When Times Are Tough, You May Want to Rethink This One
by Bill Nolan
When the going gets tough for business some people believe the most logical action is to cut the marketing budget. What are they thinking?!? That’s almost as bad as having your brother’s girlfriend’s sister do the marketing because she is great with computers. You know sometimes I really can’t help myself. I just wish they would put me in a room with these people for a little one on one communication time. In the end they will see the error of their ways. It is fairly obvious that marketing is the last thing a business should cut since it’s the engine that creates more business. Hello!?!
Maybe there’s some ancient wisdom on this, and I just haven’t been enlightened. I doubt it. When times are tough businesses need to find other areas to tighten up in. Here’s a suggestion… change the way your business is running. That said, now let’s take a brief look at some of the benefits gained if you do decide to make the ill advised choice and pull that marketing plug:
Ghost Town : Lack of Consistent Message and Branding
Without consistent, professional activity across your social media networks and website your online presence will begin to look like an apocalyptic wasteland and you will lose the loyal base that you have worked so hard to obtain. One very important aspect to remember is that ‘dead’ business pages are worse than having no social media presence. They will leave a bad impression with your viewers… assuming anyone views them after you kill your push and SEO, but more on that in a minute. A crucial point here when pulling the plug on marketing is that your business begins to look like it’s in trouble. This could be a major blow.
Lost and Not Found : Drops in Your Business Ranking
Like I said, the lack of fresh content on your website and social media accounts will make your SEO none existent. Search engines will drop your business from the rankings like a bad habit! That means no new visitors and no new potential clients. So, how well do you really think your business is going to perform now? You need to take a moment to realize that basically everyone uses the internet to find products and services, and if your absent from those search results, well, you do the math. On a more positive note, if your business does go down the tubes there’s always barber college.
Obviously that last line was a bad joke. Heck, I see local salons and barbers doing better professional, online marketing and business than some other very large businesses. If you’re serious about recovering your losses then you should be dedicated to making it work. It’s time to persevere and push on. It’s not time to hit the brakes and essentially throw it in reverse. Why would you want to go backwards? You may tell yourself that it’s only temporary, but being dead in the water for even a short amount of time can have disastrous effects. These effects may leave you in a hole that your business will be climbing out of for quite a while. Chances are your competitors may likely be facing difficulties as well and times like these demand bold moves if you want to come out on top. Remember, failure is for the other guy.
I believe I’ve made it pretty clear. It’s not a good idea to cut marketing when your business has encountered rough waters. Instead, take a hard look at some other expenses that could go away. Keep in mind that your marketing will always be a key element in how profitable your business will be. Cutting it back should be the last step taken. You might have the best product and services in the world, but if no one knows about them…
Here’s a thought, maybe you need to spend a little more in marketing and rethink how it can work better.