Guerrilla Marketing

One of my favorite marketing websites, Entrepreneur.com, has an article called:How to Pull Off a Guerrilla Marketing Campaign.  The article states that this is a something that works really well with the small business model. It also says “They can also be an awesome way to get you noticed, set you apart from your competition and earn you a reputation for being fun and different–all tailored to whatever budget you have available.”

Guerrilla marketing is typically aggressive marketing but it can also just be unique, unexpected or unconventional.  One quote even says that it can be “disruptive”.

With that in mind, not every small business needs to try this marketing tactic. And if a business does go to this tactic, it needs to be done carefully and well, so that the community isn’t turned off by the business.  Newsworthy doesn’t have to be a negative.

The article goes on to share tips like:what’s the core message that can be distilled into a 5-second exchange or in a clever installation?

Start “by setting clear objectives followed quickly by doing your homework, really thinking through your category, brand and consumer.” You have to have a goal in mind and you also need to understand who your customer is and what would intrigue and appeal to them.

The article goes on to list a couple of successful campaigns (The Blair Witch Project) and some failed ones (Aqua Teen Hunger Force accidental bomb scare).

Entrepreneur.com has a handful of articles, some dating back quite a few years, showing that this tactic isn’t new at all.

What is Guerrilla Marketing? was published December 22, 2006 and shares that “The term “guerrilla marketing” was first used by Jay Conrad Levinson in his popular 1984 book, Guerrilla Marketing”  This author even goes on to use the term “stealth marketing”.

Here are some more examples too good not to share –

Here are some guerrilla marketing examples that you might have noticed, or maybe noticed but didn’t realize they were marketing of the guerrilla type:

  • Chipotle’s offer of a free burrito to anyone dressed up like one of their football-size burritos on Halloween
  • A business owner associating himself current event as an expert so he can get quoted in the media
  • An entrepreneur nominating herself for an award and promoting her nomination and receipt of the award (if she gets it)
  • Sonic DriveIn Restaurant’s magnetic cups that adhere to the trunk of a car as it drives off, making it appear as if the driver forgot to remove his drink from its temporary resting place. This marketing stunt really got talked about, and word-of-mouth marketing took over and helped spread the word about this restaurant.

The award nomination and win sounds funny but I feel like that humor could get lost by a lot of people and they would just get upset by this. If enough people saw it, that is.

Is a Business Always a Business?

It’s the time of year when many people really think about giving to others and charity. There are many charities out there and some have to be better than others. Not better in that the cause is necessarily better (although there probably could be strong argument made for that) but that they as a business are better.  That made me stop and think about the fact that a charity is a business just like any other.

A charity has expenses just like any other business.  They have to pay for utilities, admin costs, salaries and even the costs that go with the fundraising part of collecting the money to donate.

Some charities are better at this than others, just like with any other business. In my research, a fiscally healthy charity is a good charity to consider.

Another thing to keep in mind is ho much of the donation is actually going to the cause.  In an article from 2013, 6,000 charities were reviewed and 50 were found to be seriously lacking.  These charities had more in common with a pyramid scheme or some other kind of scam than with trying to do good for others. The money was funneled into bigger paychecks for the people up top.  Some of the worse cases – less than 11 cents of each dollar donated went to the cause.

I think this is despicable and there needs to be more oversight into these companies. The Better Business Bureau has a charity report where they rank charities just like any other business.  It is not going to catch everything but it is definitely a step in the right direction.  People as spenders need to be more aware of where their money goes and make sure that those donations get into the right hands.

Is Entrepreneurship Addictive? A Forbes Article

Is Entrepreneurship Addictive?

I found this article and thought it was an interesting idea that people are addicted to the process rather than “trying to get rich”, as what is typically thought of from serial business owners/start-ups.  The article refers to these people as “habitual” entrepreneurs.

The article likens the addiction to any other addiction in that there are highs and lows and the euphoric feelings that come with the highs. It also compares these people to gamblers, in their addictions.

The Complex Nature of Addiction

This article expands on the nature of addiction in general and makes note that addictions aren’t always of a physical nature but also psychological. This article goes on to say that addictions can be broken with a change of beliefs but I’m not sure how this necessarily applies to the serial business owner. It would be interesting to see if there was anything else at play with this type of addiction beyond the euphoric feeling that comes from succeeding in a new business venture

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

The trend for the last few years, for most retail companies is to open earlier and earlier to capture those Black Friday shoppers – so early, that stores are opening on Thanksgiving day, versus early Friday morning.

Lots of consumers are fed up with this materialistic,consumerism, anti-family thinking and are taking their dollars elsewhere. People are thinking about what Thanksgiving is traditionally supposed to mean and for most folks, it involves spending with family or friends. I have never had to buy a piece of electronics at such a significant discount that someone would have to leave a family dinner to sell it to me.

I suspect that many people are like that as well. Facebook has been gently blowing up with post about where not to shop. Kmart is a big offender since they are opening at 6AM Thanksgiving morning.  How crappy must it be to work for that company?

This link has a list of many stores not opening on Thanksgiving – http://time.com/money/3556863/thanksgiving-hours-closed-black-thursday/

Stores like Lowe’s, The Home Depot, Sam’s Club and Costco will be treating it’s employees well and letting them have a national holiday off. These companies are getting lots of positive attention and free advertising by making this employee friendly decision.  The pause of the pursuit of the all-mighty dollar will probably cause an increase in their shoppers from people wanting to support stores and polices like this. It’s great marketing and a good practice.

Interesting Site

I didn’t know this site existed, Made in Alabama. It’s “The Official Site Of The Alabama Department Of Commerce”. This site has a section for news, industries, advantages and divisions. Divisions include business development, small business advocacy, international trade, AIDT, and film production.

Small business advocacy is “helping small businesses do big things”.

In Alabama, small business owners and budding entrepreneurs alike will find effective solutions for any company needs. Our Department of Commerce provides small businesses with the knowledge and resources to succeed, from financial assistance to regulatory issues.

There is also a link to something called “Atlas Alabama” which is designed to help with the paperwork side of a business, the rules, regulations and laws that are applicable.

There are also some links to local events:

Advantages:

Industries:

News Centers:

There is a wealth of information here and merits many return visits for reading and information sourcing.

Branding / Endorsing

Branding in marketing is something fun to think about but can involve a lot of time and effort. I like the idea of a celebrity spokesperson for the novelty factor and not necessarily out of a true branding value factor. Everything these days has a celebrity spokesperson and it’s hard to imagine that each and every one of these celebrities have actually tried the product they are speaking about. Alyssa Milano represents Wen Hair products, a handful of celebrities speak for Proactiv acne treatment, a whole slew are doing Zaxby’s fast food commercials… there really isn’t any way to know if these people have tried the product and if they really like it. Does their endorsement make it any better or any more valuable?  I really don’t think so but I might be in the minority with that thinking.  I feel that a better endorsement or recommendation would be from a local celebrity. I would lose my mind if, for example, I had my dessert truck in Tuscaloosa and University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban was a fan of my homemade oatmeal cream pies and he liked them better than the brand name ones that he currently eats.  He is a huge, shining over the top example of a local celebrity but to have him endorse me and my truck would be out of this world.

i think someone like a well-known high school coach, mayor or someone else like that would be a great person to endorse a product.  It would be an easy thing to see that person using and enjoying the product that they are talking about. The catch with using a political person is that it can often be difficult to separate the person from the office. I could have Mayor McMayorton say that she always has Sweet Tooth Treats cater all of her dessert related events but to some people who would only see a political party, they would probably never try my product because of who it was associated with.  I’d have to work hard to find someway to get those people interested in trying it, even with the association.

Marketing Strategies

I discovered a fun site called Mobile-Cuisine.com. Lots of interesting articles, all about food trucking.

One caught my eye,Inbound Marketing Strategy. The full title is

Build A Food Truck Inbound Marketing Strategy That Works.

The article describes how as a small business owner, one must wear any hats but frequently, marketing and capitalizing on marketing areas for new growth, get lost by the wayside.

First step is using, really taking advantage, of the internet. This is something that I’ve seen a lot of small businesses do. They are on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter… maybe even quick videos on YouTube, in addition to a web site of their own. This could be an actual site or a blog, or even both.

The article next suggests posting to other, established websites, of the same industry or even just sites about your area. I find that I track the goings on of the local food truck scene by reading the sites that have posts about “things to do tonight”  or “what to do, this weekend”. If these sites allow it, it would be an easy thing to make a quick post about your company and what you’re about.  It would also be a good time to thank the page for their support and recognition. In turn, one could reference the site that acknowledged your business.

Next tip is to have testimonials from happy customers. This is a great idea but it is easier said than done. People will take to the internet and social media in a hot second to vent and complain and warn everyone off from a business, company or product but will rarely do the same for a good experience. Tips on getting people to successfully post positive comments would be a worthy article, by itself. Perhaps a discount on a future visit, for taking the time to post something nice.  The other issue I have with this is that testimonials can be faked. I can make 5 fake accounts in ten minutes and post everywhere about how much I love eating such and such.  I’d hope no one would do that, but I’ve seen it in action and I know it can happen.

Word of mouth is still going to be a strong contender for best marketing strategy, in my opinion.

How much truck should a food truck need?

While I don’t genuinely feel that I’m at this part of the process yet, I started looking at mobile vehicle options.   I just wanted an idea of what is out there and what other people are doing. One big thing that i have going for me, with a desert food truck, is not needing a lot of traditional kitchen space. baking can be done remotely, and just stored on the truck, when selling as well as whatever else.  A crock pot can keep sauces warm, a fridge for other things – cool. I really feel like that opens me up to a lot of options that might have otherwise not been available.

Food Trucks – Google search

One bad boy is a $31k concession truck, complete with restroom with sink and a generator box. it’s 24′ long and orange.  Like creamsicile orange.

The 14′ one comes in other colors but isn’t as ….spiffy looking. It’s more like a box with a fast food style window in one end. It looks perfectly adequate but isn’t getting me terribly excited. This one is $16k.

In the internet search, it also popped up some possibly useful things such as a Food Trucks for Dummies” book and a History Channel series called Modern Marvels with a Food Truck episode. Modern Marvels: Food Truck. That might be fun, just to see all the things that people think to put wheels to, food wise.  Or even just being reminded of the humble hot-dog cart.

There was a kiosk cart that I really liked the look of, but I don’t see it being good outdoors.  A cart is going to definitely be more at the mercy of the elements than an actual trailer or truck of some sort. Of course, if the weather is that bad, probably most of the customers are not going to be out in it and it kind of becomes a moot point. Having a cart would still leave me in the position of having to have a way to carry it from place to place and wheel it out and set it up.  I’d rather keep my prep and setup for the food and not for my wheels. Another negative for the cart is lighting. Assuming much of my business will be done after dark, there needs to be adequate lighting for two reasons – first is for the safety of the customers and second is to show off the treats.  A cart doesn’t offer much in the way of strategic lighting options.

I have a lot more to think about but I have definitely started narrowing the choices.

How to Food Truck

While preparing my pitch for why this area needs another food truck and why I need to be the one to make that happen, it seemed like a good time to tie in my blog post and readings.  I have a couple of sites and articles that I keep coming back to.

What I Wish I’d Known Before Starting My Food Truck

I like this article because it contains information from real people. It also helps to pull focus to things that might be neglected while being in love with the idea of just making and serving good food. Yes, having a premise and ability to cook is a good foundation, but what about…. permits?  Does your state have laws, regulations and guidelines?  What about your county? Your city? One owner actually took to the city council and mayor to legislate changes, for the better.  Another mentioned that in their city, there is a bathroom requirement for them but only if they are going to be parked at the same location for over an hour.  The truck doesn’t have to have a restroom but they do have to have access to one, within so many feet of the truck.  That seems a little excessive to me, to legislate that. However, it does seem like a good idea, from a business standpoint.

One owner says ““Do your homework and write a solid business plan!” There are so many trucks that rolled out that didn’t do the proper R&D, financial projections, break-even and capital requirements. Without this essential piece you are setting yourself up to fail.” There really isn’t much more to add to that. A love of cooking does not a business make.

I like this article, too. Food Trucks 101: How to Start a Mobile Food Business Lots of good information, with that one.

This article is a good one, as well –How to Start: Food Truck Business Plan

I’m pleased with the amount of information available to help an up and coming mobile food truck operator.

Truth and Lies About Why We Buy

I was excited to watch this video and hear ideas on how to better think of ways to get customers. One of the main point that was made was that fear sells. That makes sense to me. I don’t know that fear sells everything, however. I’m trying to imagine using fear to motivate people to buy my food. I don’t plan on the food being particularly health conscious, so I won’t be able to say, “Eat this or die from malnutrition!” Of course, just a simple “Eat this or die!” would work for most people, because most people have to eat to survive. It is a basic human function, after all.

One interesting spin on the fear factor that I came up with is playing on the trend factor or a basically peer pressure aspect – “All the cool kids are doing it, you want to be cool, don’t you?” In my case, “All the trendy down town goers are eating at food trucks, you want to be trendy too, don’t you?” I think it has potential.

Somewhat unrelated – I finally ate at a new (to me) food truck “I Love Bacon”. The truck itself was nice, with a cartoony fist gripping some bacon and showed where to find more about the truck (the big 3, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.) They had a small menu, 7 constant items, all with bacon or a pork product. With a name like “I Love Bacon, i was expecting bacon to be the first ingredient in all the items but it wasn’t. One sandwich lists grilled flank steak, first, and then bacon and ham. Bacon is supposed to be the standout item. Go nuts with it!  Or use bacon in an unexpected way. Have candied bacon or… bacon milkshake. They did have a BLT, which makes sense.  They also had a pork belly taco.  That’s what I got.  It was very, very tasty but not really reminiscent of bacon. I’d eat it again though. So, it was good but not something that I felt like should be unique to the bacon truck. They parked outside one of the local brewery’s during a comedy night. I don’t think that the brewery does food (because… taproom, not kitchen) so partnering with a food truck is a great idea, on the brewery’s part.  And the part of the truck. They can not even advertise where they will be and just piggy back off the people who would be coming out to the bar, anyway. Of course, if they DO advertise first, that will help people to know not to eat before hand and that they can eat at the event.

One thing they did, as well, was utilize a tablet with a card scanner device.  This is exactly what I would do a well – either on a tablet or cell phone, probably a tablet. It makes debit card and credit card transactions possible. I think some of those apps even allow PayPal, for payments.  I’ll have to look into that one more.