, customize and personalize a Facebook business page because it’s pretty much the same as managing a personal Facebook account. Interaction takes place when audiences tag themselves in the photo that is used to advertise and promote a business.

  • It allows communication with current and prospective customers through the exchange of messages. Listening to their feedbacks regarding the products and services is essential in Facebook marketing.

  • It is easier to provide customer support on Facebook. Questions can be posted directly based on the customers’ experience in using a particular product or service. This is more effective than taking phone calls as customers can already see common queries and responses from other people. As a result, problems and issues can be quickly resolved. In addition, these can increase the satisfaction level of customers.

  • Brand awareness can be raised through Facebook likes. Apart from word of mouth, liking the Facebook page will increase the popularity of a business page.

  • It can increase website traffic by including Facebook page URLs on posts. Exposing these links to Facebook users can also convert visits into potential business purchases. Maximize this advantage especially when people are motivated to buy products or services as consumers.

  • Advertising can be targeted to a particular group of people. Marketers can maximize the creation of Facebook ads for certain people that have listed a particular interest by making these ads appear on the right side of their Facebook pages.

Facebook is the only social media platform that can provide these advantages. Therefore, take the opportunity to use Facebook marketing while Facebook is still not going anywhere.