John Landsberg of Bottom Line Communications writes a monthly marketing column for Small Business Monthly. He also is an adjunct professor of marketing, consumer behavior, sales and public relations at three colleges.
Engaging Customers When They’re Cutting Back A little creativity can take the place of a large marketing budget in tough times. By John Landsberg, Dec. 09 These are tough times for all businesses, but particularly for smaller businesses that simply do not have bank accounts that will carry them until the economy turns around. That’s why small business owners must be even more creative in order to survive and be successful. They must honestly survey the business landscape and take appropriate action. Changing Consumer Habits A recent Harris Poll pointed out quite dramatically that consumers are making changes to save money. Here is some of the information gleaned from the poll: ·64% have been purchasing more generic brands ·47% are brown bagging lunch instead of buying it ·43% have been going to hairdressers or barbers less often ·36% have switched to tap water and refillable bottles instead of bottled water ·34% have cancelled one or more magazine subscriptions The poll also noted that millions of people also have: ·Cut back on dry cleaning (22%) ·Cancelled or cut back their cable TV service (21%) ·Stopped buying coffee in the morning (20%) ·Changed or cancelled their cell phone service (15%) ·Been carpooling or using mass transit (14%) ·Cancelled their telephone landline service and are only using their cell phones (12%) Those are some pretty tough percentages to swallow, and many of them are permanent changes. As an example, people who drop their landline service are very likely gone forever as customers. The same might be true for customers who buy their coffee in the morning. Once they have broken that habit, it is very likely that even when the economy gets better, they will not go back to their old ways. The one that struck me most was that “43% have been going to hairdressers or barbers less often.” That’s exactly what I had learned the last time I got my hair cut. Creative Marketing So how does a hairdresser/barber get folks to come more often? How does he/she get new customers? Marketing, plain and simple. Of course, the obvious comeback is, “Hey, I don’t have the funds to run some sort of major integrated marketing communications plan.” Point taken. But there are things you can do that cost virtually nothing and can be implemented almost immediately. As an example, instead of simply waiting for current customers to call you, why not have a regular schedule where you e-mail them a reminder with a suggested time/date for an appointment? A friendly reminder is sometimes enough to get people to come in. On the other hand, how do you get new customers? Here are a few examples that will cost you virtually nothing to implement: ·How about offering a free discount to existing customers when they refer new customers? ·How about giving existing customers coupons to give to their friends for a discount if they come in? ·How about setting up a Facebook page for your business where you can talk about the latest styles and let customers ask questions about your profession? ·How about opening a Twitter account where you can post news, tidbits and thoughts about your profession?Small business owners often do not have the financial resources major companies have, but they can make up for it with creativity.
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