How to Market in a Recession
When the going gets tough, what will your business mean to your customers? A company that lasts will need to know how to pivot their marketing efforts to successfully connect with their customers in any given climate.
Your marketing will take on a different tone during the holiday season than it will be during the summer. While a recession is a different situation, the same concept applies. Adjust the tone of your marketing to best connect with your clients during the current times.
Whether you’re a realtor or a landscaper, your business still provides something essential for your clients. When considering your marketing, think about meeting them where they are with a positive message that reminds them your business is there for them when they need it.
Meeting them where they are does not mean you need to say anything negative in order to relate. You want your business to still be a positive force in their lives. You want your marketing to say that you know times are tough, but your business is still there. That you are still available as a reliable source when they need a dentist or need to reevaluate their insurance needs.
While people may not be doing as much when times get tough, they are still people and still have needs. Connect with them as a fellow human and remind your clients your business will be there to fulfill those needs when they are ready.
Marketing Strategies To Use During a Recession
So during tough times, how can you best work to connect with these customers? How do you market to them and remind them your business is a positive force in their lives?
Let’s take a more detailed look at some tactics you can use for connecting with your customer base today.
Keep Your Social Media Active
In today’s world, people spend more time on social media when times are tough. It’s a safe place where they socialize and consume content they want to see. This is a perfect place to connect with your customers.
Once you’ve decided on a positive message for your brand, take that and create a new strategy for your social media accounts. Where have you been getting the best results? Where can you improve?
Look at your analytics at least once a month and consider where you are getting the best results and what may be worth cutting out. By paying attention to this, you’ll be sure to spend your time on things that matter and avoid wasting time on things that don’t.
Time management is one of the most important parts of a successful social media strategy, and keeping an eye on your analytics is the best way to know where your time is best spent.
If you’re on Instagram, have you been utilizing both your posts and stories? Users often only use one or the other, so connecting on both is a strong strategy.
What have you been doing to engage with your customers? Have you considered doing a livestream? Livestreams are popular on Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter, having a “tweet party” at a specific time using a hashtag is another option. This is a way to have a fun social media event and truly connect with your customers online.
Video content, especially live, humanizes you in a more substantial way, strengthening your connection with your clients.
Send Thoughtful Post Cards
Reach out to your clients with something tangible. A postcard is one of the simplest and best ways to manage this. You want to keep your message simple and not overwhelm anyone. All you want to do is let people know that you are thinking of them and that you and your business are there for them when they’re ready.
You can use postcards to connect with your previous clients or to let new potential leads know about your business.
You can use a service like Wise Pelican to do this easily. They have a direct mail service complete with templates you can customize to go with your branding and a mailing service so you can handle everything online in one easy place.
It doesn’t take a lot of work to craft a smart marketing message that connects with your customers. With a little thoughtfulness and some strategic planning, you can reach out with postcards that help keep your business top of mind.
Reach Out to Previous Clients With Care Packages
Go the extra mile for your previous clients; they’ll appreciate this extra step. Send them a custom care package to let them know you’re thinking of them.
Your care package can include branded items from your business and other products you feel your previous clients would enjoy. Include a simple card that reminds your clients you’re thinking of them.
If you are putting together the care packages in person, consider writing a brief personalized note on the cards. Keep this simple. Write their names, let them know you’re thinking of them and are around if they need you.
Keep your messages simple, but thoughtful. When times get tough, everything is a little more work for everyone. Clients will want to work with people they know and trust more during those times, and are likely to recommend a company they trust to their friends. Reaching out with something that stands out, like a care package, keeps your business top of mind and makes your company an easy choice for them.
Get Involved Locally
Have you joined your local Facebook groups? Have you searched out local groups on LinkedIn? Checked the hashtags on Instagram and Twitter for local interests? These are great ways to keep yourself involved in local community events.
Don’t force your marketing message in these groups, as that is a good way to turn people off and even get banned. This is a space to participate as a human and have yourself/your business be seen.
Get Involved in Charitable Events
Are there local charitable events happening? If not, start one. What better way is there to make your brand a message of light in dark times than to do things to actively help your community?
This will get your brand out there, visible, and doing things in the right light.
Be thoughtful about what your community most needs and what your brand best aligns with and stands for. Do you have a mission statement for your company? If this mission statement includes things your company stands for, like honesty or responsibility, these company values may help you choose the best charitable event for your business to get behind.
Network With Other Local Businesses
Every business in your community is facing the same difficult situation. Work together to strengthen your marketing! Coadvertise with other local businesses you respect that share a target market with you.
This can look like joining together to start a charitable event. It could also include doing livestreams on each other’s social media channels or throwing an online party together. You could also share special offers or things of interest in your newsletters. By working together, you can reach each other’s previous clients.
Connect With Your Clients and Stay Positive
Keep your marketing messages positive and helpful to your clients.
You want your brand to be trusted and a place they know they can safely turn to without stress. When so many other things may currently be stressful in their lives, your clients will appreciate having your business be a safe and easy choice they can rely on. This will pay off in repeat, loyal clients who feel comfortable referring their friends to your services.