Page 61 - Print21 November-December 2022

Marketing
Marketing
Open House
Hold an open day at your premises, and invite your clients to come along to learn what’s new and meet your team. If your clients work in offices or from home, they’ll enjoy the ‘smell of manufacturing’ and the opportunity to see the presses at work. You can showcase the type of work you do, and so educate your clients on the possibilities for them.
Update marketing and sales materials
Do your marketing assets need upgrading or modernising? For example, how can you improve your website, social media channels, sales presentations, newsletters, direct mail for acquisition, branded merchandise, trade stands, vehicle and other signage?
Create a big hairy audacious sales incentive
Design a once-only incentive for your sales staff to either grow existing clients or acquire new ones. By shaking up your sales team and giving them new motivation, you demonstrate your confidence in them to deliver during tough times.
Ask for and give
referrals
The best lead is always a referred lead, yet so many organisations don’t ask for referrals. Why not ask your clients for a referral, and at the same time ask them who you might be able to refer them to. The more you can help each other the better for your relationship.
Focus
Remember, I’ve said this before, your marketing communications should focus on these three things:
1. Acquirenewcustomers
2. Get those customer spending more with you, and more often
3. Maximise the lifetime value of your clients by getting them to
continue spending with you for as
long as possible.
There is nothing radical about
these tips, most are common sense. But common sense is often one of
the first casualties in tough times,
as business owners panic and lose sight of what works, when people just want to buy from people. 21
in tough times
Marketing guru Malcolm Auld says print business owners should take some simple but effective steps to help them get through the current turbulent times.
Like many of you, I’ve lived through my share
of economic downturns and recessions. And make no bones about it, we are
entering a significantly difficult economic time. It also has some new elements we’ve not faced – rising inflation, skill shortages, workplace restructure with the ‘work from home’ movement, supply chain issues, declining consumer and business confidence, post-pandemic blues.
So, as we enter the end of year holiday season, what should printers be planning for the new year? Here are some tips for you.
Make some noise
The first rule of thumb from a marketing point of view is ‘don’t stop marketing’. Research conducted regularly over the last 50 years always concludes that those businesses that continue to promote themselves during difficult times, emerge faster and more profitable
as the economy improves, than businesses that ‘go dark’.
I suggest you increase your communications with your clients. If you’re not printing a newsletter, start one. Use print to sell print services. Surprise and delight clients with news, research or information about their business
– and how you can contribute to it. Mail examples of your work, create personalised calendars as Christmas gifts, start a client of the year award. Just ensure you are getting noticed regularly.
The pandemic has given business- to-business marketers an unusual opportunity to do better in the new year. The reason is simple – people want to get back to personally dealing with people, face to face. Everyone is sick of lockdowns. And one of the best things any business can do in tough times, is to get in front of clients and prospects to discuss business.
Let’s do lunch
Given there is a pent-up craving
to meet personally, the first thing I’d recommend the marketing
team do is get the sales team doing coffee, lunch and dinner with as many of your clients as possible,
as well as prospects. Re-establish relationships, and determine what issues your clients are facing, so you may help them. Even if your product or service might not be the solution, you could refer one that is.
Cancel clients
Analyse your client database. Maybe it’s time to let go of those clients that don’t generate much revenue, or cost too much to service, or that damage morale because they are too difficult to deal with. This will allow you to focus on those clients you can grow, or on prospects that are more suited to your business than those you cancel.
Audit your client’s current print requirements to determine your share of wallet – do you have all their print business? If not, why not?
Ask for opinions
Everyone has one – an opinion that is. Conduct a survey of your clients to determine the issues facing them and how they plan to manage their business in 2023. Publish what
you learn and share it with your clients and prospects. Maybe use
the insights to start a podcast and interview your clients for their input. You can also use the interview content for your newsletter and LinkedIn posts.
Marketing necessary in tough times: Malcolm Auld
“The pandemic has given business-to-business marketers an unusual opportunity to do better in the new year.”
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