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Marketing in Turbulent Times: Don't Give Up the Ship
by Debra Jason
It's frightening to dip into your marketing budget when the economy is slow, but to stay ahead of your competition, it should be a priority for your company. And, the good news is, it can be done without spending $2 million dollars for a 30-second Super Bowl commercial
Don't let customers or prospects forget who you are . . . where you are . . . how you can be reached. Do what you can to maintain a presence in turbulent times.
Stay in touch with your customers, be it via phone, "snail," or e-mail. Ask them what they want and need during this time. And remember, if potential customers are out there looking for your product or service and your name is visible - when your competition's is not - your marketing efforts influence them to turn to you first.
Have A Strategic Plan - Simple & Cost-Effective
Marketing in difficult economic times involves developing a strategic plan. Emphasizing your product's/service's benefits, define your sales and marketing goals. Then, assign responsibility for achieving them along with appropriate deadlines. Here are some simple and cost-effective ideas to keep your ship afloat.
1. Implement an e-mail campaign.
According to the Gallup Organization, e-mail is the number one activity on the Web. And, each day it gains popularity as one of the most prominent mediums in marketers' toolboxes around the world.
As of October 2001, International Data Corp. projected that the number of e-mail sddresses will grow from 505 million to 1.2 million e-mail boxes, receiving 36 billion e-mails, by 2005 (iMarketing News, Oct. 22, 2001).
[NOTE: For complete e-mail guidelines consider How-To Report #300F "Taking Advantage of E-mail: Eight Guidelines for Using The Latest Marketing Weapon Wisely." You can order the full report at www.writedirection.com/how-to.htm]
2. Join professional organizations.
Dick Connor and Jeffrey Davidson (Marketing Your Consulting And Professional Services, (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) maintain that if you, "Visit any metro area and attend a local meeting of the Red Cross, International Rotary. . . or other civic, professional, or charitable groups and undoubtedly, you will meet many of the area's most successful professionals. Successful professionals know that giving of their time freely is an excellent way to be of service to the community and to help build the firm."
However, don't just pay your membership dues and walk away. Many people join organizations, sit back and wait for business to come their way. Clients don't automatically knock on your door just because you've become a member of the local chapter of the ABC Association.
GET INVOLVED. Volunteer to serve on a committee (i.e. public relations, entertainment, programming, event planning, etc.) or sit on the Board of Directors. Fellow colleagues find out who you are, learn more about your business and discover your capabilities. You increase your network of contacts and are given the chance to share your expertise.
3. Read business and trade publications.
There are magazines and journals for almost any field you can think of. There are local publications, national, and even international ones depending on the industry you're involved with.
Read the appropriate ones for your field(s) of interest. Advertising. . . catalog marketing. . . direct marketing. . .and so on. While you're learning and gathering details from the informative articles, there is something else you should pay careful attention to - take note of those people who have recently been promoted - people who are likely to be your prospects. Mark each name with the source where you found it and the date. Hold onto them and proceed to pointer number 4.
4. Create your own direct mail piece.
Now, you don't have to create an elaborate package to implement a successful direct mail campaign. I developed a persuasive direct mail letter and a postage-paid reply card. Sending it out to my collection of names, I let them know the benefits of using my services or "what's in it for them?" Depending on how many names I'd collected, I'd send out mailings every week to every 2-4 weeks.
Keep your expenses down by using your computer to print your letter on company stationery. And, photocopy your reply cards (on card stock) at a local quick printer. Send your letter to the list of names you've gathered in suggestion #3. And, don't forget to follow up with an e-mail or a phone call.
5. Offer to speak in public.
"The best way to market yourself is to give yourself to the market. Expose yourself to your prospects," wrote Jeffrey Gitomer.
Call your local Chamber of Commerce. Many Chambers offer their membership freemonthly meetings where a professional comes in and speaks on a specific topic of interest. In the Boulder/Denver area I've presented at what the Chamber of Commerce calls "Brown Bags," speaking on topics such as: "AIDA - A Formula for Successful Copywriting," "Surefire Steps for Writing Effective Print Promotions," "DIRECT Is Not a Four-Letter Word," and more.
Other organizations such as local chapters of the Small Business Development Center, Business Marketing Association (BMA) or Business and Professional Women (BPW) are interested in finding new speakers to present to their members as well. That person could be you.
Sharing what you know increases your credibility regarding your area of expertise. And, appearing at meetings like these puts you among a circle of business people who may eventually need your services.
5a. Invite clients, colleagues and prospects to your speaking engagement.
Here's a great opportunity to build client relationships and encourage enhanced relationships with prospects - without using a hard-sell approach.
By hearing you speak, they get the chance to learn more about you without feeling the pressure of a sales pitch. While you're sharing your professional knowledge in a relaxed, non- threatening environment -without the fear of losing a sale--they're observing your expertise, confidence and poise.
6. Teach a class, seminar or workshop.
You might even make a little money here! Whether it's through a university's continuing education department or a community education program, teaching conveys your knowledge of a subject while increasing your exposure to prospects.
7. Write articles for business or trade publications.
Writing articles gets your name out to a broader audience, demonstrates your expertise about a specific subject, and enhances your professional reputation. Many publications will also include your photo and phone number so that readers may contact you.
". . . small papers and trade magazines, are quite receptive toward receiving articles written by industry experts," Shors explained. "Since greater demands are placed on editorial departments during a recession, writers get laid-off like everyone else, editors are more inclined to take a close look at what amounts to free content."
7a. Send copies of your latest article to clients and prospects.
Maintain a presence while increasing awareness of your services in the marketplace. Simply faxing or mailing your latest article keeps your name in front of clients and prospects. And, for example, if you've written a "how-to" article, you provide them with complimentary information that's beneficial to them - material that helps them with their future efforts.
Without pitching a sale, you keep them up-to-date on what you're doing, enhance your image and continue to build your credibility in their eyes.
8. Submit press releases to newspapers and magazines.
John Shors wrote that "Because recessions often breed little but bad news, positive stories are likely to be embraced by the media and the general public. Therefore, if a company is doing well, or has successfully revamped its operations, reporters are more apt to cover its triumphs than in times of economic bliss."
"As a whole, reporters are more receptive to any form of pitch during a recession," Shors continued.
[NOTE: For tips on writing press releases, consider How-To Report #100E "Seven Simple Steps For Writing A Successful Press Release OR How To Obtain Free Publicity." You can order the full report at www.writedirection.com/how-to.htm]
9. Make allies of other companies in related businesses.
According to guerilla marketer, Jay Conrad Levinson, "One of the most sensible and effective ways to save money marketing is to make allies of other companies and groups reaching out to your target market. Share marketing activities and materials with them."
For instance, offer to include a flier for a related business (one that complements your business, not competes with it) in your next customer mailing - in return, they do the same for you.
Don't Give Up the Ship
Many of these strategies are successful in keeping your name in front of your customers and getting your name out there among prospects. Over time you may find that, when the phone rings, the person on the other end has never met you, but someone else has and has passed along your name. And, to me, the referral network - aka word-of-mouth - is the most cost-effective advertising there is.
Remember the words of Calvin Coolidge, "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP! Even in a recession, you can keep your business afloat and flourish. Continue to do what it takes to increase your visibility, reassure customers of your commitment, and maintain an outstanding reputation. Do so and when times get better, you'll be around to enjoy them.
[NOTE: This article is an excerpt from How-To Report #400A "Marketing in Turbulent Times: Don't Give Up the Ship." You can order the full report at www.writedirection.com/how-to.htm]
Debra Jason is a seasoned copywriter with more than 18 years of experience in the field of direct marketing. Based in Boulder, her business, The Write Direction, specializes in writing Web and direct marketing communications such as brochures, catalogs, collateral materials, direct mail packages, Web sites and more. Having authored numerous articles & spoken on the subject of Web marketing, she also helps companies optimize the creative content of their Web sites to boost their search engine positioning. She may be reached by phone at (303) 449-0815 or E-mail: debra@ earthlink.net. Or, visit her on the World Wide Web at http://www.writedirection.com.
(c)Copyright 2001-2002 Debra A. Jason dba The Write Direction. All rights reserved. No portion of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or using any information storage/retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the author.
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