I remember when Guerrilla Marketing came out. I was so excited. Here were a bunch of different methods to run powerful marketing campaigns without spending a dime.
It was revolutionary.
At last, the average Joe could build a business even with a marketing budget no deeper than his pant pockets.
The philosophy laid out in that book still holds good. It is still possible to sell products without buying a 30-second spot during the Superbowl.
The methods are still good too. There are plenty that I use all the time.
But Web 2.0 and social media has poured a pile of new weapons into the guerilla marketer's arsenal.
Today it's possible to spread a message about your product to thousands of people without going anywhere near your wallet.
And best of all, you can do it directly.
Blogs let you communicate with thousands of people at a time. Facebook groups can let those people talk about your product among themselves. And Twitter, of course, gives you the opportunity to converse with individual buyers while letting everyone else see what you're saying.
All of those tools are hugely powerful. And every single one of them is free.
Or rather every single one of them is almost free because even though you can write a blog post for nothing, set up a Facebook account without paying for it and tweet all you want without running up a bill, you will be spending a fortune on something else.
Time.
Time isn't exactly money - write "20 minutes" on a check and the cashier won't find it very funny - but it can be measured in money. The hours you put into tweeting or blogging on your personal website are an investment. They might not deliver revenue right away but they should deliver in the future.
Marketing of any sort takes time and it takes effort. It's not enough to come up with a good idea and know that people will love it. You have to set aside hours to tell them about it, generate interest and get everyone excited.
That's the job of being an Internet marketer. Social media hasn't changed the need to spill time into marketing. It's just made it a lot easier - and a lot more fun.
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
March 29, 2009 09:35 AM
Excellent post! Found it on my twitter stream......
We all need to exchange our time (it's value)...in order to earn the money. Sometimes that is forgotten!
Thanks for the reminder.
http://www.twitter.com/bluejeanslady
March 29, 2009 09:43 AM
Amen, Joel! Keep up the good work.
March 29, 2009 09:56 AM
Completely agree, with the advent of SM, my "guerilla markting" toolbox just got a lot more depth and breadth. It couldn't come at a better time as well. With the economy, job attrition, company failures as catalyst, innovation and entrepreneurship is being incubated. I think that SM is having a HUGE impact at spurring the economic recovery- by allowing immediate connection to new products, ideas, reviews, etc. its role cannot be discounted.
As the Marketing & Comm VP at Inquisix, a bootstrappin' start-up in the finest sense of the phrase, I am greatly in debt to Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, UStream and even Blip to get our story heard. Expense? My (and my partners) time. Bleary eyed, yes, but the ROI just can't be beat.
March 29, 2009 10:44 AM
Web 2.0 often creates "Viral Marketing", letting someone else tell your story or the story of your product. it can spread very quickly. There is a level of cooperation that exists in the web 2.0 venue, but make sure your product or service can hold up to the critics!
March 29, 2009 12:46 PM
Joel, this is so well said! I know that I find myself constantly on the net, not because it's a chore, but because it's a passion. As long as I am focused on adding value while I'm communicating, it's time well spent. And I get so much interesting information and education just from interacting with all the bright people in the tweetesphere and blogosphere.
March 29, 2009 02:57 PM
I have to agree with you completely if you spend enough time on all of these social sites and give valuable information to your audience. You will see a difference in your pocket.
God Bless
March 29, 2009 06:51 PM
I am so happy to see that you wrote about Guerrilla Marketing Joel! I -just- an hour ago posted an article on my blog about it and how I used it to promote a workshop I'm giving tomorrow. If Joel is writing about it, I guess I'm on the right path!
-Sarah Merion
sarahmerion@gmail.com
@sarahmerion
March 30, 2009 12:49 AM
social media is good ways for networking.....you need time to build networking and get much benefits for social media....must be patince
March 30, 2009 01:32 PM
This is so true. People often view web 2.0 sites as a "waste of time" but they can be used well if people plan what they want the outcome to be and they provide value to those who see their posts/tweets/etc.
March 30, 2009 07:58 PM
Good post Joel. It's good that you pointed that out, what I see with web 2.0 is the viral marketing capability by doing something that you love for fun. It won't cost you, but in the long run it will help you build relationships and make money at the same time...
Terrance Charles
www.thesimplecodemanuscript.com
March 30, 2009 10:44 PM
Hi Joel, Social media is a great marketing tool, we have to spend quite an effort to keep its rankings, well I'm not such an expert regarding web 2.0 but I heard that web.2.0 properties sometimes can lost its favors, but still it's great have.
March 31, 2009 12:10 AM
Hi joel,
I am with you on this aspect of investing time. It really is important to get the required learning curve and its benefits.
nice post.
ashraf
http://ilsbi.50webs.com
http://iahbe7.50webs.com
April 2, 2009 06:44 PM
Yes I agree - I call Social Media the Great Equaliser as it gives everyone the Power to get Mass Communication and Mass Exposure of their
products and services on a global level with zero advertising cost.
John Gregory
April 3, 2009 03:10 AM
Great post Joel! I really found it helpful. What are your views on social media 5 years from now? Wouldn't it be interesting to know?
April 9, 2009 11:01 PM
Enjoyable post.
Nice analogy to showcase that time doesn't mean money all the time. It is great to see how the internet can actually help us reach out to audience we might never get to see ,physically.
April 15, 2009 09:46 PM
I appreciate the concern which is been rose.Online job applications should be viewed in the same way as any job application: so take them seriously and follow these tips to increase your chances.
Tia Smith
Online Uk Jobs Resource