Look! I’m doing a review! It’s like I’m a real journalist.

This is the Grandaddy of low-budget marketing books for home business. These books have been around since the early eighties and they’re just as huge then as they are now. On the cover of my copy it reads that he’s sold over a million copies of his books. I’d venture to guess that figure had gone up to a quadrazillion. Over the next little while I’ll be reviewing other Guerrilla books but I figured I may as well start with the one that started it all. (I read the third edition, which was written in 1998. There is also a 4th edition that came out in 2007.)

Guerilla Marketing is not for the faint of heart. At its root is the concept that you as the marketer need to get into the marketing mindset. No tip or trick or tool will replace that one key factor. This is inspiring, and it helps you as the reader understand that you are not alone in the small business universe. It helps you realize that you don’t need the budget of Coca-Cola to make a decent living. And when you’re all alone at your computer trying to launch a home-based business, that is exactly the kind of information you want to hear.

Guerilla Marketing is broken down into several sections. In The Guerrilla Approach to Marketing – Updated, he writes about philosophy, secrets, and concepts. This is a rallying cry section and it’s great if you’re ready for it. He says things like “If you’re not committed, it probably won’t work.” Good point. But Levinson takes commitment to a whole new level. This is commitment like you’ve never seen it before.

“Guerrilla Marketing involves recognizing the myriad opportunities out there and exploiting every last one of them.” Believe me, he means it when he says “every last one”.

He talks about the difference between Skinnerian marketing to the conscious brain and Freudian marketing to the subconscious brain. He says, “Guerrillas are aggressive in their marketing, but they are never crass.” Not crass, no. But as aggressive as you can be without being crass.

Next up, he talks about Mini-Media, including canvassing, personal letters, telephone marketing, circulars and brochures, classified ads, signs, and the Yellow Pages. He gives creative ideas and a very detailed analysis of your options. And the tips! Oh, the tips. This is not a high-concept book, this is a down-and-dirty, what-do-I-do-right-now? book.

He goes on to Maxi-Media, including Newspaper and Magazine advertising, radio, TV, Outdoor advertising and direct mail. Just as good as the previous section, although not as relevant for the Micro-Marketer.

Non-Media is where the “guerrilla” aspect really comes into play. He talks about specialties and samples (by specialties, we’re talking swag – pens, mousepads, mugs, that sort of thing), seminars, trade shows, miscellaneous marketing tools, PR, and professional marketing. I love this kind of stuff and he gives it the credit it’s due.

The Most Useful Piece of Information in this Book:

“You should use as many methods of marketing as you properly can. [italics his, not mine.] The same holds true for marketing production. Do as much of it yourself as you can do properly… Farm out the rest to talented professionals. In all likelihood, you are a pro at your business. And you should use people who are pros at the business of advertising production. The combination of pro and pro is a tough combination to beat.”

The importance of this concept cannot be overstated. I love it when people market to me in unexpected ways or unexpected places. But if it sucks? It still sucks, no matter how Guerrilla it is. If you can’t write copy, hire someone to do it for you!

Should you buy this book?

Probably. In Levinson’s own words, “Traditional marketing practice requires that you invest money in the marketing process. The theory of Guerrilla Marketing is that your primary investments should be time, energy, and imagination.” If you have those things, this book is worth 100 times its price. If you are farming out your marketing to a consultant, it’s worth 10 times its price, if only so you can tell your consultant what they should be doing. If you are in neither group – you have limited time or energy or imagination and you’re not having professionals handle your marketing for you – it will probably just depress you.

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By Naomi Dunford - Sep 29, 2007 in Home Business Marketing - 1 Comment
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So I’m surfing the internet trying to avoid working, and I come across a link to this site. (I would love to credit the person who gave me the link but I didn’t know I was about to come across one of the awesomest blogs on the internet, so I wasn’t paying attention. Whoever you are, I’m sorry!)

Anyway, Jarkko Laine is a software developer in Finland who is Insanely Interested In Everything. That’s his tagline - his wife made it up. (A little shoutout to Jarkko’s wife, Mari - I have a husband like that and I know how you feel, honey.)

Here’s what Jarkko has to say about his site: “This blog is all about creating software in a honest way that is good for you, your environment, your family, your customer and all the people around you.”

Now keep in mind, if I ever got it into my head that I could create software, my husband would choke on his Snickers from laughing so hard. I am not a software person. Not. At. All. However, I still think Jarkko’s site rocks. I kind of want to be a software person now. Okay, not really. But you see what I’m saying.

He really is interested, not to mention interesting. He ran a series of posts throughout the month of September about things that other people were insanely interested in, and then interviewed them, asking very intelligent questions. Jarkko talks about all sorts of things, all of which are, well, interesting. (Hey, maybe if I keep writing “interesting” over and over, I’ll rank on Google for it.) He writes big, beefy posts that don’t skimp on content. I like that. (Marketing Guru Extraordinaire Seth Godin recommends short posts. I don’t agree. That’s why I read his books and don’t subscribe to his blog.)

Both Jamie and I agree that his site is nice to look at which doesn’t happen very often since I’m incredibly picky and he’s color blind. The blog is attractive, but still masculine, and nobody’s going to look at you like you’re an idiot if they come up behind you while you’re surfing it. He has a few featured sites in the sidebar which aren’t ugly or spammy, one of which is for Blog Mastermind. If the quality of Jarkko’s site is any indication, I have a feeling he’s a student of the program. (I purposely didn’t link to Blog Mastermind there. If you want to sign up for it, which you probably should, go give Jarkko your affiliate dollars. He deserves them more than I do.)

Here are some things to check out on Jarkko’s site:

If you’re a fan of Zen Habits, read How To Be The Next Leo Babauta.

If you’re launching your home business while working a full time job, read The Seven Deadly Sins of a Side Business Entrepreneur.

If you think you might need a career at some point, read What Is A Rewarding Career And How You Can Get One.

If you need some inspiration and a jumpstart to your creativity, read You Can Sell Anything, Just Do It.

If you’re still reading this instead of checking it out, go read Warning: To Achieve Great Results You Have To Endure Some Pain and watch the video. Seriously, go watch it. I’ll wait.
One of the coolest things that Jarkko has to say is this:

“Writing about something in a way that other people will benefit from it forces you to really think about the topic.”

As bloggers, writers, copywriters, marketers, or people who deal with other people on any kind of a regular basis, we should keep this in mind.

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By Naomi Dunford - Sep 28, 2007 in Home Business Case Studies - 6 Comments
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How do you tell people who you are without saying a word? Go out for coffee!

There’s a coffee shop in my neighborhood. It’s pretty famous around here. They just opened up two new stores in the city. They’re considered a big deal.

Except they suck. Regular coffee costs two bucks. They are always out of something. At no point does anyone in their employ know what kind of bagels they have that day. I asked the owner if Viennese coffee was flavored, and he told me that it wasn’t - it was just regular coffee from Vietnam.

I have never been there without at least 5 people in line ahead of me. People love this place. They happily fork over their two bucks (we won’t even get into what lunch costs) for a cup of acceptable coffee in a Styrofoam cup that dribbles.

Why? Because they like what it says about them.

You see, around here, if you don’t work during the day, there are two kinds of places to go for coffee. There are the places you go because you are unemployed and have nothing better to do, and there are the places you go because you have so much money you don’t need to work. This is one of the latter shops, and this is why there’s a lineup out the door.

Young mothers bring their preschoolers and sit on the sidewalk patio because it says, “My husband makes enough money that I don’t have to go to work.” Recently retired folks go there to lie about their golf scores. Home business owners go there to network and schmooze. That’s why I go.

When a potential client is introduced to me at this coffee shop, they are silently being told, “She’s doing well. She is successful. She has the time to come here when other people are out working.” The client trusts me. I go where he goes. I do what he does.

Is it worth it? In the last year, I’ve gotten over $8000 worth of business from clients I’ve met at my local café. Considering I go there about four times a week, at $2/coffee, I’ve spent about $416 to get over $8000, not including future revenues and referral possibilities. Plus I got coffee.

Roll out the clichés if you want. Like marries like. Birds of a feather flock together. You’re judged by the company you keep. Whatever.

What kind of company are you keeping?

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By Naomi Dunford - Sep 22, 2007 in Home Business Marketing - 5 Comments
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Can we take a minute to talk about one of my biggest pet peeves? Something that really sticks in my craw? (I don’t think I’ve ever said “sticks in my craw” before. What is a craw?) Lack of phone numbers on websites. It makes me batty. I would say that the primary reason I chose my web designer is because he had his phone number on his contact page. (That and he does awesome websites, but let’s face it, so do a lot of people.)

Anyway, Scott of Hello, My Name Is Scott fame has his phone number on his website. He has a home business office number, yes, but he also has his cell phone number. Yup, his cell phone. As in, the one that he carries around with him when he’s having lunch with his girlfriend.

Why does Scott do this? Because he’s a guy who wrote a book called The Power of Approachability. He’s a guy who has been wearing a nametag for 2,527 days straight in order to increase friendliness and approachability in the world. He wants you to contact him. He wants you to say, “Hi, Scott. My name’s Naomi.” (Well, unless your name’s not Naomi. Then that would just be weird.)

Basically, Scott’s website and blog are about improving your business through making yourself different and approachable and generally awesome. He has tips for trade show networking and business cards. He talks about the phrases that payses. He gives 9 cool self-motivational tips for entrepreneurs.

What Scott’s website has to say about Scott:

“His ubiquitous web presence and powerful platform have earned him a surprising amount of credibility seeing that he’s just some guy who wears a nametag every day.”

And yes, he wears one every day. All day. In bed. In the shower. 24/7. How? By going big and getting the damn thing tattooed on his chest, which is just about the coolest thing I’ve heard in a very long time. That? That is branding. Like, with a freaking BRAND.

I would only make two recommendations about this home business site. I’m not in love with the white-on-gray text. It’s hard to read. When you have more than 700 pages of free articles on your site, readability is pretty important. I find myself having to leave for a while and come back to read his archived articles if I’m in the mood to read for any length of time. I’m a home business owner. I don’t really have time for that.

Also, if I were Scott, I’d increase interlinking between articles. In the Phrases That Payses, for example, the one I read was called 58 (More) Phrases that Payses, although I had a hard time finding the originals. It might increase his stickiness if he were to put something at the bottom of each article linking to similar ones.

All in all, fantastic. Although I wouldn’t expect a whole lot less from a dude who can command upwards of ten grand for a speaking appearance at the ripe old age of 27.

Oh yeah. He has a pretty awesome post about bad sweater parties, too.

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By Naomi Dunford - Sep 21, 2007 in Home Business Case Studies - 1 Comment
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