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Massage Marketing in an Economic Downturn "When times are good, you should advertise. When times are bad, you must advertise." —American Business Media Your marketing budget is an investment, not an expense. It's a statement of your belief in your practice, your belief that what you offer is essential to people in your community. Especially when money is tight, people need to know how much your work will benefit them. They will be glad to spend the 60 or 70 bucks to see you - if they know they will get their money's worth. But in an economic downturn, you may need to work a little harder at making your case. Target marketing efforts You can improve your marketing without spending a lot of money. Invest in smart marketing tools - ones you know will build your business, and bring in more clients. For one thing, if you haven't thought about targeting your marketing efforts yet, this is the perfect time. Notice the clients you most enjoy working with, whether they are athletes, seniors, working professionals or some other group. Then develop a message that speaks directly to them. Mail those clients your promotionals or newsletters, and distribute your brochures, business cards and flyers to the places your target clients go. Track the results Are you unsure which of your efforts are reaching people? Now is a good time to find out. If you're not doing so already, track your efforts. For example, if you send out a postcard promotional, keep a record of how many clients respond. Better yet, mail postcards to half your clients, and a newsletter to the other half. See which gets a better response. Keep reaching out with mailings In a recent survey, 44% of businesses reported spending less this year on print advertising. However, those same businesses kept their investment in direct mail marketing the same. Apparently, promotional mailings are still an excellent investment. If you want to save some dollars and haven't tried reaching your clients by email, you may find it's a cost-effective approach. To track its effectiveness, send an email newsletter to some clients and a paper newsletter to others, and track how your clients respond to two different offers - one in the e-newsletter and one in the paper newsletter. With the Natural Touch Marketing newsletters, you have the option to do both email and paper newsletters. Don't ditch your plan Whatever else, an economic downturn is not the time to ditch your marketing plan. Jay Conrad Levinson author of Guerrilla Marketing says,
For example, you may think it's a good idea to cut back on the quality or quantity of your marketing materials, but, remember, that could backfire. Cheap materials can damage your image, and cutting back on the frequency of communications with clients gives them time to forget about you, or worse, start wondering whether your business still exists. Don't make them wonder. Keep sending out your mailings, emails and promotionals. Remember your regulars No matter what else you do, don't forget to market to your
regular clients! Marketing experts say it costs six times as much to
bring in new clients as to keep your existing ones returning. Your regulars
understand what your work means in their lives. They just need your
reminders, your concern, and your appreciation. |
