My Pro Marketing Solutions offers the following services:

• Full Content Marketing Services with SEOArticleWritingPros.com
• Article Marketing Strategies and Training with ArticleMarketingSEO.com
• Search Engine Optimization and Search Marketing Services with Contenzio.com

We look forward to doing business with you soon!

Opportunity? I’ll bet that every bone in your body is telling you that the current economy provides anything but. Luckily, there is over 80 years of well-documented research on the critical question of marketing during a recession that can help guide you and your company through these tricky times.

Cycle after cycle since 1923, many big brains have examined the periodic evidence and reached the same conclusion: companies that invest in marketing during a down economy come out ahead. Whether it’s sales, profits, market share, return on capital or total market value, those that spend (or invest) in advertising end up better than the cutters.

Easier said that done, right? I understand the reality; we have a budget to manage with our business too, and we need to be smart with it. On the surface, marketing and advertising seem like easy things to cut back on. “I need to keep the phones on more than I need to place an ad here or set up a booth at that home show,” you may say to yourself. “I can re-start my ad campaign next year.”

The problem with the logic is that effectively marketing your business, even in a recession, is what brings in new sales, which in turn pay the bill to keep the phone on. You need to stay visible, so that you have the image of being stable, and you’re on your prospect’s mind when they need your goods or services.

Another reason to keep advertising going strong is that you may have a chance to grab market share, and even dominate your market. Professor John A. Quelch of Harvard Business School says “It is well documented that brands that increase their advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve return on investment and market share at lower cost than during good economic times.”

Look at it like this; if 10 people are all talking to you at the same time, it’s overwhelming. It’s hard to understand what anyone is saying. But if 9 stop talking, suddenly the one person who’s still talking can be heard loud and clear.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Focus on your core values: Reinforce your brand values with marketing that uses strong and consistent messages. Remind customers and prospects why you’re different… and better.
• Market to your constituency: Define and communicate to your optimum market. Whether that is homeowners with high income, baby boomers with bad vision, or fondue lovers, determine who purchases your product and find marketing that specifically targets them.
• Stay consistent with effective advertising: The long-term benefits are cumulative, and therefore hard to completely measure. If it’s working, stick with it, and over time the rewards will be even greater.

Here it is…..

Consistency

Diversification

Differentiation

These are the 3 keys to a successful marketing and advertising Program!

Let’s cover each in detail….

Consistency- Whatever image, avenue, message or idea you decide to pursue in your quest to teach the world about yourself and your company and your products, you must be consistent. Consumers will not waste their time trying to keep up with your effort to find the “perfect” place to broadcast your message. If you decide to participate in any kind of print media, you must plan on running in that publication for a minimum of 3 months. Readers and potential buyers want to know that you are not a “fly-by-night” company. Consistency in advertising gives you a small amount of credibility. So, next time you decide to throw some dollars at advertising your company, plan on proving yourself to the readers before you see any return on your investment.

Diversification- This is huge. So many businesses will pick one single avenue to market their business and never try anything else. I see this often in print advertising and marketing. Remember, what you see is not necessarily what you get. Your probably thinking…what?  Let me clarify. I will use the newspaper business as a perfect example of my “what you see is not what you get” theory. Most people believe that everyone in their hometown or city obtains the newspaper daily via home, work or newsstands. They also believe that everyone reads the newspaper front to back. Let me let you in on a little secret……..this is incorrect thinking. Let me provide you with an example…… Let’s say the Modesto Bee Newspaper circulates roughly 75,000 (educated guess) newspapers to Stanislaus County on Saturday by delivery, news stands and business freebies. First, the easy math is looking at the total population of Stanislaus County. According to the 2006 Consensus Bureau, there were 512,138 people living in Stanislaus County. So, 75,000 newspapers only serves roughly 19% of the population. Now, the paper has aproximately 8 sections in it. It is safe to say that 2.36% of the population or 9,375 people read no more than 2 sections of the paper per Saturday. Now, how do we breakdown the 100+ services offered in those sections and figure out what the chance that the reader will zone in on your service or product? The chance is slim to none, but what is more crucial is the amount of money the advertiser spent on that gamble. Considering that a Saturday Newspaper ad can run you from $250 to $5000, your cost per potential lead is astronomical. So, now you see why it is important to diversify your advertising dollars across print, web, radio, television, directories, trade-shows and your industry advertising opportunities. This is a time consuming process and would be best served by hiring a Marketing Director or an Advertising Agency. This will help you to be consistent, negotiate the best rates and diversify.

Differentiation- This is simple! Know your competition and don’t always do what they are doing. I am amazed at how many business people will only advertise if their competition is already advertising in that particular medium. I am astounded by the “Sheep” mentality when it comes to marketing your business. One very important note that makes you different from your competition is your differentiation in marketing your services. Industry advertising avenues are different. Businesses that have a service to offer most of the population must be willing to step out of the box and do something different. For example….. who would have ever thought that you would see Tide Laundry Soap being advertised on a Nascar? Who would have guessed that sports stadiums would have names like 3Com park or Arco Arena? My point is this……. these companies stepped out of the box. They decided that branding their name was more important than what that name was seen on. If you want to brand your company name on a bigger scale, then start thinking on a bigger scale. Start differentiating yourself from your competition!

I hope to hear your comments, feedback and opinions soon! Thanks