Bizstartup.ie - NewsLow-budget approaches to marketing

When businesses are in fire-fighting mode, it can be difficult to prioritise marketing. But those that manage to be innovative about how they promote themselves may find that this recession actually presents an opportunity to stand out and even strengthen their market position. Here are some of Hanlon’s suggestions on how to carry out effective marketing at a relatively low cost:

Network and meet new contacts

“Networking can be really useful,” says Hanlon. “It’s an opportunity to go and talk to other businesses, to get a particular skill or get some more knowledge in an area. There’s always something going on, wherever you are.”

If it’s not possible to network face to face, she recommends online networking. “That’s where you can use tools such as LinkedIn, which is an online professional network where you can connect with clients, suppliers, colleagues and people you used to work with.”

Visit key contacts

“Get out of the office and visit your key contacts,” says Hanlon. “That could just be a meet-up for lunch where you don’t even talk about business.”

Contacts may be able to introduce potential clients, she says, but they need to know who your ideal prospects are and how they can help. Hanlon points out, however, that you may need to return the favour at some stage.

Send out a newsletter

Newsletters can be a useful way of keeping people informed about something new that’s happening in the company.

“It doesn’t need to be a glossy, expensive newsletter,” she says. “It can even just be a letter with details about new hires, new contracts, product developments, and so on.”

An email newsletter is another option. “There are online tools you can use such as Constant Contact for online newsletters,” says Hanlon.

“Just be sure to send the newsletter only to people with whom you’ve already got a relationship.

“Having a newsletter is part of building the brand. It’s part of demonstrating your expertise, but it’s also part of letting people know what you do. Quite often, people don’t actually remember what you do.”

Start a blog

According to Hanlon, starting a blog is one way of driving traffic to your website, where visitors can be converted into leads. “You could start a blog that you update on a fairly regular basis,” she explains.

“That’s free if you use Blogger, or Wordpress or some tool like that. You can plan it in advance. There are devices to schedule blog posts so when you’re busy, out of the office or doing something else you can get the blog posts to appear. From that perspective, it’s easy to manage.”

Contribute to blogs

If you don’t have time to start your own blog, another tip is to contribute to other blogs.

“If there’s a blog that’s relevant to what you do, it’s a good idea to read the posts regularly and add useful comments with a link back to your website,” she says, warning that care must be taken not to try to sell things directly in this way.

Start tweeting

If blogging sounds like too much effort, Hanlon suggests getting into micro-blogging.

“With Twitter, you’re literally answering the question ‘What are you doing?’ and you’re answering it in a very short sentence. The other thing with micro-blogging is if you have a BlackBerry or an iPhone you can do it from that as well.”

She advises against overt selling in any of these media. “I think if you’re doing a hard sell anywhere, people will tune out of it – they dislike it and they disapprove of it.”

Respond to what people are saying

It’s important to know what people are saying about your business and to be able to respond to any criticisms that appear in blogs, on social media sites or on Twitter.

“To find out what people are saying about you, you can set up a Google Alert which will send you an email if anybody mentions your company or brand name or even your own name on a blog or on a website,” says Hanlon.

“You can manage the communication from that perspective, see what is being said about you and then respond to it. Likewise, you can set up alerts about your competitors to find out what people are saying about them and what they’re doing that’s new.”

Follow up on lost sales

It’s vital to understand why you’re failing to make sales in order to make changes for the future. Hanlon recommends talking to the last three customers who didn’t buy from you. “Lost sales we often forget about,” she says. “If you’ve actually pitched for something and haven’t got it, finding out why is so important. It can be the most absurd or ridiculous things.”

Use PR

Hanlon suggests using PR as a way of getting your company and brand into the local press. You can prepare news releases about recent contract wins, new products or other successes that your company has achieved, and post these on your website and blog, as well as on online PR websites. You can also send the press release to relevant media outlets.

“It’s got to be newsworthy,” she points out. “It’s got to be about something that’s new or a first. There definitely has to be an angle.

“You can do your own PR. The challenging thing is trying to maintain it. That’s where it’s a good idea to use a PR consultant because at least they will consistently deliver something all year around rather than just now and again when you’re not busy.”

Do a survey

Another suggestion is to carry out a survey of existing or potential clients. “If you don’t have the budget to get someone to do the survey for you, find a buddy company where you call each other’s clients,” says Hanlon.

“Find out what it is that clients really need and want right now. Life has changed and we’re living in a different world, so how have their needs changed and what are they doing differently?”

This is an edited version of an article which first appeared in Owner Manager magazine.