By Jean McIntyre www.marketingangels.com.au
If you haven’t spent time and money investing in marketing through the good times it may well be too little, too late!
When I think about this question I can’t help but be reminded of a song I learnt in Sunday school “The Wise Man Built His House upon the Rock”.
It’s a story about two men (one wise and one foolish) who both built houses – one on the rock and the other on the sand. When the “rain came tumbling down” the foolish man’s house was washed away while the wise man’s stood still. I think it’s supposed to be a metaphor for building your life on christian teachings but it’s just as good a metaphor for marketing.
The last couple of years, I wish I had a dollar for every business person I heard say “we are getting plenty of customers now – we don’t need marketing”. On the surface it’s hard to argue against that kind of thinking.
It’s a mistake that people make when they think of marketing as just promotion – aimed at getting people through the door. Wise business people know that marketing is so much more than that.
It’s about getting to know your customers really well – knowing what they really need – and creating quality products and services to meet their needs. It’s about establishing trust over time and creating a reputation as the best company for that market. You can’t do that with a couple of ads in City News, a quick TV or radio ad or a Canberra Times feature appearance a couple of times a year.
We don’t really know yet what the downstream impact of this current crisis will be but the question to ask is: “When the rain comes down which are the businesses that are going to stand?”
It will be the ones that have made the effort to create strong customer relationships and build a brand that’s well-known within their market. They will have a solid, integrated marketing strategy using a range of tactics designed to communicate the message of their ‘unique selling proposition’ to people ready to hear that message.
The news is not all doom and gloom. There are some things that (if you have not made the investment to date) you can do to pick up some pieces.
1. Invest in PR – people want to hear good news
2. Go back and look at your database and find the value in your existing customer relationships
3. Do some thorough research and find out what opportunities there are resulting from the crisis for products and services to meet new needs
4. Invest in expert help from someone who knows how to do it – it’s a wise alternative to losing everything.
5. Don’t panic – remember it’s swings and roundabouts and if you are smart – you’ll survive.
I’d be interested to hear your ideas on what businesses can do to ride the storm and any success stories you’ve heard about smart business.
Jean Mc
Canberra Small Business Blog 
I guess the most important thing that the company need is the customers loyality, if you build up a good relationship with your clients and agents, you’ll make a good buisness.
and remember, company is like mom and the client is the baby and product is the food that you give your baby.
AF
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Awsome info and straight to the point. I don’t know if this is actually the best place to ask but do you folks have any ideea where to hire some professional writers? Thank you 🙂