If you’ve been holding off marketing your business in order to save money through the recession, you’d better change your strategy now, or face losing market share. It’s not a secret anymore. Any savvy business person knows that maintaining an aggressive marketing strategy through a recession strengthens sales and increases market share. And, they typically get that extra market share from their competitors who are not as aggressive.

A problem with this recession is that it was so bad even owners and managers who knew the right thing to do were hard pressed to execute it due to lack of cash flow. In some ways, that leveled the playing field a little. But, we are now entering an interesting time of great opportunity for any business owner who is able to step up ahead of his or her competition.

Consumer Confidence is most important to retailers.
Consumer confidence is a significant factor in the recovery, but is particularly significant to retailers. Consumer spending represents about 70% of the US economy, which has a direct effect on retailers.

The Consumer Confidence Conference Board  has been surveying houseolds since 1967. A score of 90 represents a healthy economy. 100 equals strong growth. The recession low score was 25 in February, 2009. In August it measured 54.1, up from 47.4 in July. And, it is the highest it’s been since December of 2007.

Consumer confidence is increasing.
The latest survey strongly indicates that consumer pessimism is lifting. The job market, while still weak, is stabilizing. People aren’t as afraid about losing thjeir jobs. And, as a result, they are more confident about spending.  The evidence lies not just in this report, but in what we’ve seen with our retail advertising accounts. Business is picking up. It’s slow, sometimes in fits and starts. But, it is picking up.

With consumer spending beginning to shake loose, now is the time to craft the most agressive marketing strategy your budget will allow. Lean into it with all your might. It’s not too late to push yourself further toward the front of the line while your competitors are still waiting to see what’s going to happen.

Truth is the most powerful marketing tool in your bag. I don’t mean truth in advertising, as in not making false claims and being ethical in your communication practices. That’s an obvious given to anyone with an ounce of common sense.

I’m talking about being transparently honest with your audience with regard to who you are and how you relate to your public. Companies are so obsessed with putting a positive spin on information, whether its about the company itself or its products, that the public has become numb to it. You, I and everyone else out there can spot a whitewashed PR statement or an exaggerated product claim in an instant. But, too many corporate executives and business owners continue to believe they are somehow camouflaged from their lack of authenticity.

One of the best examples of a radio commercial that embraced truth was for a telephone company some thirty years ago. It had a reputation for providing poor service. So they made a number of internal adjustments to improve their service and then ran a radio campaign to promote themselves. The commercial began with the predictable statement about how good their service was. But, then, the announcer was interrupted with gales of laughter. By poking fun at themselves they immediately identified with the listeners beliefs, which laid the groundwork for presenting their message. The campaign was a huge success.

There are other examples of unexpected truths being used to provide powerful advertising messages, such as:

• Orville Redenbacher:  The world’s most expensive popping corn
• Avis:   We’re number two, so we try harder
• Listerine: The taste you hate twice a day

There is something about being flat-out honest about something that not only catches people’s attention, but leaps out at them from the crowd. It’s not what we, as consumers, are used to. And, that’s only one of the benefits.

When you say something that might be considered potentially uncomplimentary, you create credibility. If you’re willing to say something negative about your product, then you are obviously truthful, so can be trusted when you say positive things.

I’m not suggesting that companies should go out and start advertising negative things about themselves. But, you should not hide behind canned language that contradicts commonly held perceptions. It actually hurts you more than it helps.

The truth is powerful. The funniest jokes are the ones that are based in truth, the most memorable quotes are the ones that strike our deepest sense of truth, and the most powerful advertisements are the ones that are truthful.

And, that’s the truth.

When you write a headline for your ad, make sure it’s so clear that someone who has never heard of you or your product will understand it. Follow this rule and your ads will perform better every time.

One of the most common mistakes made by advertisers is coming up with some clever headline that leaves the reader clueless as to what is being advertised. With business owners and copywriters alike, there is this nagging need, born of some unwritten expectation, to create something clever and glib when writing a headline. Sometimes it works, but unless you’re an experienced copywriter who understands the difference between clever and clear communication, just state your message. Sure, it might be boring. But at least the readers will know what you’re about and you’ll have a chance to engage them if your product solves a problem they have.

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I read this phrase in a marketing book a number of years ago, and unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the book or the author. But, of all the pieces of advertising advice that I’ve accumulated over the years, this is the most direct and universally useful.

It’s about them, not you.

In my 30+ years of helping people advertise their businesses; one of the most recurring issues is the owner providing reasons for customers to buy based upon the owner’s perspective. This is both completely understandable, and completely wrong.

When an entrepreneur throws his or her life into an effort to create a product or service to sell, it’s all-consuming. Not only is your investment and income on the line, but you tend to live your business every waking hour of the day. So, when you explain what you sell to potential customers, it’s only fitting that you describe all the things you do to make your product valuable.

What you should be doing is describing the benefits of your product from your customer’s point of view. Will it make your customer feel better, look better, richer or happier? How hard you work, your experience, how much you’ve sold, your education: none of that matters in an ad. It might matter later in the sales process, but not at the point of first contact, which is your ad.

It’s about them, not you is a great phrase to measure your ad copy against. It’s easy to be distracted by clever double meanings and playful ideas. But, if they don’t pass this test, don’t use them. Be fanatic about connecting more directly with your customers’ real needs and you’ll be rewarded with more effective advertising.

In our recently completed ad campaign for the Baxter Auto Parts Portland Historic Races, we increased our e-mail readership from 20.8% to 35.2% by Re-mailing.

With the volume of e-mail that most people receive, sending one blast to your opt-in list simply doesn’t get the job done. There are too many recipients who, for whatever reason, don’t open it. How many times have you deleted something you might have had some interest in reading if your weren’t so busy, distracted by something, or simply in an impatient state of mind?

We sent the first e-mail out to a rather small list of 833 and within a few days achieved 173 reads, or 20.8%. We waited a week and sent the same e-mail out again to those who didn’t open it. We got another 120 reads for an 18.2% opening rate. Together, we had 293 reads for a total percentage of 35.2%.

The second e-mail was identical to the first. It just illustrates that even highly targeted audiences see things somewhat randomly. Re-Mailing is a great way to increase your ROI for only the cost of sending it out.

If you’re in a position where you have a handful of key customers or accounts, your most critical marketing strategy right now should be enhancing personal relationships. The strength of customer loyalty is tested during bad economic times. So it’s important to make sure you work to make it harder for current customers to tell you goodbye.

In a recessionary economy, savvy business people know that building market share is the key to success. They also know that many customers are more apt to make a change because they are open to any suggestion that a different solution might benefit them somehow. So, they are on the prowl for your customers, just as you should be on the prowl for theirs.

Obviously, you need to continue to deliver a quality product at a competitive price. And these days, even include some added value however possible. But, the intangible advantage of having a close relationship with your customer adds an extra level of security to your business. This doesn’t mean you should run out and start layering on gifts or inviting them to dinner. If you’re over-zealous you’ll look desperate and insecure. It might take no more than an extra phone call or two every month just to check in. Or, depending upon your current relationship, it could include a trip to the golf course or some other activity you can share.

It is times such as these when deals get renegotiated and alliances get realigned. You need to use every trick in the book to keep your customers close to you. Strengthening your personal relationships is one of the best ways to do that.

Quick! Right now! Grab a piece of paper and write down your company’s mission statement. Can you do it? Can your employees do it?

If you don’t do another thing after reading this, at least try this test. Gather your management team, staff, or whomever you feel is important in your company to help carry out your mission, and hand each one a piece of paper.

Then, ask them to write down your company’s mission statement.

Give them a few minutes, then ask each one to read what he or she wrote. If your group got it right, you are in an extreme minority of companies.

We marketers are always going on about how businesses need to clearly define their identity and communicate it consistently. But, we often forget to start where it has the greatest impact of all: inside the company itself.

A well articulated mission statement answers the question of why the company exists. It describes the overall need that it fills and guides the company in its big-picture actions.

Google the phrase “mission statement” and read as many as you can, and then start studying what makes a good one. There are lots of resources for learning how to write a mission statement. But first you need to recognize the importance of having one that people not only know, but understand and live by. Interestingly, most companies have one. It’s written the day they go into business, then is forgotten forever.

There is unbelievable power in having a group of talented, hard working people all pursuing the same goal for the same reason. A mission statement is the foundation of that great place to be. And, dragging it out and making sure everyone knows what it is isn’t that hard to do.

It’s been said that nothing kills a bad product faster than a good advertising campaign. If you are in the business of selling products, you can often recognize the dogs and eliminate them from your product mix before too much damage is done. But, if we define your “product” as not just the item you sell, but the entire customer experience you create, there are many other things to consider.

After more than 20 years of creating and managing advertising campaigns for businesses, I can say that customer service is one of the most important elements of any marketing effort. You may have the best product at the best time and the best price. But, if you’re sales staff isn’t up to making the customer feel genuinely valued it’s all for nothing.

I worked with a retail chain that was having problems with sales in a couple of their stores. We tried everything. Some efforts provided some anemic results and others created a short sales spike that quickly disappeared. One day we found a scathing review on one of the review sites on the web. It detailed the quintessential bad service experience that we all love to pass on to others. A follow-up mystery shopping exercise quickly revealed a sales person who should have never been a sales person.

The problem was fixed, but the damage lingered for some time. This kind of problem can be hard to find quickly if there are just one or two people in a branch store or office most of the time. So, it is valuable to have an on-going service evaluation program such as a mystery shopper in place along with on-going training and coaching for your employees.

You can lose a sale because of price. You can lose a sale because a customer returns an item. But, you will lose a customer if your pre sale or more importantly, your post sale service is bad.

You’ve got your marketing plan worked out. Your budget is more than you would like, but you’re willing to commit to it. You’ve decided what media you are going to use, and you’re pretty proud of the deal you were able to negotiate. You’ve got your offer or message worked out. All that’s left to do is write your ad and get it produced. No problem. At least, that’s what most business people think.

Good business people are highly disciplined at measuring value. And, every step of the campaign development process has some basis in being able to measure something except the creative step. That’s where almost every entrepreneur falls down. Even the good ones.

Time and time again, I have seen the manager/owner write his own copy or try to direct a writer to create copy that is full of ad clichés that neither stand out nor convince. The result is predictable. All that time, effort and money is neutralized by ad copy that is only efficient at blending into the great background hum of “white noise”.

With that in mind, I have created a list of phrases and words to avoid. If you find any of these in your ad copy, re-write it. You can find words to get the same ideas across with more personality and originality.

1. Once in a lifetime
2. Friendliest store in town
3. Why pay more
4. Lowest prices of the year
5. Dare to compare
6. Lowest prices in town
7. Save like never before
8. Make an offer
9. Highest quality, lowest price
10. Best service in town
11. The perfect gift
12. For any budget
13. Public notice
14. Buy with confidence
15. Check out our great selection
16. Nobody beats our prices
17. We’ll save you money
18. Store-wide clearance
19. We sell more (item) than anyone
20. Hurry in
21. Everything must go
22. Never lower
23. Follow the crowds
24. Now is the time to buy
25. Don’t miss this sale
26. Save today
27. You won’t find deals like this…
28. Unbelievable prices (bargains, deals, etc.)
29. Boss is away
30. Gigantic sale

If you find yourself using any of the above phrases, go back and think of a more unique way to say the same thing. These phrases have been used so many times for so many products that there is simply no credibility to them any longer.

In fact, there are probably more that I have overlooked here.

Please feel free to add any others that you would like to never hear again.

Few people, including advertising professionals, know how to calculate the expected response from a newspaper ad. A newspaper circulation of 200,000 doesn’t mean 200,000 people will be contemplating your ad.

Here are the variables you need to consider when calculating an expected response from a newspaper ad.

1. YOUR TARGET
Every product has a demographic that represents its prime target. Let’s say, for the sake of this example, that your target demographic is adults, 25 – 54

2. MARKET SIZE
If you are located in a city of 1.5 million people and the 25 – 54 demographic represents 40%, then your target population is 600,000.

3. DURATION BETWEEN PURCHASES
Since people don’t buy every product they use every day of the year, the duration between purchases is important to consider. Let’s say people buy your product one time per year on average. Then, your available market in any month is 1/12 of 600,000, or 50,000. Of course, you’ll have to take into account the seasonal fluctuations for your product and apply the same logic.

4. NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION
If your local daily newspaper has a 40% penetration in your market, calculate that against your available 50,000 market to reach 20,000 possible qualified exposures to your message.

5. READERSHIP
Not every subscriber reads every page every day. Studies have shown that if you get 10% of the subscribers to read your ad, that is a very generous number. Applying that calculation to our example reduced the number of targeted customers to 2,000.

6. YOUR MARKET SHARE
Unless you have an exclusive monopoly in your market, you have competition with some customers who are loyal to them. If your overall market share is 10%, you can apply that to the remaining targeted customers, leaving 200 as your reasonable expectation.

7. RESPONSE RATE
Assume a 2% response rate from your ad.

8. RESPONSE
Your expected response (customers making a transaction) will be 4.

These numbers can vary wildly. However, the chain of logic remains constant. The offer, size of ad, weather, lack of or heavy competition, time of year and numerous other influences can have a bearing on final results. But, this model is useful to illustrate the realities of advertising response.