Recession comes with an axe. Every business finds ways to cut costs. Production targets are slashed and employees are shown the door. The axe ultimately falls on marketing budgets and marketers. First the budget is cut and then the marketer.
But for smart marketers, recession is a blessing in disguise! They get opportunities which don’t exist in good times. A smart marketer, with due concern about costs, spends his time in increasing market share while the competition is busy fretting about expenses.
You can give a cutting edge to your marketing initiatives with the following tips.
Put customer services on top of your agenda
Unmatched customer service is the biggest puller of customer. Zappos.com and Amazon are the best examples of strong customer loyalty. It is not what you sell, but how you sell matters most.
Let your website offer a thrilling customer-friendly experience
Get functionality and navigation of your website tested from experts. Keep pace with changing needs and tastes of customers, avoid remaining static. Try new ideas and looks; for example increasing customer engagement through videos.
Negotiate relentlessly
In the prevailing recession, media outlets are struggling to retain customers as businesses are cutting budgets on ads. Let your media agency be ready to strike a deal when prices are at their lowest. Negotiate till you succeed in clinching a deal on your terms.
Make use of social networking to build your brand
Create personal and /or corporate blog to increase your visibility and to remain in touch with prospects and customers. Keep updating blog at regular interval, preferably every week. Consider a Twitter feed.
Smart marketers keep trying different things
Run a radio or TV ad for your product and service taking help from local cable TV operator. You will definitely get lucrative offers since cable operators are also struggling to beat downturn. Let prospects contact you on specific phone number or landing page.
Participate in conferences or forums and speak about your company, product and services. Become quotable with comments on articles and blog posts. This will help in building your company’s brand and reputation.
Don’t stray from your core values
When you get a client and enter into any business relationship, don’t sacrifice your own principles for sake of business if clients’ business values clash with yours. Be true to your marketing ideals to keep professional and personal integrity intact.
