All of Jay Conrad Levinson Guerilla Marketing books are excellent. They are great guides on how to the the most for your marketing with limited or no budget. A must-read for all entrepreneurers.

A Book Review*

Guerrilla Marketing

By Jay Conrad Levinson

by Michael C. Gray

December 29, 2006

How can a small business effectively promote itself without the financial resources necessary for “traditional advertising”?

In what is now a classic book, Jay Conrad Levinson describes many techniques that can be used to market a business with a “shoestring” budget.

Jay Conrad Levinson is a former advertising executive who worked at the J. Walter Thompson agency. He decided to create his own business helping entrepreneurs market their businesses successfully.

The first mistake of many small businesspersons is not understanding the vital role of marketing in building a successful business. Many of them are good at “doing” what the business does ‚Äì auto mechanics, chefs, inventors, accountants, chiropractors, dentists, hair stylists, etc. If they don‚Äôt have customers to “do the work” for, their businesses will fail.

Another mistake is not knowing what marketing initiatives have the best results, and what marketing initiatives have no results at all. The “marketing plan” often originates with an advertising salesperson from the yellow pages or a local newspaper. The businessperson may rely on the salesperson to write the advertising, when the salesperson doesn‚Äôt really have the necessary skill. The businessperson may not know the critical elements of a successful advertisement to look for.

Levinson recommends using marketing techniques for which results can be measured.

A third mistake is not making a sufficient financial commitment to marketing. The business that is able and willing to spend significantly more for marketing than its competitors has a significant advantage.

Levinson also explains how the demographics of the marketplace are changing, creating opportunities for businesspersons who design their businesses to satisfy the needs of growing customer niches.

Guerrilla Marketing is a worthwhile book for any businessperson to learn many different ways of effectively marketing his or her product or service.