Guerrilla Marketing

by Jay Conrad Levinson

Once you have even the spark of a notion to market online, let that spark ignite thoughts of how you'll promote your site. Have the insight to know this means thinking imaginatively about two worlds.

The first is the online world, where you'll think in terms of multiple links to other sites, in terms of banners leading to your site, search engines directing browsers to your site, postings on forums alerting onliners to your site, chat conferences heralding your site, recommendations of your site by internet powers, emailing to parties demonstrably interested in learning about the topics covered on your site, writing articles for other sites in return for links back to your site, mentioning your site in your email signature, advertising online to entice people to your site, preparing an online version of your press kit to publicize your site online, and connecting with as many other online entities as possible, all in a quest to make your site part of the online community, an internet landmark to your prospects, a not-be-missed feature of the web.

The second world in which your imagination should run rampant in a mission to achieve top-of-the-mind awareness of your site is the offline world. Most of the population of the real world still resides there. That's where they continue to get most of their information -- for now. And that's where you've got to let them know of your online site -- teeming with information that can shower them with benefits -- for their business or their lives or both.

Tout your site in your ads, on stationery, on your business cards, on signs, on brochures, fliers, Yellow Pages ads, advertising specialties, packages, business forms, gift certificates, reprints of PR articles, in your catalog, newsletter, and classified ads. Mention it in your radio spots, on television.

More than one company now has a jingle centered on their website. Never neglect to direct folks to your site in direct mail letters and postcards, in all your faxes, almost anywhere your name appears. If the world begins to think that your last name is dotcom, you're going about your offline promotional activities in the right way.

Some companies think that by including their site in tiny letters at the bottom of their ad or by flashing it at the end of their TV commercial, they're taking care of offline promotion. They're not. All they're doing is going through the motions. Talk about your website the same way you'd talk about your kid -- with pride, enthusiasm and joy. Make people excited about your site because they can see your pride.

Will local or industry newspapers write about your online site? Of course they will if you make it fascinating enough for their readers. That's your job. Promotion will get them to your site. Killer content will get them to make return trips.

The insight about content for a website is it should be the information your prospects and customers want to know the most. It's not necessarily the content you want to put forth and boast about. Instead, it's data about how your company can have a positive impact on visitors to your site.

To create the best content, work backwards -- beginning with the goals you wish to achieve with your site. Put into writing the specific goals you wish your website to obtain for you. The more specific you are, the more like you are to hit those goals.

Next, put into writing the obstacles that may stand in the way of your company attaining its goals. Usually, these obstacles center around a lack of information by your target audience. When you're clear on that information, become a bridge-builder. Build a bridge between your goals and your target audience. Construct it of valuable information.

Guerrillas know well that their sites will succeed or fail based on how much overlap there is between their content and the needs of their target audiences. They realize that exquisite design and spectacular promotion are meaningless if their content doesn't fill the needs of their market.

To develop that kind of content, answer these questions, for your specific answers will provide your content:

• What is the immediate, short-term goal of your website?
• What specific action do you want visitors to take?
• What are your specific objectives for the long term?
• Who do you want to visit your site?
• What solutions or benefits can you offer to these visitors?
• What data should your site provide to achieve your primary goal?
• What information can you provide to encourage them to act right now?
• What questions do you get asked the most on the telephone?
• What questions and comments do you hear most at trade shows?
• What data should your site provide to achieve your secondary goal?
• Where does your target audience look for information?
• How often do you want visitors to return to your website?
• What may be the reasons you don't sell as much as you'd like to?
• Who is your most astute competition?
• Does your competition have a website?
• What are ways you can distinguish yourself from your competitors?
• How important is price to your target audience?

Your answers point the way to what competitive advantages to stress, what to show, what to say, what to feature. Serve up your content in bite-sized pieces, all valuable--for it's clear current content that leads to success on the web. If it's a winner for your guests, it will be a winner for you.