This simple but essential piece of wisdom was coined by Jay Conrad Levinson back in 1984 in the first Guerrilla Marketing book.

In today’s post we are featuring perhaps the most important Guerrilla Marketing concept of all — every contact is marketing.  Enjoy the audio and article – and take action on the ideas!
(Click on the audio button right below)

Key Points:

• Marketing is EVERYTHING you do to promote your business.

• It begins the moment you visualize your business and continues up to, and long after your customers buys your products and services regularly.

• Marketing is always intentional and detail orientated, and overlaps to every single part of your business. It’s the way you pick up the phone, the care you put into your web page … its every contact.

• Marketing is a continual process that develops over time.

• The consistency of your marketing messaging is so important.

• In this cluttered marketplace you need to gain mind share so people remember you.

For the last 12 years the  Guerrilla Marketing Coaching Program has certified over 400 Guerrilla Marketing Coaches worldwide in low cost high impact marketing principles.  Become a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach for 60 % off for the month of November only. Click here

With no end in sight to the current economic recession, it’s time to dig deep into these low cost, high impact Guerrilla Marketing resources. Re-arm yourself with business generating strategies that have withstood the test of time. They will bring you profitable results in these testing times.

#1:   7 Low-Cost Guerrilla Marketing Principles You Should Know

#2:   3 Simple Keys To Making Your Website Convert More

#3:   6 Reasons Why People Will Buy From You Over Your Competitors

#4:   The Most Effective Way To Approach A Potential Marketing Partner

#5:   Turning Strangers Into True Friends and Fans

Ready to take the next step and become a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and brand yourself and your business with the best selling marketing series of all time? Our next program starts in September. Get the full story and hold your spot here: www.GMarketingCoach.com    (We are making a very significant 2.0 update in the next program

1. Identify your visitors’ most urgent problem

You can’t create an effective sales letter if you don’t know or can’t articulate your target audiences’ most pressing problem. So, before you do anything else find this out, otherwise your letter will be for naught.

Once you’re sure you’ve captured it accurately, dig a little deeper and see if there are one or two others that are weighing on their minds and jot them down as well. And remember, you’re the problem-solver, so make sure you offer the best solution.

2. Create an attention-grabbing headline (and subheadings)

The Internet is a very crowded place and your website will either be a momentum-gathering snowball heading down a steep mountain or just another snowflake in the blizzard. If you don’t want your website to get lost in the crowd your headline must instantly call out to your visitors and pique their interest. If it doesn’t they’ll leave. If it does, you’re over the first copy hurdle and they’ll stay a bit longer.
Simply put, your sales letter’s headline must contain your most compelling benefit, and worded in a way that arouses curiosity, and triggers their “hot buttons”. They can be short or long and can include a subheading or not.  Your headline should be positioned at the top and center of your webpage and be immediately noticeable.  You can accomplish this in a number of ways like using bigger font sizes, different colors, and bolding key words and phrases.

Your headline must be powerful enough to stand on its own – that is, you should be able to add your url or toll-free number and use it as a small ad.

People love cliffhangers, inside secrets, how-tos, and persuasive questions so use them to your advantage, as in the following paint-by-numbers headline templates.

•    LITTLE KNOWN SECRETS OF _______________ REVEALED!

•    LEARN HOW TO ____________  BEFORE NOON!

•    CAUTION: DON’T EVEN CONSIDER _____________ UNTIL YOU HEAR THIS!

•    DO YOU MAKE THE FOLLOWING _______ MISTAKES WHEN YOU __________?

•    WHO ELSE WANTS ________?

3. State their Problem

Now that you have their attention, you need to keep their interest. Affirm their problem and describe in colorful language how it feels to have that problem. Your visitors should be nodding and thinking, “You got it!  That’s exactly how I feel!” Keep in mind that guerrilla marketing is based on the science of human psychology and the truth is that most people are content with the status quo and need to be inspired to do something out of their comfort zone – so paint a vivid picture of their pain and inject a sense of urgency.

4. Offer the Solution

After you’ve accurately stated their problem, offer your solution and tell them why you’re the best person to solve it. Explain to them why it’s unnecessary for them to keep struggling with their problems when your product or service will alleviate it. You should begin with an introduction like this: “Hi, I’m John Smith and I’ve discovered a great way to _____.”

5. Resolve Their Concerns

Even after you’ve correctly communicated their problem and your solution, your visitors may still be thinking, “Why should I believe him?” Therefore, it’s important to tell them why they should trust you. The best way to accomplish this is by listing your credentials, offering social proof, relating your “been-there-done-that” story, providing privacy pledges, calming their fears about buying online, citing verifiable facts and/or alleviating their after-sale troubleshooting worries. For example, you can provide:

* Credentials: Copies of industry certifications or licenses, college degrees, years of experience, list of     notable companies you’ve done business with, or books you’ve written

* Social Proof: Customer testimonials, association memberships, write-ups in newspapers and magazines,

* Indisputable data: Verifiable facts and data that back up your claims, objective reviews or assessment from industry experts

* Privacy Policy: Your pledge not to share their personal information with anyone outside of your company

* After-sale Support: Set expectations for after-sale support and customer care

————————————————————————————————————————————

Want to become a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and brand yourself and your business with the best selling marketing series of all time? Our next program starts in September. Get the full story and hold Your spot here: www.GMarketingCoach.com

————————————————————————————————————————————-

6. Bullets that Resonate

Include a benefit-laden bullet-pointed list of the additional benefits they’ll receive. Don’t make the mistake of focusing on features – stick with the benefits.  However, many entrepreneurs have difficulty putting benefits into words.  For example, check out websites for ergonomic office chairs. By and large, you’ll see a picture of the product and descriptions like:

- All Leather, multi-functional chairs
- Ergonomic High Back
- Adjustable padded arms

These are fine attributes, but they don’t speak to the benefits.  In other words, they don’t answer prospects’ most pressing question, “Why should I care?” But there’s an easy way to list important features and turn them right into benefits, using the transitional phrase, “which means that.” In this case, it might read, “We sell all leather, high back ergonomic office chairs which means that you’re office will look great and you’re back will thank you!” The types of bullet-points that work well in sales copy are “top” secrets, big benefits in less time, how-tos, and “exclusives.”

7. Offer Something Irresistible

This is where the tire meets the road in your sales letter – the moment when your visitors think they would be foolish not to accept your invitation to act or just the opposite. The best online offers include valuable digital freebies, discounts, or add-ons such as, newsletters; e-courses; members-only area access; surveys; software downloads; white papers; e-books, and the like.

8. Justify the Cost and Build Value

Demonstrate the exceptional value your prospects are receiving by doing an apple-to-apple or even apple-to-oranges comparison of competitive offerings. The more specific you are, the better. Also, add bonuses that are related to your offerings, but don’t over-inflate their value or you’ll set off the hooey alarms.

9. Reverse the risk

Spell out your guarantee and provide them a risk-free way out. Even better, find out what’s standard in your industry and go one or two better. Contrary to what many believe more restrictive the guarantee, the more returns. So be as liberal with yours as possible! Then state it clearly and spell it out exactly.

10. Call ‘em to action

Do not assume that your prospects know what you want them to do; tell them using a very clear, complete and definitive invitation. This is not the place to be vague or subtle. For example, “Pick Up Your Phone, and Call Our Toll-Free – 1.800.000.000 – Number Now!” is much more effective than, “Call us to find out more.”

However, even if they’re sold on your company, offer, and products, there’s a better than even chance that they’ll do nothing. The fact is that people procrastinate for a host of different reasons like they’re too busy, too tired, or too distracted. But they’re less like to put things off if they’re given a good reason to act immediately. That’s where you come in.

Use these other effective techniques to motivate your visitors to act, now!

* Give them a head’s up.  Let your prospects know that you’re about to tell them what to do with phrases like, “Here’s how to opt-in…”

* Make it easy and convenient. Provide a live link to your order pages, toll-free number, directions to your location, and a speedy checkout process.

* Remind them. Pepper obvious “Buy Now” or “I’m ready to order” buttons throughout your page.

* Inject Scarcity. Limit quantities; invoke deadlines for discounts; offer add-ons or freebies on orders placed before a certain date; Place quantity or time deadlines; state a “first-come-first-serve” policy, and the like.  Offers that expire after a brief time period work especially well, particularly when consumers feel that it’s attached to a real bargain or free gift.

Use your call to action as a motivator, not a scam.  Never underestimate the intelligence of consumers – they know frauds when they see them and there’s a big difference between inspiration and hucksterism.

Here are some examples of effective calls to action:

“If you sign-up for our tele-seminar before _________(future date) we’ll give you access to the mp3 recordings and transcripts, free.

“We’ve only got 40 CDs left and when they’re gone, that’s it – there will be no more…”

“We will honor this price on all orders placed by 11:59 pm _______ (future date).  At midnight ________ (future date) our ___________ (product or service) will return to its original price.”

“I have room for ____ more students…”

Remind, Repeat, Recap and Reassure

Remember, your visitors skeptical, even if they’ve read through your entire sales letter and are thinking about taking the next step.  So, offer them additional reassurance that they’re about to make a wise choice and/or that they did, make smart decision, because many online shoppers get cold feet while their on a website’s order page!

Here’s are some tips for making them feel more comfortable:

1. Always add a postscript (PS): Reiterate your offer and guarantee, remind them to act now, and tell them exactly what to do.

2. Keep your order page consistent: Brand your order page and shopping cart with your logo and maintain your site’s look and feel. Also, reaffirm your prospects’ decisions to buy, remind the of your risk-free guarantee, and most importantly, offer clear instructions on what they should do next and what they should expect from you.

Now you know the most important elements and devices to include in your sales letter, go use them.

In the coming weeks and months I will be excerpting some of the best contributions from this book.

Today’s excerpt is by Guerrilla Marketer Lorrie Morgan Ferraro where she illustrates the importance of building a “swipe file”. Enjoy.

Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero

So you’re ready to raise your hand and have a try at honing your own copy? Great! Let me take some of the guesswork out of it for you and pull back the curtain to reveal some time-tested copywriting tricks…the GUERRILLA WAY!

Guerrilla Tactic #1:  If  Writers Write, Do Copywriters COPY? “Yes!”

Believe it or not in the copywriting industry one of the fastest and most reliable ways to write copy is to start your own swipe file.

A swipe file is a collection of copy that has been previously field-tested. I want to be clear – the purpose isn’t to plagiarize other people’s copy. Swipe files are kept to not only inspire you, but they are helpful templates for your own copy. Study them and you’ll soon begin to see formulaic word patterns emerging.

What Qualifies As a “Swipe?”

Just as copy is everywhere there are words, swipes are everywhere there is copy. To be sure your swipe file is brimming with GOOD copy here are some places to collect it from:
•  Junk mail – There’s gold in that thar mail; don’t just toss it in the trash anymore! Millions of dollars are spent by mega-corporations on field-testing that copy. See what you can learn from it – especially the more prolific conglomerates like the credit card, airline, and phone companies. You should also sign up for mailing lists in your own industry.

•  Print ads – Go through the back pages of some of your favorite magazines and look for the word-dense ads. Those are the ones for your target. Again, big bucks goes into paying for those ads. If you see them reappear month after month, you know they are earning their keep.

•  Infomercials and radio spots – Even though these are verbal versions of copy, be sure to pay attention to them. An infomercial is like a long copy sales letter read aloud. It is designed to grab attention and work the listener into a frothy state of excitement. Radio spots are shorter and pithier. They also are written with excitement-driven language to get the prospect to take some sort of action.

•  Historical copy – There are classic examples of proven copy you should definitely have in a swipe file to model. For starters, look for ads by P.T. Barnum, Eugene Schwartz, David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Claude Hopkins, Joseph Sugarman, Gary Halbert, John Carlton, and Dan Kennedy. This site has a pretty comprehensive collection, www.hardtofindads.com.  What worked 100 years ago continues to work today because as human beings we are still wired the same, regardless of our high tech world.

• Copy that made you buy –Something pushed your hot buttons to get you pull out your credit card and buy. Trace it back to the exact page, phrase, or sentence that got your juices flowing. If it’s good enough for you, it’s good enough for your audience.

Start collecting your own swipe arsenal and watch your copy improve tenfold!

Want to become a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and possibly be in the second edition of Guerrilla Marketing On The Front Lines?

Get The full Story

-> Get The Full Story Here: www.GMarketingCoach.com
Brand your business with the best selling marketing series in history
12 spaces only

By C. J. Hayden and excerpted from Guerrilla Marketing On The Front Lines

Is there a hidden secret to successful marketing?

It seems many entrepreneurs are on a never-ending quest for that one magic formula that will take all the effort out of marketing and attract an endless stream of customers forever. Searching for this secret key, they read dozens of books and articles, take countless seminars, and hire an army of consultants and coaches. And in the process, they uncover an amazing variety of seemingly brilliant marketing ideas.

One month, it appears that the answer to their prayers is attending networking events. They fill their calendar with dozens of different meetings, each of which they attend only once. They press their business cards into as many hands as possible, but no one ever calls them. So that can’t be the solution.

The following month, they decide that meeting people in person is overrated, and the real future of marketing is on the web. They launch a beautifully-designed professional-looking website, filled with glowing descriptions of their products and services. But no one visits it. Maybe it’s the web that’s overrated.

They decide that perhaps both these approaches were off track. What they should have done all along was use direct mail. They write a four-page sales letter, buy some names from a list broker, send out a 100-piece mailing, and wait for the phone to ring. The response rate is zero. And so it goes.

The Silver Bullet

Searching for the marketing “silver bullet,” too many entrepreneurs never recognize that the most powerful marketing weapon in existence is already in their arsenal. There really is a secret to successful marketing and it’s right under their noses. The magic formula for marketing a small business is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do, and doing them consistently.

Here’s the approach that has worked so well for my clients, in four easy steps:

1. Choose just three or four marketing strategies to use at any one time. Try to make them active, personal, and credibility-boosting, instead of passive, impersonal, or aimed only at visibility.

2. Identify where your marketing may have gotten stuck, and what missing ingredients might make it start flowing again. Choose no more than three ingredients to work on creating over the next month.

3. Make a list of ten marketing activities, employing your chosen strategies, that you can do repeatedly for the next 28 days. Be sure they fit the type of business you are in and your own personality.

4. List your three ingredients and ten activities on one page. Every day, look at your list and decide which items need your attention that day. Check off your progress as you go.

Guerrilla Marketers don’t need silver bullets.  All we really need is a simple, consistent action plan.

C.J. Hayden, MCC is a San Francisco business coach, and the author of Get Clients Now! A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants, and Coaches. C.J. works with clients one-on-one, and leads workshops and teleclasses internationally. Her favorite clients are people with business ideas that just might change the world. Find out more about C.J. at www.getclientsnow.com

Our next Guerrilla Marketing Coach Certification Program is starting soon

After some research I quickly realized that the key to success was having a good product/service and then becoming an excellent marketer over the web. With that end in my I created the Guerrilla Marketing Coaching Program.   Since then I have trained hundreds of Guerrilla Marketing Coaches in over 25 countries.

You have probably heard Guerrilla Marketing as there are dozens of books published, but you may not be exactly sure what it is and how it can benefit you.  Here are 7 defining characteristics of Guerrilla Marketing:

1. Guerrilla Marketers Invest Time, Energy, Imagination, and Knowledge Instead of Just Money

Superior marketing provides all companies with their greatest leverage, or control, and should be viewed as an investment. Unlike traditional marketers, guerrillas invest more time, energy, imagination and knowledge – or information – than money. This is probably the single most important guerrilla marketing principle of them all. Additionally, they don’t waste their precious time making penny-wise and pound-foolish purchases or throwing good money after bad.

For example, guerrillas are keenly aware that poorly designed and written marketing materials are recipes for disaster, so they hire graphic designers and copywriters – even if it means they have to barter, lease, or pare down their wish list. Conversely, guerrillas are also open to investing in new skills so they can do for themselves, instead of hiring others, which is much easier today than it’s ever been due to affordable software and Internet technology. In the end, guerrillas believe in their hearts that money is not the key to joy or achievement but they sure enjoy the beautiful gold and silver keys you can buy with it.

2. Guerrilla Intentionality: Marketing Includes Every Contact with The Public

Superior marketing doesn’t happen by mistake. It occurs when it is deliberately planned and executed. Because Guerrillas are well trained in all aspects of the marketing process, they know that “first things first” considerations such as the way they greet their customers, their employees’ attire and demeanor, how easy their website is to navigate, and their business and domain names are extremely critical components for success.

Guerrillas know that every company, regardless of the products and services they offer, is in the marketing business, and prospects and customers will judge them on every single aspect of their experience. This careful attention to detail gives guerrillas an edge over bigger businesses that often overlook little things that have a big impact on their customers.

3. Guerrilla Commitment: Building Successful Businesses One Step at a Time

Commitment is a word that separates guerrilla marketers from traditional marketers and winners from losers – an intangible trait that allows them to surpass roadblocks that would stop others dead in their tracks. It is also a hallmark principle of the brand because it’s based on the belief that superior marketing requires steadfast focus and a dedication to building and maintaining long-term relationships – not bean-counting.

Maintaining focus may sound easy, but it’s not – especially in today’s cluttered world. Current and evolving technologies make it easy for entrepreneurs to be wooed down the “diversification” path where distraction and trouble lurks. And while guerrillas welcome change, they are careful not to be lured into going after every “golden opportunity” that comes their way, because they know it’s a recipe for disaster. Simply put, so-so marketers, who possess a dogged commitment to their craft, outperform superior marketers without this trait 100% of the time. Additionally, commitment means regularity. So, guerrillas don’t drop out of the public’s site for long. They don’t run an ad two times and then abandon it because “it didn’t work.” They don’t reinvent their identities whenever it suits them. Rather, guerrillas understand that familiarity creates trust and trust creates profitable sales and lifelong customers.

4. Guerrilla Partnerships: Working Together to Make Things Happen

Unlike the “winner-take-all” mentality of conventional businesspeople, guerrillas know that their livelihoods are dependent upon others. Therefore, they proactively seek out joint venture partnerships and strategic alliances and continually look for ways to expand their personal and professional networks. Guerrillas even look for innovative ways to work with their competitors. For instance, they might develop products that compliment their competitors’ offerings and join forces with them so they both benefit.

5. Guerrilla Psychology: Tapping into Their Target Audiences’ Minds

What does psychology have to do with marketing? Everything. No matter who you are you must understand human psychology… Traditional marketers often use guesswork, disguised as “experience” and “judgment” as a basis for making decisions. Guerrillas say, “Nonsense!” Instead, they use the laws of human psychology and behaviors – ones that tap into the public’s subconscious minds and appeal to both sides of their brains. This is why guerrillas are so confident in their abilities to tap into their prospects’ inner mind – where 90% of purchase decisions are made – using elements like repetition. In other words, they know that potential buyers do want to be sold anything; rather, they want to improve their current situation. And if that means they must purchase a product or service to fulfill their needs and desires, they’ll consider it. So, guerrillas don’t “sell “ clothes; they sell comfort and good looks. Guerrillas don’t sell aspirin; they sell freedom from pain. Guerrillas don’t sell books; they sell knowledge. Guerrillas don’t sell lipstick; they sell beauty.

6. Guerrilla Assortments

For many years marketers have traditionally used one “big gun” advertising vehicle to increase sales. Guerrillas, on the other hand, believe this to be risky, expensive and ineffective. Instead they use a variety of low cost, high impact marketing weapons to achieve their goals. So, they arm themselves with the tools, skills, and knowledge – which include Internet technology – that are necessary to compete in today’s rough-and-tumble global economy. 100 Guerrilla Marketing Weapons

7. Guerrilla Measurement: No Numbers Mean No Business

Marketing is becoming more of a science everyday as we find more accurate ways to predict human behavior and advances in technology allow us to gauge and evaluate results automatically and instantaneously. Guerrillas believe that the benchmark for success is profits, which come subsequent to sales, unlike companies who measure effectiveness on revenues, orders, transactions, and the like. They track and measure all of their marketing efforts to ensure that they receive a positive return on their investments.  And nowadays, marketers can use affordable web-based automation software to put their marketing analytics on auto-pilot, so time-consuming manual tracking is a thing of the past.

Adapted from Guerrilla Marketing On The Internet by Mitch Meyerson, Jay Conrad Levinson and Mary Eule Scarborough

Find out more about the next Guerrilla Marketing Coaching Program

Whether you want to admit it or not you’re marketing yourself every moment of  every day. Whether it is your Facebook status update, your website, a casual email or how you come off in passing to others… people notice.

And since you’re always sending verbal or non verbal messages about who you are and what you do, it is essential that you are aware of these messages and make sure you are sending the ones that further your goals.

As a psychotherapist of 20 years and author of 3 psychology books I studied first hand how people sabotage their life goals by being unaware as to how they come off to others.  It could be their attitude, their look, tone of voice or their verbal messages.  And worst of all most people are completely unaware of how they show up to others.

To be successful in business Guerrilla Marketers take a hard look at who they are and how the show up to others. They are clear, specific and send only intentional messages.

Consider the messages you are sending right now.

Look at the 3 following areas and see if there are places you can improve. Score yourself from 1-10.

• Appearance: Is your dress, eye contact, tone of voice and body language making the impression you want? Is it enhancing your business identity and brand?

• Messaging: Are your messages clear, potent and strategic?

• Attitude: Are you positive and engaging? What is the attitude you wish to project?

Tip: There are two levels of communication: verbal and non verbal.  Be aware of not just what you say but how you say it.

Your Guerrilla Marketing Coaching Assignment:

• Take a few minutes today to think about how you “show up ” to others and write down your observations. Be specific.  Then take action on improving these areas.

• Ask a few trusted friends or colleagues to give you feedback on how you present yourself.  This may be the most important exercise you ever do.

Remember a small change can make a huge difference in reaching the goals you desire.

Adapted from the Guerrilla Marketing Coach Certification Program.  A new session will be starting soon where we will be actively working on these principles with others to stay accountable 
Get the full story and hold your spot

Are your prospects paying attention?   Consider these two realities:

1)  It has been said that people are exposed to over 3000 messages a day and probably more with the explosion of social media.

2) As you can see from this picture we are getting to be society of multi-taskers which makes it even harder to make an impression on your audience.

So the truth is, your prospects may not be paying attention. But this lack of attention is not really new.  Read the following list and then the date it was written, it may surprise you.

1.  The first time a man looks at an advertisement, he does not see it.

2.  The second time, he does not notice it.

3.  The third time, he is conscious of its existence.

4.  The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it before.

5.  The fifth time, he reads it.

6.  The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.

7.  The seventh time, he reads it through and says, “Oh brother!”

8.  The eighth time, he says, “Here’s that confounded thing again!”

9.  The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.

10.  The tenth time, he asks his neighbor if he has tried it.

11.  The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes it pay.

12.  The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.

13.  The thirteenth time, he thinks perhaps it might be worth something.

14.  The fourteenth time, he remembers wanting such a thing a long time.

15.  The fifteenth time, he is tantalized because he cannot afford to buy it.

16.  The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it some day.

17.  The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum to buy it.

18.  The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty.

19.  The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.

20.  The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys what it is offering.

The list you’ve just read was written by Thomas Smith of London in l885.

What does this mean for you as an online entrepreneur?

Yes, is it may be hard getting people’s attention, but savvy business owners have been overcoming these challenges since well before 1885. 

You must be focused, strategic, consistent, interesting and patient with your marketing and business development efforts over time.

If you do you will significantly increase your chances of standing out in a cluttered and distracted marketplace.

What specific actions can you take can you improve these areas this week?

Adapted from the Guerrilla Marketing Coach Certification Program

In this cluttered marketplace  it is more important  than ever to keep your message simple. People just don’t have the attention span to work hard at  understanding what you have to offer.   Consider Google’s core message as they sought out venture capital years ago.

“Google provides access to the world’s information in one click” .

Can you do that with your business?

I hope you join us at one of our live events or online programs (stay tuned for a new program)