As the American economy emerges from recession, many businesses
are now reexamining their marketing materials and realizing
that their communications are outdated, ill-prepared for
the return of a robust, competitive, growing economic environment.
Strategies developed to survive hard times are often the
wrong ones for profiting in good times.
Here are five strategies for ensuring that your marketing
is fully prepared for the economic recovery:
Promote the most optimistic tone possible.
Now isn't the time to hide your strength or to conserve
your energy - show your industry leadership by promoting
a tone of bold optimism in every written work that represents
your company. Every word of every sentence should be carefully
crafted to project the good news that your company is doing
well, growing strong, and standing ready to carry your customers'
confidence to new heights in the coming year. There's simply
no room for doubt or even neutrality in the words that represent
you to the world.
Stress growth, not survival. Your business
survived the recession - pat yourself on the back, but not
in public. Some companies begin an economic recovery by
merely reminding old customers that they still exist; don't
be one of them. Instead, demonstrate how your business grew,
evolved and improved in recent years - and is now providing
more value to your customers than ever. In communications
that mention the economic downturn, don't deny the facts,
but present them as historic opportunities for your company
rather than ordeals to be survived.
Stress benefits, not costs. A recessionary
economy naturally forces companies into price wars, and
customers instinctively associate price slashing with a
down economy and a shrinking company. Analyze your marketing,
take note of any aspect which promises lower costs than
your competitors, and replace as many as possible with promotions
of your greatest positive service benefits. When the growing
economy allows for a price recovery, you don't want to be
hamstrung by marketing that promises recessionary pricing.
Remember who your friends are - and why.
Your core customer base is the reason you're still in business.
Take a moment and thank them for their continued patronage.
Take particular note of the reasons why your most loyal
customers stand by you, through good times and bad. Ask
them, if necessary. As the economy shifts gears, you have
an opportunity to discover very profitable facts about your
market that can go unnoticed in both recessions and expansions.
Learn those facts and refocus your communications appropriately.
Finally, get back to basics. Now's the
time to take a good look at your business, in light of long-term
goals and your original reasons for being in business. Dust
off your business plan, reload your mission statement, and
evaluate your core communications in terms of the fundamental
principles that make up your company; use your marketing
to not only bring in new business, but to also inspire your
company to grow great into the vision that gave birth to
it in the first place.
Your written communications are instrumental to bringing
your company's vision into the world; the coming year is
going to bring great opportunity to those businesses prepared
to take advantage of it.
As the economy shifts gears from recession to expansion,
make sure your marketing does as well.
About The Author
Robert Warren (www.rswarren.com) is a Florida-based freelance
copywriter specializing in the unique marketing needs of
independent professionals.
writer@rswarren.com
