Don’t Let Your Marketing Take a Vacation!

To many companies, putting the brakes on marketing over the summer is the standard operating procedure.  At CMA, we believe this is one of those rules that is meant to be broken.

While it might be true that many clients or prospects will be taking some time off over the summer months, very few companies can tune out from Memorial Day through Labor Day. As your competition is sitting by the pool, consider these strategies for making the most out of the summer months.

Your marketing plan is 12 months not nine.  When you craft your marketing plan, keep in mind the different times of year as well as peak times for your specific industry. Overall, your plan should be a year-round marketing program. There might be peaks and valleys, but you need to stay fairly consistent to get the ROI you are looking for out of your marketing.

Make the summer slowdown work for you.  A lot of businesses experience a bit of a lull during the summer.  This lull can be your chance to break through with your key prospects with well-designed email marketing and/or direct mail campaigns.  You might find that “too busy prospect” has a bit more time to take your call or review your latest brochure during the quiet summer months.

Take advantage of your competition being asleep at the wheel.   With less clutter in the inboxes of your target audience, your message can have greater impact.  Rather than being one of many, enjoy the chance to stand out and be heard.

Remember September is just around the corner.   Any kid will tell you that summer vacation goes by too quick.  Make sure you don’t get too distracted by the summer fun and forget to keep your marketing program moving forward for the fall.  If you get too far behind, you’ll get stuck worrying about whether you should wait to ramp up your marketing until after the holidays!

Looking for cost effective ways to keep your marketing program moving forward this summer? Give me a call.

Erin Higgins

Director of Marketing Services

ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

Continuing Your Marketing Momentum

So you’ve done the market research, determined your target audience and the tactics you believe will help your customers take action. But how do you continue the marketing momentum and effectively utilize this information to promote your company and its products and services, despite budget constraints and the effects of the current recession? Consider these tips.

Stay in the game. If your company reduces marketing to your current and potential customers and your main competitor maintains or increases marketing to your current and potential customers, which business is more likely to grow during and following a recession? On a less crowded playing field, those who stay in the game stand out and win business.

Market smarter. Make sure you consistently market your company and its products and services in some way. If you find yourself faced with a slashed marketing budget, turn to cost-effective tactics that are still market-effective. Consider utilizing public relations as a credible and cost-effective investment as well as case studies which enable you to highlight your expertise and success with specific clients. Both tactics can help boost your SEO, delivering results.

Do what others aren’t doing. Most people do not enjoy cold calling, but if conducted in conjunction with an ongoing direct mail or email campaign, the results can be rewarding. A call following two direct mail pieces to a prospect is not a cold call—it is a warm offer to continue a conversation.

Look for pockets of demand. In every economic downturn there are market segments that remain healthy, growing and which may even be bolstered by the economic turbulence. Maybe you have already served some of these markets, but have not focused on them lately. Revisit these areas as they may make for some great business opportunities.

Interested in learning how we can develop business-building marketing communications for your company? Call us today.

Jeff Barnhart
President and CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com