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AUGUST 2009 Dear Laura, THE REALITY AND LENGTH of the recession gives all of us permission to curl up in the fetal position, rock back and forth, and suck our thumbs. Pull the trade journal ads. Axe the marketing team. Put the marketing machine in dry dock. Because marketing, after all, is fluff. Spending money on getting your message out seems almost frivolous when what you really want to do is hunker down until it's all over. Let's just wait until someone says it's okay to come out again. I'm overstating, of course. But if resources are thinner than last year, here are some tips to help you weather the storm. Frankly, Laura, they're great for uptimes, too, because marketing dollars should always be well spent! 1. CONSIDER ONLINE ADVERTISING. Sponsored links appear when someone searches for your keyword. You only pay when they click the link, and the cost is very budget-friendly. 2. KEEP YOUR SNAIL-MAIL LIST CLEAN AND UPDATED. Nixies (bad addresses) cost you money. If you haven't mailed in a while, send an inexpensive postcard (that still supports your brand), to purge the nixies from your database. If you're using an email service that manages bounces, opt-ins and unsubscribes, consider using a direct mail piece to invite more opt-ins to build your email database, and get serious about email marketing. 3. TRACK THE RETURN on investment for each marketing tactic. Strengthen the winners; ditch the losers. 4. USE PUBLIC RELATIONS TACTICS to spread your message. A well-placed newspaper or online story about a new innovation is well worth the cost of a P.R. pro, often much less than the same space for a paid ad. 5. GET EXTRA MILEAGE out of news media coverage by printing copies and mailing them to your customers and prospects. Scanning and emailing them is an inexpensive alternative, just don't spam your audience. 6. "GANG" YOUR PRINTED MATERIALS. For example, if you plan a postcard campaign over the year, print all postcards at once. You'll save in creative, printing and project management costs. 7. SCALE DOWN OR PRINT DIGITALLY. Planning a four-color brochure? If precise color isn't critical, print in two inks instead. A skilled designer can make a two-color piece look sophisticated and cool. Digital printing is another cost-saver for short four-color print runs, as long as the design skips unusual sizes or tricky folds. 8. PLAN, SCHEDULE, FOLLOW UP. List the steps in the marketing project, establish target dates. Have someone "own" the project and make it happen. Getting sidetracked costs you money in lost opportunities. 9. COMMIT TO PERSISTENCE. In general, don't waste money on one-time shots, i.e., one postcard, one ad. It takes repeated exposure to create awareness, and multiple quality impressions to get results. 10. SHOW PASSION FOR YOUR COMPANY'S MISSION. It's the most cost effective, business-attracting marketing tactic there is!
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ANOTHER TOP 10 LIST ON SURVIVING THE RECESSION?
Laura, I'm skipping the graphics and portfolio pieces this month in favor of plain old content. As I started working on this newsletter, I realized this is the third time I've written a similar message. The digital age has changed some details, but the message is the same--save money, but don't stop marketing! Businesses that continue to spread their message are more likely to emerge from a recession in better shape than those that pull the plug. When people start spending money again, guess who they're apt to remember!
I hope you pick up at least one tip from this Farm Work that you can put in motion right away. I'd like to know what's working for you, so send me an email describing what you did and the results you got. As always, I'm available to help with your web site, corporate identity, electronic or conventional mail campaigns, fund-raising, or advertising efforts. Thanks for reading!
Warm regards, |