Grow your business in a recession

Recession is an ideal opportunity to sharpen your marketing to improve and get better results and save money. Now is the time to make the most efficient use of your marketing resources.

Whether you call it a downturn or recession or economic slowdown, the media is full of it.
In difficult economic times it is tempting to cut your marketing activities. Remember thought “out of sight means out of mind.” In a recession you need to maintain your presence and visibility.
The key to successful marketing in a recession is to fine tune your marketing to get better results.
The challenge is to convince consumers to buy what you sell, buy it now and buy it from you.

Think about your customer

All good marketing focuses on what is in it for the customer. Start by putting yourself in the minds of your customers. Think about what they want and why they should take action. Too many small businesses concentrate on telling their customers how great they are or use meaningless expressions such as we were established in 1901. Instead you should tell prospects how you can help solve their problem or concern.
Answer the “what is in it for me?” question.

Play the why game

Talk to your colleagues and answer these questions about your business

• Why should I buy the product or service?
• Why should I pay that amount of money?
• Why should or do I need it?
• Why is that important to the customer?
• Would I respond to that type of approach if I was interested?

Give each other feedback so that everyone is happy with the message before you commit to print or your web site.

Don’t stop

Stopping marketing is deadly. We all know the expression “out of side out of mind” and that is exactly what will happen to your business if you stop marketing. You need to constantly remind customers and prospects that you are alive and well and ready to do businesses. Marketing generates leads, enquiries, builds awareness and credibility.  By continuing to market your business you will be looking for tomorrow’s customers and avoid the feast and famine merry go round that many business fall into.

Target your message

Importantly you must target your message to each type of specific prospect. This applies to all your marketing material from web site to printed material. Sending the same message to multiple markets reduces its effectiveness. One message probably won’t work. So make sure your headline and sales copy for each target market is unique.

Know thy customer

How well do you know your customers?  Who buys what products? Who does not buy certain products? Now is a good time to update the information you have on your customers and do some analysis of the purchasing patterns. First decide what data you are going to collect, collect the information and then put a process in place to keep it up to date.

Your web site

Is your web site up to date and consistent? Take time to review your web site as if you were reading it for the first time. Make sure your messages are consistent and your site contains the latest information and is up to date.

Existing customers - keep in touch

Your existing customer and prospect database is a powerful way to increase sales and profits. Sometimes we spend too much time looking for new customers and stop marketing to existing customers too quickly.

Don’t assume customers are not interested because you have not heard from them. They may be waiting for the right time financially, or do not need your products or services at the moment. Tomorrow they might. Stay in touch with them with items such as, newsletters, emails, copies of articles. Call them with advance notice of an event such as promotion.

Ask for feedback
Ask customers:
Is there anything else we can do for?
How are we performing?
How is the product or service working?
If a prospect says they are not interested, ask them why. This will help you to overcome objections in your sales and marketing material.
Don’t be afraid to ask lapsed customers why they no longer deal with you.

Your message

Each of your target audiences needs its own marketing message and tactics
The headline and body copy of your marketing message should be tailored to each audience should be unique.

Action marketing

Make sure all your activity encourages the reader to act. Make sure your marketing material tells the reader exactly what to do next. You want customers to, pick up the phone, place an order, visit the web site, whatever it is tell them what to do  and how to do it. Make it easy for them to respond.

What makes you different?

What do you offer that your competitors do not? Take a piece of paper and make a list and make sure the most important points are in all your marketing.

Competition

This is a good opportunity to review your competition. Identify your major competitors. Obtain copies of the marketing material. Identify what messages they are using, what methods.

Ask your sales team

If you have a sales team involve them in developing your marketing material. Ask them what are the customer’s concerns and objections. Then make sure your material supports the sales team.

Be your own customer

Every time your business makes contact with your customers you send a message, from the sales team to the accounts department, the delivery drivers, your premises and your marketing material. Take time to review all the aspects of your operation. Ask yourself “if I was a customer would I choose them?” Ask yourself why they should choose you?

Sharpen your marketing message

Give your marketing material an overhaul. Read your material with an open mind.
Make sure your message tells the audience the benefits they get from your product or service and make sure you tell them in a way that makes sense to them.

Be consistent

Make sure all your marketing material is consistent. A lack of consistency between your advertising, brochures and your web site will create uncertainty amongst customers and prospects.

Web visitors

Use a simple contact form to capture your visitor information. Make sure the contact form is on every page especially your home page.

Start today it is not too late to  get better results from your marketing and to  put yourself in a stronger position for when recovery comes.

Need personal help?

Want help from Gareth to grow your business? Give him a call on 01226 290288 or email gareth@gapmanagement.co.uk

About GAP Management

GAP Management helps business owners and managers to find, win and keep customers to increase sales and profits and to focus their sales and marketing activities.