Back To Marketing

Guerrilla Marketing

Sounds kinda scary, but not really. This term Guerrilla Marketing was originally meant as an unconventional way of marketing on a low budget, by relying on time, energy and imagination instead of big, expensive, mass marketing campaigns. The term has since entered vocabulary to also describe aggressive, unconventional marketing methods generically and to some people makes it sound some what scary because of that.



In order to get a better idea of this type of marketing there are some main principles used

• Guerrilla marketing is geared towards small businesses and because of this it relies on gination instead of money.
• this type of marketing is concentrated on more connections and referrals rather than being in competition with other businesses it focuses on working with them.
• Guerrilla marketing encourages using other marketing methods in conjunction for a marketing campaign.
• make use of current technology and human psychology

Guerrilla marketing is nothing to be scared of in fact as a small businesses on a low budget it is probably already incorporated into your marketing plan without you even realizing it.

here are some tactics that you may already be using or should think about using

• Get involved with your community. Attend functions tell everyone you know about your business.
• Donate a percentage of sales or items to a charity and then let the media know
• Joint Marketing with other business
• Write a tutorial or hold classes
• Mail Postcards to past customers offering a discount
• Hold a contest
• Ask for referrals maybe offer discounts or free product for referrals
• Host a home party invite all your contacts and ask them to bring friends.
• Post a flyer on any and all bulletin boards you can
• Add your tag line and url to all emails send funny jokes, and when someone sends a funny joke to you hit reply to all and let them know you thought it was funny!
• Join social networking sites on and offline. Join forums where your target market would most likely be.
• Window decals for your home and car

These are just a handful of ideas some that you are probably already implementing. A good idea to come up with your own guerrilla marketing plan is to sit down and brainstorm. Think about who your target market is, and where they are think of ways you can make your business stand out and be remembered. The more memorable the better you are only limited to your imagination that is one of the great aspects of this type of marketing.

Marketing Made Easier

Marketing can be a very complex thing especially for a small business owner such as myself really I just want to make jewelry but if I want my business to succeed I have to step out of my safe bead bin. Part of that is marketing and I love sharing what I learn!

So what is marketing anyway?

basically in a nutshell marketing is EVERYTHING you do to get your product or service in the in the hands of the people who want your products. Marketing is your branding, pricing, packaging, placement, advertisement and everything you do to get your product to your customer. Sounds complicated but can be broken down to make more sense of things A good way to do this is to have a marketing plan, you can get really in depth templates for marketing plans but because I like to keep things as simple as possible I am going to layout a simple plan for you so grab a pen and paper and start answering these easy questions:

1. What is your product/service? Pretty self explanatory write a description of what product/service you offer.

2. Pricing? What is your pricing on your product are you offering expensive luxury items or rock bottom bargains. Take a look at your highest priced items and your lowest to figure a rough price point.

3. Distribution? How will you get your products to your customers. Will you sell online in stores, through affiliate programs, through catalogs, home parties etc try to go into detail like what type of stores etc.

5. Target Market? Who is your target market try to be as specific as possible for example Male between the age of 18-40 athletic, middle class+ income

6. Competition? Be realistic here I am talking direct competition I wouldn't say I was in direct competition with a famous jewelry designer when I am not even in that league

9. Strengths and Weaknesses? List your strengths over your competition as well as your weaknesses.

10. Goals? One of my favorites goals are sooo important! What are your goals from your marketing strategies? Try to make these specific and something that you will be able to measure if you are reaching your goals.

11. Budget? What is your yearly budget for your marketing tactics?

12. Tactics? What are some of the marketing tactics you plan to implement ( I will be talking more about tactics in upcoming posts)

Remember as with any plan what you write is not set in stone and can be changed as you see fit. I recommend that you look back on your marketing plan at least every 6months but some people will every few months or every year. In upcoming post I will be talking more about marketing and different marketing tactics I am by no means an expert but hopefully this information will help some.

Gettin Down To Goals

Goals are important for everything in life, business, personal, family, work long term goals, short term goals they are all important. Setting goals will help keep you on track of where you want to be and how to get there. I suggest having a book specifically for goals in your book write down where you want to be in 5 years or maybe even just next year, write down what you have to do to get you there in the next 6months or 3months. Keep working towards those goals and keep checking back with your book and revising as you need to. I also make daily list (I am a list lover you can find them everywhere here) I incorporate what I need to finish for the day for example here is today's list

laundry

blog

make 10 pieces of jewelry

clean living room

spend some time in the etsy forums

work on my wholesale list

clean and organize desk

I write these list everyday because it helps keep me focused every time I can check something off of the list I feel as though I accomplished something and it gives me drive to finish something else. These list can be as indepth or as short as you like or need what ever works for you they also help to keep your day organized and a little less hectic...well sometimes it's not 100% guaranteed especially if like me you have a couple of little monsters running around no amount of list can 100% prepare you then.

Wholesale

I am looking for more boutiques and gift shops to offer my Jewelry to at wholesale. If you are a retailer and are interested in some handcrafted artisan jewelry I am willing and would love to work out an agreement If your interested please email me at agwbabycakes20@yahoo.ca or convo me through my etsy shop http://wyredonwire.etsy.com/ . If you are a customer of mine or a fan of my jewelry and you would like to see wyredonwire in your local area please contact me as well and i will see what I can do or better yet tell your local shops!

Plan for Tomorrow Today Time Management Part 5

I you haven't seen the other 4 parts pls take the time to read them as they are all very important steps to take. And if you are following along yesterday you figured out where you want your business to be in a year from now. In order to get your business there you need to Manage your time effectively Everyday you need to do something to help your business get to that goal. A good habit to get into is making list. Every month make a list of priorities for that month. Every week make a list of priorities for that week, and everyday before your day ends make a list of priorities for the next day. You can either keep these in a diary, a work journal or maybe a planner that includes all of your life's priorities anywhere except a scrap piece of paper is fine.

Here is an example list

Dr. appointment

make 5 pairs of earrings

message blog feature artist

list 3 items on etsy

search for new ad spaces

ship orders

call a local gallery

write blog

read new article on latest technique

yours will be different this is an example of randoms from the top of my head. Now looking at this list I can immediately see where there is going to be some dead space or wasted time for example whenever I go to my Dr. Appointments I know that I will have at least an hour wait so while waiting I could bring some things to make some earrings (don;t forget business cards because this will definitely get you some interest) I can also bring my article to read. Also you don;'t want to make 2 trips out so don't forget to take your orders to drop off at the PO. Another big one would have to be listing on etsy yes this important but the time it takes pictures to load is wasted time...or I could take this time and contact that local gallery or message the feature artist while my pics are uploading. Now the biggest culprit on here is searching for ad space yes advertising is important but for this it means you are going online and like I have said that can be one of the biggest time killers so schedule this for the end or set kitchen timers and get off when it dings. So your list may not be anything like this but I am sure you get the point now.

Keep a look out for Time Management Part 5

Get Down To Business Time Management Part 3

Set a time for your business hours whenever that time is most convenient for you and your lifestyle. This is very important even if its 2hrs in the morning and 6hrs at night no matter what those hours are it is important that you set aside 8-12hrs a day depending on your needs and where your business it at. It's also important to not let distractions get in the way of your work schedule. If you had a boss that could fire would you do it is a good rule to live by until you get settled into a routine that works for you.

When you have a home based business, it can be difficult to get friends and family members to respect the fact that you are working and running a business. If you don't have a regular 'day job', you become the one who is called on for favors in the middle of the work day. And Just maybe like myself you find it hard to say NO. Such a small word it only has two letters but I find it hard to spit out. But the fact of the matter is when you are running a business especially in the beginning stages you need that time more than anyone in fact you need more time than anyone. So time to grow a backbone (saying this to myself as well) and say No, explain to friends and family that you may not have to go to a job but you still have lots of work to do let them know your working hours, offer to help them during your "time off" or at the end of your work day. After awhile of you not giving in they will start to respect this.

Like myself you may also have children who need your attention and are continuously distracting you. If they are older children sit them down and explain to them that you have to work during your set hours but after that your attention is there's. If they are younger this will not work and it will be a little harder for you but there are ways around this and that where setting your hours right will come in handy for example maybe you could get one hour in before they wake up, another during nap time and maybe set up an activity that does not require your full attention in the afternoon, If possible have them help you with little things, and finish off the rest your hours after they are in bed only you know what your lifestyle is these are just some tips to get you thinking.

TIP*** During your set business hours do not take personal phone calls they are the number one distracter in my books

Keep an eye out for Time Management Part 4

Time Management Part 1

Time management is a necessary skill to develop in any busy life. And it is especially important in a home based business. The best business people know that time is money. I have done a lot of research on time management and I have gathered some of the best advice and tips I will be making a series of post over the coming weeks on time management I hope these tips and advice will help you.
First why is time management important?
If you are like me and have a job outside of the home and are trying to start a successful business and have children you already know why time management is so important! Everyone chooses to work from home for different reasons but some of the key reasons are flexibility, available for children during the day. However it is still important to find a balance and set boundries to ensure that the time you have is used productively. In the corprate wold you have a boss that is setting deadlines and helping to manage things. It also helps that your job is on the line...As a small business owner you are the boss... NO your customer's are your boss if you have no customers you have no business!
As a small business owner, you will be the only person who is responsible for keeping an eye on the day to day deadlines, like meeting with a customer, shipping items and the longer term deadlines, like getting your product, displays, photographs and paperwork ready in time. I think working online is probably one of the most difficult in terms of distractions. Add the online distractions to those around you at home, and before you know it is bed time and you have wasted hours of the day! I am going to share all the tips and advice that I have aquired so that you can also learn to deal with some of these distractions not all the information will apply to you and your individual circumstances however a great deal can be used by everyone or the concept can be adjusted to fit your lifestyle.Once you find a happy balance you will feel that you have greater control and you can begin to see the positive results that will make your business more productive. I will have your first step in Time management posted soon so keep checking back !

Effective time management is a habit, just like brushing your teeth or walking the dog. It’s only when you consistently practice good time management skills that you begin to see positive results. It doesn't happen overnight, especially if you have deep-rooted habits to replace.