Now if you don’t already know the typical P’s in marketing let me  
give you what the typical textbook says: Product, Place, Price and  
Promotion. This is simply a lame way to explain what marketing was.  
To me it seems like and old-fashioned way of doing something. If your  
following this typical marketing strategy I salute you, but I would  
encourage you to think about one thing, are you marketing in a way  
that causes a stir in your area or are you just throwing dollars at a  
typical newspaper ad because that is what everyone else is doing?  
This is why I have developed my own four P’s to marketing: Priceless  
to substitute for product, People to substitute for place, Pennies to  
substitute for price, and Purple Cows to take over promotions.

The first “P” in this discussion is “Priceless.” A product  
can’t be an item that just gets the job done anymore. If you want  
your product or service to sell itself you need to have an excellent  
product that no one can live without. For instance, the iPhone is a  
remarkable product that not only gets the job done, but it changes  
the way you view your phone. This phone isn’t just a phone it’s a  
way to stay in touch with your life. The phone has now become a part  
of everyone lives. My friends that use this phone swear by it and  
can’t live without this $500 piece of equipment.

The second “P” is “People.” This is the key ingredient to your  
marketing strategy. You want people to tell more people and those  
people to tell more people. The idea of placement is a great  
strategy, but I would say having the right people supporting your  
product is even better than placement. If you can get a guy like  
Tiger Woods using the Gillette Razor then it must be amazing. Most  
men probably think that their handicap score will improve by two  
strokes simply for buying the new “Fusion Power Razor.” Now if I  
recall this razor isn’t being placed in anywhere unique other than  
aisle 4 at the local Walgreens. To me the placement will come once  
you have enough people talking about your product or service. This is  
not to say that location isn’t key for your physical store. I think  
having a place where people can see your store is great, but with the  
way the web is moving you no longer need a physical location to  
succeed.  If anything, try to get local politicians or hometown  
heroes to try your product and get their feedback. If these  
particular people like your product then more than likely the word  
will spread fast, especially in a small town.

The third “P” involves what you are spending on your marketing  
campaign, in fact as a small business owner you can help your  
business out by marketing for “Pennies” compared to typical  
businesses. What does this mean you ask? What this means is that you  
should use your head not your wallet to promote you business.  
Spreading the word via word of mouth is a much more effective way of  
promoting your business and is a little bit cheaper. People enjoy  
seeing the face of the business. Also, take a look at your local  
editors for cost effective ways to market. This involves press  
releases and insider stories. Better yet, spread the word about your  
business all over the Internet. Many people read the paper over the  
web now rather than a standard newspaper. You also need to start  
thinking in terms of guerilla marketing, which is defined as  
spreading your idea in a new way without spending buku bucks. I will  
elaborate further in the next section.

The fourth and final new “P” is in regards to the “Purple  
Cow.” After reading many books and hearing many new ways to market  
in today’s world no one puts this concept into better words then  
Seth Godin. He is the inventor of the Purple Cow and claims that you  
need to come up with something new and original if you want to be  
effective in the new world of marketing. His example discusses that  
if you were driving down the road and saw a bunch of black cows and  
then out came a Purple Cow what would you do? More than likely you  
would stop the car or for the rest of the day that Purple Cow would  
stick in your mind. Are you sticking in the back of people’s minds?  
Why aren’t you dancing to the beat of different drum? This is where  
thinking like a guerilla marketer can be extremely beneficial for  
your business. Do you remember the little lite-brite boxes that had  
police in Boston thinking it was a terrorist attack? This was a  
marketing tactic by Aqua Teen Hunger Force to promote their movie.  
Now you don’t have to market to scare millions of people, but the  
idea is to get people talking about your business. Do something  
different for a change and take a risk. You more than likely took a  
risk to start your business, so what is holding you back now?

Now that you have the 4 new P’s to marketing, take some time to  
think about these items. Hopefully, your mind is turning. I have  
found that looking at marketing through this scope has helped me  
envision a new way of promoting my business ventures, and I hope it  
helps you in your ventures.

Bryan Kress is someone I have met and been very impressed with.
You will want to check out his unique website at:www.businessonthemound.com

Bryan Kress