I. Website Considerations

For years now, we have promoted the use of blog technology over “static websites” for small business owners. Almost any website design can be developed using blog technology, which is a better tool for content management as well as online marketing. Blogs allow small business owners to leverage technology in several ways.

For example, most social media sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) allow you to connect your blog feed (RSS Feed) to your online profile. Therefore, when your website/blog is updated your connections on social networking sites are notified – automated marketing and branding. Also, search engines favor “fresh content” and blogs allow business owners to update his or her website both frequently and cost effectively. The list of benefits goes on.

Resource Requirements – Website & Blogs: Human resources are necessary to run an effective website/blog for online marketing purposes. When developing your marketing plan, include: IT support (programmer), graphic designers, copy writers, and marketing staff that understand social networking applications, content marketing, PR, SEO and HTML.

II. Email Marketing and Newsletters

In the time it takes you to read this sentence, some 20 million emails traveled the information superhighway. For good reason, email is an effective communication tool and email marketing remains a top choice for marketing pros. Email newsletters are effective as well but need to be done right to engage your clients and target market.

Resource Requirements – Email Marketing/Newsletters:  Requires setup, database management, subscription forms, copy writing, landing pages, online newsletter archives, subscription promotions, keyword list, and industry knowledge. Human resources: IT support (programmer), graphic designers, copy writers, and marketing staff that understand email newsletter software, content marketing, PR, SEO and HTML programming.

III. Online and Offline Seminars

Presenting and hosting business seminars has been, and will remain, a popular and effective marketing tool for business owners. Preparing and implementing a plan to target your market and attract the right attendees can be a challenge as well as time consuming. Social networking is an effective tool for promoting seminars, if you have first created effective content to promote the seminar as well as landing pages on your website/blog. Also, understanding where your target market resides online is key.

Resource Requirements – Seminars: Requires seminar content, copy writing, landing pages, registration forms, and marketing as well as IT support, graphic design, and a presenter.

The three marketing considerations above are only a start for your 2010 marketing plan. We’ll continue to cover the rest of the marketing plan requirements; you can subscribe here if you would like to receive the updates when they are published.

You don’t need to look far to realize “the numbers walk the walk.” Marketing pros in the know are adding email and other digital media in ever-increasing numbers. What are the trends? More importantly, what works?

The Trends

Marketing insiders are well aware of the trends confirmed in Robert Coen’s “Insider’s Report” (a presentation on advertising expenditures published December 2008). Less ad spend in traditional media and more online.

Lee Odden provides additional confirmation of the trends and links to several reports such as the following:

Direct Marketing to Account for 53% of U.S. Ad Spend in 2009 Growth for Interactive Marketing:  ”Expenditures in the newer online media will maintain significant growth in the coming year. Commercial email will continue to claim the top growth ranking for 2009, while internet advertising will claim more than 15% of all direct marketing advertising dollars in 2009.” DMA Power of Direct Marketing’ Report (read Lee’s full post here on the Online Marketing Blog)

There are numerous indications confirming expenditures in online media will maintain significant growth in 2009. But what works?

What Works?

Email marketing claims the top growth ranking; for good reason. Staying in touch with your existing clients is key to survival and the best way to do just that is email. Not SPAM, email tactics that deliver useful information for the receiver. Using your blog RSS feed strategically is an example for those that know how to promote content. Also, social networks are now picking up feeds and promoting your company for you. LinkedIn realized how important feeds are and they now offer applications that will post your feed on your LinkedIn profile.

Email newsletters are also important but many fail at them. Why? Lack of focus, lack of resources to manage a viable list (email database) and substandard design & content. Putting out an effective email newsletter isn’t rocket science but it does require a commitment to quality.

Far too many business owners absolutely take the wrong approach. They hunker down, cut marketing budgets and pull back.  The end result is “unattended customers” and less competition for you. Businesses that cut marketing budgets also demotivate their best salespeople, which start spending more time thinking about getting a new job than a new customer.

Economic downturns are an excellent time to strengthen your relationships with both your existing customers and your competitors’ customers. Odds are, they are not as busy. Are they more willing to spend a little more time with you? Definitely possible – use the time wisely:

• Collect testimonials: Asking for a testimonial is a contact with your customer that’s not a sales call. Tell them you would like to promote the testimonial and link it to their website, which will promote them as well. Use the opportunity to show your customers you value their opinion, your business relationship, and their business (i.e., dynamic websites, blogs, Scribd, PR news, etc.);
• Survey your customers: Create an opportunity to collect feedback and discuss services and/or products you offer that they may not be fully aware of or completely understand (i.e., email marketing, custom website landing pages, etc.);
• Network: Introduce your customers to people in your network that they consider prospects and ask to meet their business colleagues and associates – an excellent source of referrals (i.e., LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook, etc.), and
• Use your “consulting” skills: Help your customers and prospects save time and money by providing pertinent industry news and educational materials that will help them compete during these difficult times (i.e., email newsletters, white papers and custom publications all have high ROIs).

But don’t be fooled. There is also new competition for you – competition from new business start-ups and competitors that have invested in new technologies and lower-cost marketing tactics.

Hordes of new businesses are created during economic downturns. Layoffs create a lot of entrepreneurs that may soon be targeting your customers with fresh ideas, creative solutions and competitive rates. And, they are targeting your customers using high ROI marketing tactics such as online social networks, email marketing, industry newsletters, dynamic websites (blogs) and related marketing technologies. If you are not already taking advantage of these marketing tools, now is a good time to ask yourself, if not now, when?

Don’t forget, the marketing tools mentioned above are low-cost when compared to traditional marketing methods but there is a cost. And, implementation requires resources – consider the costs while developing your 2009 marketing budget. Next year will be a difficult time for many and many companies won’t survive. Yours will if you take advantage of the marketing tools available today.

Additional Info

We picked up the following info from a recent newsletter from the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce:

Market aggressively. While many customers are hunkering down, don’t make the mistake of doing it yourself. Because your competitors are lying low, use this as the right time to raise your visibility by being more assertive in your marketing.

When times get tough, most companies are far from ready to do battle. They have nowhere to turn because they failed at prospecting. Ask them if they stay in touch regularly with all their prospects and customers, and you’ll get a blank stare. Ask them if they actively help their customers reduce operating costs, and they don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. In other words, these salespeople and their companies are unprepared to meet the challenges of a difficult economy.

If you’re one of our clients, it is likely you already have a dynamic website that includes a blog. Now is a good time to plan. Consider how you can use it to your advantage the rest of this year and during 2009. Here’s another quote from the reference mentioned above:

This may be the perfect time to start a blog. People still buy during tough economic times. It’s just that every purchase or investment undergoes far more scrutiny. Fear of making the wrong decision is a primary motivator in purchase decisions. Thought leaders are perceived experts. Businesses want to hire experts. Experts get paid more, and they get recruited from further away. Why?

Because in going with an expert, the perceived risk is lower. One of the least costly ways to begin to establish thought leadership is through blogging. Done right, blogging can both greatly enhance your perceived expertise and increase your chances of being discovered on search engines.

There are many other reasons for using blog technology, which we frequently cover on this blog (subscribe if you haven’t already and you’ll receive the free marketing advice).

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• According to research conducted by the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing generated an ROI of $51.58 for every dollar spent on it in 2006. The expected figure for 2007 is $48.56, and the prediction for 2008 is $45.65. As such, it outperforms all the other direct marketing channels examined, such as print catalogs.
• In a December 2007 survey of over 2000 marketers by Datran Media (an email marketing service), 80% of respondents  “indicated email was the strongest performing media buy ahead of search and display.” 55% expected “ROI from email to be higher than any other channel.”
• Marketers responding to a July 2007 global survey by McKinsey put email second only to paid keywords in terms of online marketing efficiency.
• A July 2007 survey of over 3,000 marketers involved in search marketing by MarketingSherpa saw “email marketing to a house list”  garners the most votes as the strongest marketing tactic. And it gained more votes than any other tactic for “good ROI.”
• A 2007 survey of over 1,000 advertisers by Outsell Inc. put email as the second most effective online marketing tool after the company’s own website.
• A July 2007 survey by Newsweaver and B2B Marketing Magazine of 170 marketers revealed 87% considered email critical, important or very important to their B2B marketing strategy.
• In a March 2007 survey of hotel marketers by Hospitality eBusiness Strategies, 58.7% cited email marketing as one of the Internet marketing formats that generate the best results and highest ROI.

Achieving a high ROI from email marketing requires a well-designed marketing program and a website with high-quality and fresh content of value to your target market. Unless you are an experienced marketing professional, creating, editing, and promoting unique high-quality content can be difficult and time-consuming. Given the high ROI, consider outsourcing.

Do what you do best and outsource the rest.