Guerilla Marketing - Bribe the Weatherman

It's the way that my mind works, but I always think of Planet of the Apes when my mind turns to this topic. Gorilla - guerilla, I suppose...

Anyway, I was watching a beautiful example of it the other night on Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, a show on the Food Network where Chef Ramsey parachutes into failing restaurants, berates everybody in sight and saves the day or issues a restaurant autopsy of why it failed. In this latest episode, he was trying to save a quirky owner who favoured weird food combinations and powdered gravy mix. He cussed the owner out for a bit, told him to ditch the crap gravy mix and instituted a p.r. project which he called "The Campaign for Real Gravy". All staff were issued black t-shirts with the slogan emblazoned across the front, the owner was given a megaphone and told to sell his campaign to the people of the small village where his pub was located and free samples of Yorkshire Pudding and Gravy were freely handed out. There's even a website apparently at www.realgravy.co.uk (I see that the website is stating that it was a phenomenal success and they're even looking for a new chef. It just goes to show how powerful guerilla p.r. can be.)

If you aren't thinking a megaphone and town centre blitz is the way you want to go, think about bribing your local t.v. weather reporter. If, for example, you're selling homemade jams and jellies, why not send a basket to your local station, and ask for a plug for your website or next farmer's market date? It doesn't cost much to try and the potential benefits could be huge.

Blogging Guru - John Chow

The hardest part of blogging is getting noticed. (Like most things in life, I suppose.)

If you want sound advice on promoting your own blog I heartily recommend visiting www.johnchow.com and reading John Chow's story. (He's created websites with over 200,000 page views per day, so the guy knows what he's talking about.) Type "promotion" into his search engine for ideas on how to increase your readership. Also, take advantage of his linkbaiting program as I am via this post. For your review of his website he offers a link back to yours. Find out more about it at www.johnchow.com/review-my-blog-get-a-free-linkback/ and let me know if it works for you.

You may be thinking that my review is tainted by this outright bribery. Yup, it is. But I would still recommend visiting his website even if he hadn't offered this bonus. He has lots of interesting information on monetizing your own blog, plus an amazing amount of interesting links derived from his linkback program. Also, I like that he's up front about his affiliate programs. If he sells it or advertises for it, he backs it as a worthwhile product or service.

And lastly, I find his Fine Dining posts to be interesting. I note that Mr. Chow is eating a heck of a lot of lobsters. Could this be a more subtle side to his self-promotion as a successful blogger? This guy is one smart cookie.

Business Idea - Homemade Cakes and Pies

Before Martha Stewart started her catering business, she sold homemade pies at a table at her local mall and look where that got her. An oven, some great recipes and a mailing list for your brochure are all you need to get you on the path to world domination, one cake and pie at a time. Cakes cost less than a few dollars to make and sell for $20 and more. Produce and sell 12 cakes per day and you’ll net around $200.00 or about $4000 per month.

Business Idea - Xmas/Hanukkah Baking Service

Sweet Christmas sugar, Batman, I used to go crazy for my mother’s baked goods during the holidays. Shortbread, almond cookies, Nanaimo bars, brownies, sugar cookies with orange icing, and a peanut butter-and-marshmallow concoction that made me swoon. But who has time for all that work these days? Trade on maternal guilt and step into the breach. Sell your home-baked confections to overworked mothers everywhere. Wrap in colorful cellophane. Send price lists and samples to receptionists at large local offices and ask that they put the word out.

Business Idea - Pickle and Relish Maker

My mother is a pickleholic and a relish lover to boot, so I can see the viability of this business. There are millions of great recipes out there, find one or two, make up a few batches, slap on a down-home label and watch the addicts line up for their pickle fix. When I was a kid my parents used to take me to Klondike Days in Edmonton and buy me an ice cold root beer and a giant pickle to snack on - I suspect my mother’s influence in this - but I used to look forward each year to my pickle and root beer stop. ‘Course, I don’t recommend the roller coaster after this type of snack... Anyway, make specialty pickles, out of zucchini, pumpkin, watermelon rinds... For your relishes, try cucumber, onion, red pepper, cauliflower - the possibilities are limitless. Give out free samples with crackers. Sell at farmer’s markets, or online.

Business Idea - Roadside Fruit Vendor

Buy fresh fruit from farmers in season and then truck it into an area that can’t supply its own fruit. Sell it, either door-to-door or at a busy roadside rest area. Place signs well along the highway in both directions to alert customers to stop in time. Offer a good variety of tree-ripened fruit.

Business Idea - Ethnic Food Seller

Everybody wants the tastes of home. If you have even 100 families of one ethnic origin, find out if there is a store that caters to their needs. If not, consider setting up a small store. Polish, Greek, Turkish, Puerto Rican, Japanese are all cuisines that are expanding in popularity. Convert a room in your house into the store. Advertise to local cooking classes or offer your own cooking lessons and offer to sell your students the ingredients they need to recreate the dishes