Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet – Brain Dump
I’ve recently been browsing Jay Conrad Levinson’s latest book: Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet, and have come across quite a few gems that got me thinking. This article is a brain dump for a few of my thoughts while reading the book.
For those unfamiliar with the term ‘Guerrilla Marketing,’ Wikipedia explains, “is an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget.” These aren’t just strategies, they’re principles to live by.
1. Embrace Web 2.0 and Social Media
There is the old Internet and the new Internet. The old Internet was a one-way flow of information where a company, entity, or individual would put their content on a website. Visitors would view the content, and go on their merry way. The new Internet takes a collaborative, visitor-centric approach where the community creates the content and everyone benefits. Here are a few examples:
Web 1.0 - Web 2.0
Classmates.com – Facebook.com
Encarta.com – Wikipedia.com
Article Forwarding/Sharing through E-Mail – Digg.com, Delicious.com
CNN.com, Google News, Drudge Report – RSS feeds
The Bottom Line: Get your visitors involved in your web site, and give them a reason to keep coming back for more!
2. Business Criteria for a Guerrilla Business
- Inexpensive to create
- Inexpensive to market
- High profit margins
- Can be profitable and small
- Can grow big
- Not tied to a location
- Can make money on autopilot – without being too involved
- A real business – not multi-level marketing or get-rich-quick
This list by Rick Raddatz reminds me of principles from The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss – another good book I will have to do a brain dump on.
Anyway, back to the list…
3. The Importance of First Impressions
Your website needs to quickly capture your visitors’ attention, most of the time you have less than 2 seconds to give your visitors a reason to stay, but the first 2 seconds are the most important. There are certain things a visitor expects and feels they deserve within that time frame, so before you launch your website, make sure it passes your target’s ease-of-use test.
- Would you return to a store where you had to rummage through box after box to find a gallon of milk?
- Would you stay long at a business if your brain were addled by eardrum-piercing music, glaring lights, and unreadable signs?
- Would you hire a management candidate whose cover letter and resume were filled with misspelled words and grammatical errors?
That’s all for right now, but I’ll be back with more of my Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet brain dump, so stay tuned.
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Tony Kau is co-founder of Portland web design and Internet marketing company Vanivo. For service inquiries, you can contact him directly at tony -at- vanivo.com.
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