How To Print Effective Marketing Pieces In A Slow Economy

The economy may be slowing down, but your direct to customer print marketing cannot afford to. Whether it is prospecting, branding or customer loyalty now is the perfect time to gain market share and to differentiate yourself from your competition. Many companies will choose to scale back their print marketing efforts. Still others will stop marketing altogether. Is there a way to make my print marketing more effective while keeping costs down in a slow economy? Target marketing may be the answer. Instead of sending out 20,000 packets to a cross section of customers and prospects, consider sending out postcards to 1,000 contacts that are most likely to use your product or services.

Start by taking a look at your existing customer database. Are there customers who have used your services less in the past 3 months, 6 months or last year? Cater a marketing piece (postcard, brochure, sell sheet) to these companies. Remember they know who you are; you just need to give them a reason to use your services today. Perhaps you can let them know about an aspect of your service that they may not be aware of. Do not neglect the customers who continue to use you often. Marketing to them will assure them that you are going to be there for them during this rough patch. They will gain comfort in knowing that you intend to be around for the long haul.

Follow up your print marketing efforts with a phone call to your best contacts. Ask them how their business is, and if they have felt the effects of the economic slowdown. Understanding the problems they face will allow you to position yourself as a vital solutions provider. While you are elbows deep in your database consider categorizing your current customers. Pay particular attention to those customers who provide the highest profit rate. In virtually any case there are similar companies in your market that are not using your services. Target these companies for print marketing and if successful you will have a customer that you can service profitably. It is a common mistake during slow periods to assume that any business is better than no business. In fact, it may be more harmful to do business at a low profit rate, than to do no business at all.

The undercurrent of all your marketing efforts is branding. The reality is that many companies will have difficulty surviving during serious economic slowdowns. If you fail to consistently brand yourself you run the risk of becoming irrelevant in your marketplace. Target marketing will guarantee relevance in the markets that are crucial to growing in a slowing economy.