Tip Four - Don't Fade Away

In a recession, we know your knee-jerk reaction may be to cut budgets. And marketing spend is often right at the top of the list. However, according to a recent survey by the Open University Small Enterprise Research Team, 49 per cent of small business owners said they saw increasing marketing expenditure as a way to beat the downturn. And it's a feeling that we agree with. Therefore, our tip is all about 'smarter' marketing...

Keep your ear to the ground
Knowing your competitor's offers, pricing policies and guarantees means you can legitimately claim you offer the very best. And remember, watch them but don't be tempted to copy! In fact, the opposite applies; try to be innovative and stress your unique selling points.

• More positive thinking
  Use the media to deliver good news about your business and raise your profile. A well written press release focussing on new initiatives, promotions, or company events and celebrations is likely to get published. It's free advertising and the good news will make a nice change!
• Rabbit rabbit rabbit
  Regular contact with your customers is essential. Write to them and thank them for their custom, send them promotion information or just pick up the 'phone to remind them who you are. Email newsletters are a great idea and won't cost you the earth.
• Stress the value
  Try to focus your messaging on the things that matter most to buyers in slow economic times: their bottom line, great value for money and a fast return on their investment. Remember, your customers are facing tight times too.

Measure, measure and measure again
Do you really know what's bringing in the business? Evaluate every one of your marketing activities carefully. Set specific goals, such as a number of leads, a percentage of callbacks, etc, and then track how each activity delivers against those goals. Be ready to change marketing tactics that are not driving immediate business value and sales.
When budgets are under severe pressure, it's even more important to identify what's working and weed out what's not. Today's technology can help you do just that and put your company's valuable marketing resources to their best use.

Have you heard about the Sage 200 Suite? It has all the elements you need to help your business work smarter, whatever the economic climate, including:

• Sage 200 CRM: designed to give marketing users the tools they need to target the right customer at the right time, eliminate guesswork and optimise marketing resources

So why not grab a cup of tea and browse our useful website for interviews, tips and more information on making the most of your customer interactions. Or just call us on 01386 883800 for a full business health check.

Yours positively,
Ian Dally

The Sage Smarter Business Team