October is on the calendar.
The languid days of summer seem to be drawing to a close and October is hurtling like a sprinter into the holidays and a leaf-filled New Year, shorter days and a sense of impending conclusion in the air.
This year was no different. There’s a new texture painting small business marketing this year that we haven’t seen in a while. This texture is economic uncertainty.
Some of my clients are overwhelmed with demand for their products and services. Other customers are starting to show signs of concern about the coming months and the new year. How can some businesses be filled with jobs that generate income and others that burn out and dry up financially?
The nervous noises I hear from some customers are sounds I recognize well. From professional practices concerned that lead pipelines are less robust than they have been in the past two years, to healthcare professionals struggling to fill schedules with patient sessions, to non-profit organizations who fear that people will not give as much as last year, the concerns are legitimate. . The economic direction of the business community is not clear.
How should small business marketers respond to a shaky economy? The answer may surprise you.
The time to invest in marketing strategies is now when things seem to be losing steam when lead pipelines are less robust when fewer people are scheduling appointments and when sales are down. The natural reaction is to cut budgets. If you cut back on your spending, you will suffer financially.
This last quarter of 2022 is proving to be challenging for many small businesses. The trick here for the small business marketer is to grab the marketing space and not let go. The deal will be a revenue reward, increased market share and closed deals that were hanging out in the ether if small business marketers stick to their plans this year.
In practical terms, this means that now is the time to invest in some local advertising and reassert your business presence in communities that care deeply about what you do. Focused local advertising shines a light on consumers in trade publications, local newspapers, magazines and even on the radio.
Digital marketing is also essential right now. Small businesses need to invest in their search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. If you are not investing in SEO tactics for your business, you are absolutely losing out to your competitor who is investing.
Interestingly, many medium and large companies are reducing their marketing spend, which creates a notable opportunity in the SEO space for smaller companies looking to gain traction in specific geographic spaces and through specific keyword searches.
There are two months left in this fiscal year. Small business marketers will be working hard to do everything they can to close out the year strong with as much business booked as possible.
Now is not the time to cut marketing budgets. As markets shift headwinds, now is the time to batten down the hatches and keep your marketing strategies in place, while investing more in the ones that really work for your business.
Explore marketing now so you can conclude this year with success. A new year is upon us, how will you position your business to finish as strong as possible?
• Rebecca Hoffman is the founder and principal of Good Egg Concepts, a strategic communications and brand marketing consulting practice serving Chicagoland and national clients.
[ad_2]
Source link
