What???? Retrenching your marketing team? Has it really come to that already?
Every second person I speak to informs me that heads have been cut in the marketing department of where they work or companies have gotten rid of marketing altogether.
What are they thinking? Really!
I am flabbergasted that heads of companies still think of marketing as a non-business critical expense. Have they not heard the success stories of the past whereby companies that have marketed have in fact gained greater market share and ultimately profitability in tough economic times?
Ok, so you have done it. What next?
You need a 'marketing eye' in your business. There are heaps of companies out there that are offering qualified marketing managers on a contract basis. Don't give it up altogether. Keep the marketing wheel going and reap the rewards. Keep building your brand, generating leads and communicating with your clients.
Inquiry for marketing services in February 2009 has been terrific for Marketing Eye and I am sure for our competitors. With companies cutting their marketing departments late last year and then finding that they are no better off, have no choice but to seek an outsourced marketing alternative.
Top Tips for Outsourcing Marketing:-
1. Make sure that your outsourced marketing manager is qualified and experienced across the entire marketing mix (not just PR, or advertising)
2. Set key performance indicators that are aligned to your adjusted business strategy
3. Put a marketing plan in place and follow it (don't get hot under the collar when you don't make your figures one week and change too quickly)
4. Stop paying top dollar for graphic design, web development and branding (this is where you can save $$$$)
5. Use the entire marketing mix, not just one area to promote your company
6. Make sure you are communicating to your customers on a regular basis
7. Make sure you sales team is equipped with the right marketing tools to do their job
8. Use the web and digital marketing to save money on marketing
9. Forget about how good sales were 12 months ago, and think about how good they will be in 12 months times if you market
10. Keep your head above water!
http://www.marketingeye.com.au
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6 comments:
Things like branding, making marketing decision is easy to say but hard to do. So if can get help from outsourcing marketing, it will be a good thing.
Cutting your marketing department definately seems like a knee jerk reaction. History tells us how vital it is to continue to market during tough times.
It is a common misconception that when budgets are slashed, that marketing is the deparment which must suffer most. During these times it is critical to invest further in your marketing staff as it is they who will lead your business out of the difficult periods. They are the people who understand your current clients and how best to attract new ones. I think that this applies both to larger corporates AND SME's.
I have to agree that cutting your marketing department during a difficult period is a costly mistake. A classic example is proctor and gamble who during the great depression continued to increase their marketing and advertising initiatives only to become the most recognised and respected brand after the depression while other companies were left scrambling to gain market share
Tough times have happened many times over the years and around the world, this seems to be the thing that people are doing is cutting the marketing department. This is one mistake that companies should not make. I think that the marketing company is a vital part of a company
if you are a company being affected by an econic downturn (and lets face it who isn't really?) then marketing your products could not be more crucial. You don't need to spend your entire company budget on marketing, but don't let your name go unheard because of the economy, that will only hurt you!
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