By Gwen Green (gagreen@ualr.edu)
Feb. 16, 2009
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The father of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson, believes businesses can increase profits by investing time, energy, information and imagination - rather than money - in their marketing efforts. Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center believes the concept is perfect for small businesses, especially in a tight economy.
"Guerrilla Marketing teaches that you don't have to have thousands of dollars in your advertising budget to get the word out about your business," said Jennifer Bonds, ASBTDC training manager.
ASBTDC's certified Guerrilla Marketers will offer 13 Guerrilla Marketing seminars around Arkansas over from Feb. 17 to May 14 in Arkadelphia, Batesville, Fayetteville (two times), Harrison (two times), Jonesboro, Little Rock, Monticello, Mountain Home, Nashville, Rogers and Siloam Springs.
At the seminars, start-up and existing business owners can learn Guerrilla Marketing techniques that are low-cost or no-cost to market their products or services. For example, Guerrilla Marketing encourages businesses to build lasting relationships with customers and advises businesses to develop systematic plans for customer follow-up after a sale. "Your relationship with your customers after they make a purchase is important," explained Bonds. "Guerrilla Marketing recommends following up in one week with a thank you, then in one month with a letter or call checking if they're satisfied, and sending questionnaires or special offers after that."
Guerrilla Marketing also explores how to successfully target customers through email, the Web and unconventional methods.
"A Guerrilla Marketing attack is never ending. It has a beginning, a middle, but never an end, for it is a process. You improve it, perfect it, change it, even pause in it. But you never stop it completely," says Levinson, who coined the term "Guerrilla Marketing" 25 years ago in his book of the same name.
Six ASBTDC statewide network staff members attended Guerrilla Marketing Business University in August to become certified trainers. The group included Bonds and Bill Fox, business consultant at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, ASBTDC; Herb Lawrence, ASBTDC center director at Arkansas State University; Kelly Massey, business consultant at Henderson State University ASBTDC; Kathryn Peacock, ASBTDC center director at the University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology, McGehee; and Heather Robinette, ASBTDC consulting manager.
Participants in a Guerrilla Marketing seminar led by Fox in November in Rogers said, "Very good - would highly recommend it" and "Really good course! Would recommend to anyone going into any size business."
To pre-register for a seminar, go to asbtdc.ualr.edu/training or call the ASBTDC Lead Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock at (501) 683-7700 or toll-free (800) 862-2040. The seminar fee is $35 per person.
A partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, ASBTDC serves new, existing and innovation-based small businesses. Through a statewide network of seven offices, ASBTDC provides free consulting and market research services plus affordable training to the business community.
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