BOSTON–Jay Conrad Levinson, co-founder of Guerrilla Marketing International Inc., Mill Valley, CA, listed the five most important weapons for catalog marketing during the opening general session of the catalog conference here June 2.
1. Marketing plan: “Not having a marketing plan is like entering battle under a commander who says, 'Ready! Fire! Aim!' ” Levinson joked. Ninety-seven percent of homes in the United States have at least one Proctor & Gamble product in their home. A reasons for that widespread popularity is P&G has a brief marketing plan for each of its products, according to Levinson. Marketers should make their marketing plans brief so that it forces them to focus, he added.
2. Location: “The most important location in Boston, in San Francisco, in Chicago and in Houston is on the Internet. It has become the important location in cities around the world,” Levinson said.
3. Follow-up: “The more follow-up you do that feels warm and cozy — where people get to feel unique, get to feel singled out and get to feel that you are different than other companies — that follow-up will win their hearts and win referrals of you to their friends,” he said.
4. Customer list: “You knew that all along, but the more information you have about each customer will increase the value of that customer list,” he said.
5. Designated guerrilla: “Somebody in your organization ought to love marketing and be aware of all the new things that are happening in marketing ˆ on- and offline,” Levinson said. “Hopefully, it's you — but if it's not you, it has to be somebody in your organization or outside the organization.”
