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Marketing In Tough Times

Mark SatterfieldThe How to Brand Your Business

Experts

Reality of these economic times.

• Difficult to predict the future.• Most estimates are a minimum of 6 more

months of hard times.• Options for you?– Ride it out…but do you have the capital?– Rely on existing clients and those already in your

own “circle of relationships.”– Do something new

Marketing options

• Investment vs. “No Money”• “No Money” options– Networking events– Cold Calling

• Investment options.– Activities vs. System– Easy to invest in activities:• Sales letter, update website, new CRM system, new

logo, ect ect

Where I think you should invest

• Creating a marketing system for how to brand your business.

• Two parts– Part 1: Make people aware of you– Part 2: Ongoing communication to build trust,

credibility and MOTIVATE THEM TO BECOME CLIENTS.• This second part is the most commonly overlooked

part. Tendency is to “Just send them stuff.”

First step

• Message• Why should someone work with you vs. all the other

options they have available to them?• Until you have figured that out don’t waste time

marketing your services.– You’ll just sound like everyone else.– http://www.GentleRainBranding.com– Coaching

Targeting your audience

• Not all prospects are the same.• Identifying the hyper-responsives. Some criteria:– Those that believe in the ”competitive edge”. They

read the trade publications, members of the association.

– Who’s doing well? (Industry=Health care).– Targeted by size/revenues of company.– Who are the top performers. They probably want to

stay that way. Website visibility=Top performer

Most effective way to target…

• Appeal to the Needs & Fears of your target audience. Make them Care about your solution.

• Fear• Hope

• These are what your reports & messages need to focus on.– Not…What you do.

Reaching your audience

• Hard copy letters– Business correspondence.– I know from speaking with (people similar to your

reader) that many of them are concerned about (a particular problem.)

– Why this opening works.– 3 other key paragraphs…concluding with the call

to action

Call to action

• EVERY STEP in the marketing process should motivate people to take the NEXT step.

• Don’t ask any one step to do too much.– We did a mailing but no-one hired us. Mailings

suck.• Letter=Report=Contact

Information=Feedback=More information=Sale

What else works for lead generation?

• But first a word of caution…• Make sure that where you are sending people

is set up to capture information about who they are.

• This is NOT a one-step impulse sale.• Vital that you get contact information so you

can send future messages.

What else works for lead generation?

• Email lists.– Some are actually quite responsive. Tend to be

expensive. How they work.• Why everyone should have a Google

campaign.• Banner advertising on association websites.

Make your website “sticky”

• Internet is a very fast medium. Goal is to slow things down.

• Great (and multiple) offers. – Hover ads– Upper right hand corner– Replace the generic pictures with…

• Rotating flash of your offers• Testimonials• Rotating messages of Fear & Hope• Make the visitor feel that YOU UNDERSTAND THEM.

Free Information

• Reports are fine…but how about a video…or a quiz?• The key is the headline if you want to learn

how to brand your business. What will reading it enable them to do or know that they don’t already?

• Be controversial. – How to break down organizational silos through open

and honest communication.– Are motivated workforces really necessary? The role of

FEAR as a management tool.

Stay in touch

• This is where you succeed or fail• Frequent communication and then back away

to a 20 day cycle.• Three buckets– Helpful & Informational– Interactive– Promotional

Investment

• Marketing message…Coaching $655/$495• Website…$1500• $500-$2000 per month promotional budget

• Mark Satterfield• 770-643-8566• mark@gentlerainmarketing.com