Hello. Guerrilla marketing is typically low-cost and self-implemented. In this issue, we'll look at some examples to get your creative juices flowing. And, we'll talk about defining audiences to achieve maximum marketing results.

While we're on the subject of defining audiences, I need help defining you. Please follow this link to a quick eight-question survey that will help me better understand you and ultimately improve Hoover ink Think. Thanks in advance.

Let's get started.

Cordially,

Harry Hoover
harry@hoover-ink.com

P.S. Feel free to forward this to a friend.

Ink Briefs
Jobs, jobs and more jobs - that's what you'll find in my first two links this month. First is Media Bistro , a site that connects media people to news, jobs and each other.

Next, is Direct Employers , a consortium of major corporations that has created a search engine that catalogs member jobs. Members include Accenture, Bank of America and Xerox.



For you, the freelance writer, here are two good links. Freelance Write, provides information on markets and setting prices. The Writer's Resource Center features a writer's forum.


I just found Marketing Power and have begun using it often. Affiliated with the American Marketing Association, Marketing Power provides solid information on all the marketing and communications disciplines.


I'm doing an e-newsletter for a new client, who happens to be an old friend. It's Joe Grant, who advises advertising and PR agencies on how to run their businesses better. His insight and advice are applicable and valuable to anyone. Sign up for his free newsletter, Grant's Client Brief.




About Hoover ink PR

Hoover ink PR helps position businesses that are serious about their success. Then, we craft and deliver bottom line messages that ensure it.

Who are we? We're a marketing communications firm with more than 25 years experience in providing services to financial, high tech, real estate, tourism and consumer products companies.

From employee relations and media relations to collateral material and e-newsletters, we develop the programs and communication tools that will differentiate you from your competitors. And that's the bottom line.
 
  Guerrilla Marketing

 Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term guerrilla marketing, which I define as low-cost, creative and typically self-implemented public relations techniques.

Here are a few thoughts that might spawn some ideas for your own business.

  • When you can't get in to see a prospect, try clipping half a $20 bill in a note to her. You get 20 minutes of her time and she gets the rest of the $20 when the meeting is over.
  • Prior to a trade show, visit the town's largest taxi company, and tell them to alert drivers you will have secret shoppers riding in taxis. If the taxi driver mentions your company and booth number to your secret shopper, the driver gets $100. Invest a little money on the show's first day, and get the buzz started.
  • Hire college students to go to the airport dressed as chauffeurs. They hold up hand-lettered signs that contain the company name, and repeat the name of the company as people come by. Work the terminals where flights from your best markets come in. Click to read more about trade show participation.
  • Retailers tend to overreact to a few consumer phone calls. So, take advantage of this if you are trying to get your new product on the shelf. Recruit a few friends to call the retailer in question and ask if they have your new product in stock. This works particularly well if you have some recent media coverage the caller can cite.
  • Technology is making hand-written notes a thing of the past. Take the time to jot a short note to customers and thank them for their business. You'll be surprised by the kind of goodwill and repeat business this old-fashioned tactic can generate.
Got guerrilla ideas you want to share? Drop me a note at
harry@hoover-ink.com. I'll run the best ones in a future edition.

  A Defining Moment
For my money one of the most important elements to marketing success is defining your audiences.

Many businesses want to market to all carbon-based life forms. They won't take the time to really understand their audiences from geographic, demographic and psychographic perspectives.

Demographics helps you define audiences by such elements as age, sex, marital status, race, income, education, household size, market size, job function, intent to purchase, lifestyle-related habits and geographic location.

Geography allows you to target locations more finitely by country, state, Zip Code, and telephone number. You can target digital locations by knowing Internet service provider and mail service information.

Once you have your geographic and demographic information, you can put your marketing on steroids by adding psychographic information such as personality and emotionally based behavior linked to purchase choices.

Having finely targeted your audiences makes it easier for you to "clone" your best customers.