Throughout this economic downturn, helpful articles and experts are suggesting that now is the time to increase marketing and advertising spending because it is likely your competitors are pulling back. Yet, how are you supposed to increase marketing with constricting budgets, decreased cash flow and diminishing revenues? Welcome to the Catch-22 of business marketing.
Fortunately, there are ways to increase your marketing efforts and improve client acquisition techniques without necessarily increasing spending. Here are seven marketing tricks you can adopt immediately to boost your business during slow times.
1. Start a blog. Yes, blogging is time consuming and takes commitment. But it is also one of the least expensive methods for establishing a professional presence on the Internet. The good news is once you have a blog and it begins receiving a growing number of visitors, you have a home base with which you can leverage additional Internet marketing tactics, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. One of the most popular blogging platforms, WordPress, is completely free and you can create your blog instantly.
2. Participate in other blogs. Once you have a blog and a voice of your own, share your opinions in the comments section of relevant blogs. By reading other blogs pertinent to your industry or topic, you become more knowledgeable and by sharing knowledge or insights with other blog visitors, you further establish your own expertise. It also doesn’t hurt that you can include a link back to your own blog within your signature.
3. Enhance your business Web site with links to industry blogs. This step (this article, actually) assumes you already have a Web site for your business. If you don’t, you must get one. Once you have a Web site, the next step is incorporating Web 2.0 functionality so the Web site does not seem static. One of the easiest ways to do this is to add an RSS feed of your own blog to your Web page. Add other RSS feeds or links to other industry blogs, too. Once potential customers start viewing your Web site as a hub from which they can get information, they are much more likely to revisit your site often. That kind of loyalty and trust is often punctuated with a purchase.
4. Write and publish a book. With self-publishing service providers, publishing a book is easier and faster than ever. And, as a business person in your industry, you possess the knowledge and experience to write and publish a non-fiction book that is relevant to your past, present and future customers. For the sake of example, a book of this nature, in its simplest form, is basically a rewrite of your business model combined with a rewrite of your product/service manual. Not only is a book a revenue channel in its own right, but a published book further establishes your expertise with new customers and provides a low-cost entry to your business. Potential customers who may shy away from your product or service’s price point will be apt to purchase a book from you in the $20 range. It becomes the book’s responsibility to communicate all the advantages/benefits of your product or service. Bonus: Once you have published a book, you open up a whole new marketing opportunity by reaching new customers through Amazon.com.
