Elusive Marketing
Marketing. You say the word and most people’s eyes glaze over. It is a mysterious concept with an unlimited number of strategies and venues. What might be even more mysterious, though, is how to know if something works or not and what constitutes success in a marketing campaign.
Having had a marketing firm for more than 20 years, one of my favorite strategies is often hard to track, not usually expensive and falls under the umbrella of “guerrilla marketing,” a term that was made famous by Jay Conrad Levinson and Seth Godin.
This tactic, as told in one of their Guerrilla Marketing books, involved a stockbroker in New York City. Every morning, as he pulled up to pay his toll to cross the bridge, he would look in his rearview mirror to see the make of the car behind him. If it was a Mercedes, Lexus or other luxury vehicle, he would pay the toll for two and leave his business card with the gatekeeper who then passed it on to the driver of the Mercedes, Lexus or other such car. (I guess the proliferation of E-ZPass transponders is rendering this tactic obsolete.)
This past weekend, I happened upon another very creative and, I suspect, very successful guerrilla marketing tactic. On Saturday, I had to run to the bank and decided to take the dog for a ride. We pulled into the drive-thru, and I took care of my banking business. In the carrier returned from the cashier I found, not only my cash, but also a small baggie with three dog treats and a business card for a local dog care business.
My dog was delighted with the treats, and I will definitely keep the business card for the next time my dog needs grooming. It was a very ingenious marketing effort, and it cost very little money. It was a win for the bank and a win for the dog care company.
Maryland Entrepreneur Awards Now Open
We are now accepting nominations and applications for the 2012 Maryland Entrepreneur Awards, sponsored by Maryland Entrepreneur Quarterly and the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, an initiative of the Howard County Economic Development Authority.
To apply, simply go to our web site, bizmonthly.com, scroll to the bottom and click on Maryland Entrepreneur Awards for the forms and information.
If you have any questions, please e-mail me at news@bizmonthly.com. We hope you will nominate someone (even yourself). The awards will be held in November at a special breakfast during Global Entrepreneur Week. We are anxious to hear from you.
Becky Mangus, Publisher
