by Mark Joyner, CEO, Aesop.com
History is full of stories where tiny, unadvanced armies have handily defeated better equipped and much larger armies.
The history of these battles is the history of guerrilla warfare.
There are similar stories in business.
One example is that of the "Marlboro Man". Before the Marlboro Man, the Marlboro brand of cigarettes was ranked 31st - almost rock bottom.
After the introduction of the Marlboro Man, and the guerrilla branding campaign to promote it, Marlboro became the #1 brand in a multi-billion dollar industry.
It may shock you how many of the "big business" names (that are now household words) started out as struggling small businesses.
The history of the ascent of these icons is the history of guerrilla marketing.
Until 1984, the principles of guerrilla marketing were known only by a select few people in the world. They jealously kept this information quiet with almost fanatical secrecy. And who can blame them? If you had some special knowledge that allowed you to rise to the top of your field, would you want this information to be made public? Of course not!
The balance of power was dramatically upset by a maverick marketing genius named Jay Conrad Levinson - a man who is arguably the most respected marketer in the world.
He is the man who coined the term "guerrilla marketing" and introduced these secrets to the average Joe (like me). His concepts are so successful that he has published 27 books on the subject (in 37 languages), his books are required reading in the most respected MBA programs in the world, and he is now the most widely read and respected author of business books in the world.
And Jay did all this "from scratch". That is, the success of the "Guerrilla Marketing" brand is a testament to the very principles Jay himself teaches.
It just so happens that he is also one of the creators of the Marlboro Man. (Think what you will about tobacco, but you can not deny the power of the marketing behind Marlboro - arguably the most successful marketing campaign in history, and the most widely recognized brand in the world.)
So, what then, is Guerrilla Marketing all about?
Let's take a segment from Jay's new book "Guerrilla Marketing for the New Millennium" to learn:
"Marketing is absolutely every bit of contact any part of your business has with any segment of the public. Guerrillas view marketing as a circle that begins with your ideas for generating revenue and continues on with the goal of amassing a large number of repeat and referral customers.
"The three key words in that paragraph are every, repeat, and referral. If your marketing is not a circle, it's a straight line that leads directly into Chapters 7, 11, or 13 in the bankruptcy courts.
How is Guerrilla Marketing different from traditional marketing?
"Guerrilla marketing means marketing that is unconventional, non-traditional, not by-the-book, and extremely flexible. Eighteen factors make it different from old-fashioned marketing:"
Jay then goes on to list 18 things that separate guerrillas from "mere mortals."
(See below for info on his new electronic book - it's recognized as his most powerful work yet - and can't be found in book stores.)
So, how then, does this information apply to those of us marketing on the Internet?
Far more than you think! The Internet is not just a new guerrilla battlefield - it's the ultimate guerrilla battlefield. There have been more small business mega-success stories in the last 5 years than in the combined history of business.
And there are clearly two factors that have influenced this more than anything:
1. The Internet
2. Guerrilla Marketing
Ever wonder why big businesses are totally blowing it online? Because they are not guerrilla thinkers!
These big bloated bureaucracies are sluggish and set in their ways. This means that someone like you can step in and out-maneuver them. (More and more big businesses are turning to small business entrepreneurs to teach them how to market online - the tables have turned!)
So, start thinking like a guerrilla right now. You have the advantage - all you have to do is take it.
Here's the definitive place to get started - where you will find an easy to follow step by step plan for launching a "guerrilla attack":
www.guerrillamarketingforthenewmillennium.com
Visit his site by clicking here or go to:
http://www.roibot.com/r_gm.cgi?R63018_gmarthtml3
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