MERCENARY MARKETING Guerrilla Tips When Taking It To the Trenches

WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING Most businesses realize that they need to market themselves every day if they hope to be successful.  But, many of these same businesses also realize that self promotion may come with a heafty price tag.  As the cost of traditional advertising continues to grow, one tried-and-true way of getting your message to potential customers continues to hang in there as an effective tool that can be as extravagant or frugal as the budget will allow. . . word of mouth marketing. By definition, word of mouth marketing is giving people a reason to talk about you, your products and your services, while making it easier for that conversation to take place. As spending on word of mouth marketing grew to $1.35-billion in 2007, marketers continue to learn ways to take advantage of this phenomenon and use it to work within their marketing objectives. According to the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, WOMMA, word of mouth marketing techniques are based on customer satisfaction, two-way dialog and good communication geared toward encouraging people to talk to each other about you. Consumers are known to trust recommendations from friends, family, and a few other "influential" sources.  In fact, word of mouth is perceived as more trustworthy than most other forms of advertising and marketing. Some WOM techniques regularly used today include: Grassroots Marketing - Organizing and motivating volunteers to promote your cause. Community or Social Marketing - Forming or supporting niche communities that may share their interests in your brand. Buzz Marketing - Using high-profile entertainment or news to get people to use and talk about your brand. Viral Marketing - Creating an entertaining or informative message designed to be passed along exponentially by email or through services such as youtube.com. Remember that word of mouth marketing cuts two ways.  Bad word of mouth travels as fast, if not faster, than good.  So, keep it honest or the people will. For more information about word of mouth marketing and how it can work for you, visit www.womma.com.

PRESS RELEASES AND PHOTOS The value of press releases and photographs as low-cost marketing tools should not be overlooked by any business professional. A well written, well placed, one-page release will many times have more impact on raising consumer awareness than a paid advertisment. The key to the process, however, is finding the right "hook". A press release has to be newsworthy.  Fluff will quickly find its way into the trash bin, while an article with a special angle may show up in the newspaper, online or become the impetus for a broadcast news assignment. The right "hook" might be as simple as the promotion of an employee within your organization, or the introduction of a new product or service.  Maybe it's setting an attendance record, participating in a charity event, staging an event or hosting dignitaries for an afternoon. Be creative and the opportunities will seem endless. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Believe it.  A really good photograph has many times made up for an average press release.  Just as you may need to work on perfecting your writing talent, spend some time developing your photographic skills as well.  Study the media and see what gets into print or on-air.  Notice the writing style, the editing, and the details mentioned to bring the story to life.  Examine the photos and see how the subjects are positioned, the background, the lighting and what you think makes the shot a good one . . . or maybe a bad one. Do your homework before sending any press release or photograph to ensure that the right person or department is receiving your information.  Take the initiative to make a few phone calls or check the media source online, then be sure to update your contact list regularly. E-mailing press releases and hi-resolution photos is an accepted and economical practice.  If there is no photo to be included, you may opt to mail or fax the written document to your media contacts.  Many media outlets even have online sites allowing you to post your own press releases and photos. In addition to raising awareness of your product or service in the general market, a well  placed press release will often be perceived by the public as an endorsement by the media.  Advertising is many times viewed with suspicion since it is bought and paid for.  Press releases are more likely to be seen as honest and believable.