how to market and promote your business during a recession
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How to Market & PromoteYour Business During a Recession
A presentation for First Bank, San FranciscoFebruary 26, 2009
By: Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer
How to GENERATE DEMANDDuring a Recession
A presentation for First Bank, San FranciscoFebruary 26, 2009
By: Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Why INCREASE Marketing in a Downturn?
• From the Harvard Business Review: … “The rationale that a company can afford a cutback in advertising because everybody else is cutting back [is fallacious]. Rather than wait for business to return to normal, top executives should cash in on the opportunity that the rival companies are creating for them. The company courageous enough to stay in the fight when everyone else is playing safe can bring about a dramatic change in market position.” …
• “Advertising should be regarded not as a drain on profits but as a contributor to profits, not as an unavoidable expense but as a means of achieving objectives. Ad budgets should be related to the company’s goals instead of to last year’s sales or to next year’s promises.”
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Survey: How are you Marketing Your Business?
•Who has a logo? •Who has a website?•Who writes a newsletter?•Who runs ads in local papers?•Who sends emails?•Who sends cards?•Who makes speeches?•Why blogs?•Who networks?
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Our Two Cents:Essential Items in Your Marketing “Arsenal”
• Professionally designed & printed business card• “30-second elevator pitch”• Professionally designed website (even if it’s simple);
SEO• LinkedIn.com profile• One pager PDF• Success stories or whitepapers• Unique value proposition• CRM system for lead tracking• Signature on email• Three power partners• One network group• Give at least one referral per week
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Events & Appearances
Case Studies
Newsletters
Radio/TVPrint Ads
Press Releases Direct Mail
BrochuresHTML-BasedE-mail
The Web
“Your demand generation success requires the synergyof all marcom modalities . . . with the web as nexus”
Use Your Website To Achieve End-to-End Synergy
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Live & Online Networking Choices
• LIVE Word-of-Mouth Referrals• Visit Business Network International (BNI) • Visit B2BPowerExchange.com • Join Your Local Chamber of Commerce • WomenInConsulting.com (WIC)
• ONLINE• Yelp.com• Facebook.com• LinkedIn.com • YahooGroups.com• B2BPowerExchange.com• YourMarketingLab.com – a great resource!
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Advertising Ideas
•Run ads in your local Chamber newsletter•Create small space newspaper ads•Send HTML/Text emails; like small ads •Mail postcards or SendOutCards.com• Your business card should be an ad• Your Website can be a constantly evolving source of advertising and attract visitors• Your “infomercial/elevator speech” is an ad• FREE ADVICE: MarketingSherpa.com, ConstantContact.com
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Promotional Ideas
•Become a shameless self-promoter• Put a sandwich board outside your store•Slap a sign on your car •Mail postcards with a promotional offer: “Buy This/Get That”•Use your Website to promote something with a deadline: “For the next 30 days only…”•Use your “infomercial/elevator speech” as a promotional device•Create a promotional memory hook (“During March, I’ll be offering a 15% savings…”)
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Direct Response Ideas
• It is far more cost-effective to market to your current customer base than to prospects•Contact all customers over the past 3-5 years – ask them if they’re still interested in your product or service. If not, why?•Mail 3–5 postcards with a promotional offer and a limited timeframe•Use your Website to promote something with a deadline: “For the next 30 days only…”•Send emails with a promotional offer•Be specific in your offer
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Sidebar: Create a Blog
•What is a blog? Wikipedia•Why have over 133 million of them been published online? Technorati•Who writes them? Who reads them?•How can you use the power of a blog to expand your digital footprint, to add daily or weekly updates about your business, to brandyourself, and to sell more of your product or service than you ever imagined? It’s easy…
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Now what? How to Find Customers
• Look thru your “Rolodex;” include OLD leads• LinkedIn to everyone even if you don’t havecurrent info• LinkedIn profile should be very specific• “Givers Gain”• Promote specific “products”•Google Adwords• Freshen materials•Do pro-bono work
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Now what? How to Find Customers
• Existing customers are best customers• Court your existing customers; send info, buy lunch etc.• Contact them as often as possible• Create events• Read the Business Times• Develop partnerships & meet with partners weekly• Optimize brand• Speak• Become indispensable• Become a subject matter expert• Create and deliver webinars
Sharon Schanzer & Gil Zeimer ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Words to Live By
Close the LOOP!!!
FOLLOW UP ON ALL LEADS; You never know!
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