31 March 2009
There are some simple ways to get effective marketing more cheaply. Here's the first of our series of articles to save you money.

It’s tough out there, and often the first thing to be slashed is the marketing budget. Is this wise? According to both Harvard Business School and PMA, you should keep up your marketing. At a time like this you can still achieve growth – and at a significantly lower cost than during a boom.

Brand building isn’t the most effective way to market yourselves in a recession. But going direct to the customer is. Customers will respond to discounts and offers that meet their specific needs; they’ll be less inclined to go out and find you.

So how about giving them something that costs you nothing? You can offer them:
• white papers (research and information that they’ll find of value)
• complimentary items (which don’t come from you, but from your suppliers)
• other valuable information (such as related videos on YouTube).

A more traditional approach would be to offer packages or bundles, so that they perceive greater value and hence spend more with you.

How do you tell them about these incredible offers? Think about direct marketing – sending them a physical brochure or flyer, and include the offer(s) as a postcard or coupon. Perhaps craft a powerful direct marketing letter. Or try email campaigns, where you can track who responds or and who bounces.

In the next email from Oxygen we’ll talk more about direct marketing techniques.