Under the Oak Tree

September 2007

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Tom Long, President Solid Oak Consulting	Guerilla Marketing: Are You Armed - and Effective? As many of you may know, I am a proponent of Guerilla Marketing, a concept that Jay Conrad Levinson introduced to the world in 1984 with his book, Guerilla Marketing. If you haven't read his book, I highly recommend you do because it contains many time-tested, cost-effective marketing strategies that still apply today, more than 20 years after it was first published. In this issue of Under the Oak Tree, I want to focus on one important Guerilla Marketing lesson - weapons. A weapon represents each way you promote your business, such as business cards, logos, signs, advertising, etc. I think weapon is an appropriate term because it shows the power of marketing. When used correctly, your company could stand to win big. When not used correctly or not used at all, your company could lose out. Of course, weapons can't just fire at random. There has to be strategy and in Guerilla Marketing, your marketing strategy is outlined in what's called a marketing calendar. A marketing calendar outlines which weapons you use and when. Over time, your marketing calendar will show the interaction and synergy between the weapons. You'll be able to rank them in order of their effectiveness and determine when each one should be used and in what combination. I've merely scratched the surface on this concept, but I hope I have at least made you think about a few points. Take a moment and think about what weapons your company is using as well as what weapons you are not using. With the summer coming to a close, this is a good time to revisit - or start! - a marketing calendar for next year. For more information on Guerilla Marketing, please click here. Image vs. Identity Some people use the terms image and identity interchangeably, but they are two distinct concepts. Your company's identity represents the core values of your company while your image reinforces, or should reinforce, your identity. First, it's important to know your company's identity. Let me use a car dealership as an example. I once knew of a successful car dealership that was the epitome of luxury in all respects. When you would bring your car in for service, there was low lighting, comfortable chairs and plush carpeting. Their image reinforced their identity - luxury. Now, compare that to another luxury car dealership in which the service department has linoleum floors and plastic chairs. What is their image? Does it correspond to the dealership's identity? Keep in mind that your identity should be reinforced by those "weapons" I referred to in the previous article. For instance, a car dealership that wants to be perceived as a luxury car dealership should promote the business in high-society magazines and not on cable television in the middle of the night. What is your company's identity? Make sure you know the answer - and make sure your image corresponds to it. Small-Business Numbers Aren't So Small... The Small Business Administration recently reported some interesting statistics. Did you know that small firms:    Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms    Employ half of all private sector employees    Pay more than 45 percent of the total U.S. private payroll    Have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade    Are 53 percent home-based and 3 percent franchises Do You Need a Coach? An executive coach can help your business in the same way a personal trainer can help your body. Coaches use experience, established programs, questioning skills, listening and motivational techniques to help owners build the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to improve their professional and personal lives. Please Contact Me for more information on Solid Oak Consulting's Executive Coaching program.
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