Jay Conrad Levinson is the author of a popular 1984 book "Guerrilla marketing". He was the first to use the term "Guerrilla Marketing" describing 'unconventional' marketing tools used in cases when financial or other resources are limited or non-existent.
In a free downloadable PDF document, Jay Conrad Levinson, details more than 90 unusual, clever & bold examples of ways to get you or your business noticed.
Click here to download free Guerilla Marketing PDF.
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).
Below are a few recent conference lectures, known as TEDTalks, to be released:
Seth Godin on the tribes we lead
Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so...
Ray Anderson on the business logic of sustainability
At his carpet company, Ray Anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional "take / make / waste" industrial system on its head. In a gentle, understated way, he shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce...
Pattie Maes demos the Sixth Sense
This demo -- from Pattie Maes' lab at MIT, spearheaded by Pranav Mistry -- was the buzz of TED. It's a wearable device with a projector that paves the way for profound interaction with our environment. Imagine "Minority Report" and then some...
Jacek Utko designs to save newspapers
Jacek Utko is an extraordinary Polish newspaper designer whose redesigns for papers in Eastern Europe not only win awards, but increase circulation by up to 100%. Can good design save the newspaper? It just might...
Expertsonline.tv is an online business TV channel that offers inspiration & motivation for budding entrepreneurs.
Founded by Lincolnshire entrepreneur, Philip Crowshaw, the free to access website holds over 100 video interviews, 50 audio interviews, 150 articles & content is added to on a weekly basis. Recent business/entrepreneur interviews include:
>> An exclusive video interview with Harry Drnec, heralded as the saviour of Red Bull.
>> An interview with Darren Fell, an entrepreneur who founded & sold new media business Pure 360.com for a few million in 2008. Now he is at it again with Crunch.co.uk.
>> Graham Jones provides a Beginners Guide to Twitter pdf for download.
Dr Robert Cialdini, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University, is the seminal expert in what is fast becoming the science of persuasion.
Best known for his popular book, 'Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion', Dr Cialdini's research is listed by Harvard Business Review in “Breakthrough Ideas for Today's Business Agenda”. Needless to say, his work is considered especially useful for anyone wanting to persuade and influence & is a proverbial gold mine for anyone in sales, marketing, management, leadership or other positions that require persuasion.
The key premise of 'Influence' is that, in a complex world where time is often limited, people resort to automatic decision-making based on generalisations. The book explores how salesmen systematically exploit this mindset in various ways to persuade us to buy. The author spent 3 years researching the book by going “undercover” applying for jobs and training at used car dealerships, fund-raising organizations, telemarketing firms and so on.
Cialdini's research defines six “weapons of influence”:
Reciprocation
People tend to return a favor. Thus, the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing. In his conferences, he often uses the example of Ethiopia providing thousands of dollars in humanitarian aid to Mexico just after the 1985 earthquake, despite Ethiopia suffering from a crippling famine and civil war at the time. Ethiopia had been reciprocating for the diplomatic support Mexico provided when Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1937.
Commitment and Consistency
If people commit, orally or in writing, to an idea or goal, they are more likely to honor that commitment. Even if the original incentive or motivation is removed after they have already agreed, they will continue to honor the agreement. For example, in car sales, suddenly raising the price at the last moment works because the buyer has already decided to buy.
Social Proof
People will do things that they see other people are doing. For example, in one experiment, one or more confederates would look up into the sky; bystanders would then look up into the sky to see what they were seeing. At one point this experiment aborted, as so many people were looking up that they stopped traffic.
Authority
People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts. Cialdini cites incidents, such as the Milgram experiments in the early 1960s and the My Lai massacre.
Liking
People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. Cialdini cites the marketing of Tupperware in what might now be called viral marketing. People were more likely to buy if they liked the person selling it to them. Some of the many biases favoring more attractive people are discussed.
Scarcity
Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
Dr Cialdini stresses that there is a strong ethical dimension to his research. He strongly discourages those who seek to exploit "weapons of influence" for profit leading us to make erroneous actions and wrongheaded decisions - Cialdini declares that he is, in a way, "at war with the exploiters". However, compliance professionals who play fairly by the rules are not to be considered the enemy but rather allies in an efficient and adaptive process of exchange.
1999 interview with Dr Cialdini
2006 interview with Dr Cialdini
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Robert Cialdini".
What makes a successful entrepreneur? It's the $64,000 question and probably everyone has has their own different answer. From my experience, I would single out two elements: 'passion' and 'edge'.
Having passion for your business or brand is an absolute necessity when you consider the level of commitment and energy required to kickstart a business idea into life. In a sense, this is an easy box to tick - you either have the passion or you don't and without it you're in trouble.
Defining whether your business has an edge is trickier. It's that bit of magic that sets your business apart & makes you just that bit faster & sharper than your competitors. It's why your customers buy from you in the first place. If you can't say what makes your business competitive, then you may not have a winning concept. But don't panic! There are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you find your edge & exploit it.
1. What does your business do?
Can you describe your business and what services/products in simple terms? Can you articulate this to a stranger in simple terms without their eyes glazing over?
2. Who are your customers?
Who are your existing customers? What's your target audience? What do your customers value most from your business?
3.Have you identified your company's strengths and weaknesses?
Have your evaluated your business idea? As a matter of routine, you should complete a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats (SWOT) analysis (find out how to conduct a SWOT analysis on the businessballs website).
4. What is unique about your business that sets you apart from the competition?
Compare your strengths and weaknesses with those of your competitors. Can you clearly identify what your firm does best? Do you understand why your customers prefer to deal with you? These are the qualities that differentiate you from your competitors.
Having defined these qualities, use them to construct a meaningful message (your Unique Selling Proposition or USP) that can be easily communicated and understood by your customers.
5. How will you get your message (USP) across to your customers?
Be consistent! Your USP should be incorporated into every bit of company promotion: advertising, marketing, sales men, your website, even business cards! Your USP should permeate every aspect of your company culture; every member of staff should believe in it and every customer soon will too.
Use every opportunity to remind people that your business has an edge!
Test Tube is an award-winning video site that promotes science and higher education in Nottingham and offers an insight into the highs and lows of the life of a scientist.
The website is a showcase for more than a hundred videos - filmed & edited by Nottingham Science City filmmaker in residence Brady Haran - featuring academics talking about cutting-edge research and behind-the-scenes footage.
Brady has also created another popoluar website about science: The Periodic Table of Videos. It features a short film about each of the 118 chemical elements and is well worth a visit.
The University of Nottingham, never slow in adapting to new media, uses podcasting as a platform for experts, alumni and students to discuss current issues, latest research and events.
Some interesting podcasts include:
A Dragon's Tale (12.15MB;13:40 minutes)
Meet former Dragons' Den star and entrepreneur Rachel Elnaugh, who speaks candidly about her time on the show, her astonishing career and advice for students at the Business School.
Current State of Grace (VIDEO - MP4 23.8MB; 4:20 mins)
In this video take a tour behind the scenes of the multi-million pound GRACE building at Jubilee Campus. General Manager Paul Bhatia explains the hi-tech research centre and business 'incubator' and tells the UON Podcast why there's a rail track on the roof!
Future innovation today (9.78MB, 8;43 minutes)
In this podcast - Professor Kevin Shakesheff talks about his pioneering regenerative medical research and Regentec - a University spin-out company - which has just won a Medical Futures Innnovation Award 2008.
More podcasts are available at http://communications.nottingham.ac.uk/podcasts.html
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), the annual conference that defines its mission as "ideas worth spreading", has recently drawn to a close in California.
The conference lectures, known as TEDTalks, cover a broad set of topics and routinely attract key movers and shakers in the fields of science, technology and business.
Below are a couple of the first TedTalks to be released:
Bill Gates: How I'm trying to change the world now
Bill Gates hopes to solve some of the world's biggest problems using a new kind of philanthropy.
Also, here is a link to here's the much-discussed Q&A between Bill Gates and TED's Chris Anderson.
Elizabeth Gilbert: A different way to think about genius
Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.
Find more TEDtalks here.
The 23rd of January 2009 was the day that the UK was officially declared to be in a recession for the first time since 1991.
Gross domestic product fell by 1.5% in the last three months of 2008 after a 0.6% drop in the previous quarter. No doubt this spells big trouble for business but what are the implications for small companies?
Incubators are, generally speaking, not short of tenant businesses & still regularly receive enquiries from startups. And, having spoken to many small businesses in the last few months, it's surprising to see how few have admitted to experiencing any significant negative impact as a result of the Credit Crunch. Is this attitude of sang froid commendable or is it rather a case of: "if you you can keep your head when everyone around you is losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation".
The truth is that an economic downturn can favour the smaller company with a ruthless edge. For one thing, small companies have the flexibility to cut costs quickly and efficiently. They are agile enough to change strategic direction if certain products &/or customers prove vulnerable to the downturn & even target growth opportunities whilst the competition struggles to readjust.
Having low overheads is a great advantage for small businesses as it enables them to undercut their larger rivals at a time when the issue of cost is more critical than ever.
Also, a predictable response to recession by large companies is to outsource services that were previously done in-house. Stepping in to provide those services is another area where small businesses can benefit.
Of course, new opportunities can conceal risk - it's well worth checking the creditworthiness of potential customers before taking on big orders - but, if you can navigate the pitfalls, it's possible that being small & fast will give your business the edge it needs to survive & thrive in the current economic climate.
Besides, if your business can survive in a recession, imagine how well it will do when the good times return!
You can watch entrepreneurs talk about surviving the Recession online at Fresh Business Thinking.com:
Judy Piatkus, How To Launch And Thrive In A Recession
Getting Through The Recession, An Interview With Gerard Burke, Zac Goldsmith, Anthony Holmes And Andy Raynor
Viral marketing campaigns are all the rage at this time of year. To start with, Elf Yourself - last year's overwhelming hit with over 100 million unique visitors - has been relaunched for Christmas 2008. Elf Yourself allows you to superimpose peoples' faces onto dancing elves only this year there are even more dances to choose from plus some new merchandising options.
Elf Yourself is often cited as one of the most successful viral marketing campaigns. Another contender is CareerBuilder's Monk-e-mail which allows you to deliver personalised messages to your friends via an email chimp. CareerBuilder followed up this success by launching Age-O-Matic: a website which enables you to upload a photo of yourself & then ages it by 50 years!
This Year, however, Time Warner Cable has joined in the fun with their viral application: FAME STAR! which allows you to star in your very own controversial Tinsel town rags-to-riches story simply by uploading a photo & writing (or recording) some dialogue. I don't know if this qualifies as clever marketing but it's certainly fun.
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