ARE YOU READY FOR THE UPTURN?
Sorry, it’s been a while since my last blog – although I have been writing occasional blogs on Ecademy. In this blog, I want to focus on the delicate issue of the recession – and how you can get yourself ready for the inevitable upturn.
Going for growth
There has been a lot of speculation in the media about the ’green shoots’ of recovery from the recession – although these seem to be taking a long time to appear in the UK! One big mistake that many companies make during a recession is that they immediately cut down on their marketing. That means that when an upturn comes, they’re not really ready for it.
So, if you’re not already cranking up your marketing activities, now’s the time to start. And it doesn’t have to cost the earth. There are some low cost but very effective ways of raising awareness of your company and its solutions. So why not start getting your products and services in front of potential customers before your competitors?
Keeping the costs down
One good and very cost-effective way of keeping your name in front of customers is by using monthly email newsletters (or ezines). These don’t have to be long – each issue could include four or five articles, each of which is just two or three paragraphs long. These can have links to ‘landing pages’ that contain a more detailed version for people who are interested enough to read further. Just make sure that you ezine is targeted at the right people and that it has a subject line that will grab their attention.
Even if the customer doesn’t always read the ezine, you’re at least getting your name in front of them on a regular basis. Then, when they do need something that you can provide, they’re more likely to remember you. You can even get very low cost templates that you could use (‘Constant Contact’ is one that is very popular)
Staying on an Internet theme, you could also write a regular blog. This can help to raise your profile and increase your ratings with search engines such as Google. A blog is just an informal, chatty article – you can use it to impart information or just to talk about something that you think might interest your customers.
Press releases are another inexpensive option – although you may not have much control over whether or not they get used. Similarly, articles for trade magazines can help to increase your credibility as a company.
Help is at hand
If you need help with copywriting – at competitive rates – please contact me for further details.
Meanwhile, start marketing!
Phil
Freelance copywriter
Web: www.phila.co.uk
Email: info@phila.co.uk
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/philallcock
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