Cherry

Here at Cherry we’re entering 2009 with a cautious optimism. Like all businesses we’re hoping for another successful year, but there’s no doubting things are going to be tough for many. However, whenever there are losers there will be winners too. So make sure you’re one of them.

Things don’t simply grind to a halt in a downturn. People still need products and services – they just need a little more persuading to part with their money. A strong and strategic creative and marketing plan will help ensure you’re well placed to be a winner in your sector during the coming year. So, to help you on your way, here are a few simple nuggets of advice you’d do well to follow.

SEIZE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INNOVATE

During a downturn, if history is anything to go by, most marketing managers will want to pull their horns in, rein in their creative and play conservative hands. Marketing becomes ‘safer’, less edgy.

There’s a natural knee-jerk to water things down for fear of, well, being fearless. Which presents your business with the perfect opportunity to stand out from the crowd, gain market share, and remind your customers that you’re not a blander version of your former self, downturn or no downturn.

Strong businesses don’t lose sight of their core values during a downturn. They build on them. So get your messaging right over the next six months – keeping an unwavering eye on your customers’ needs as well as your voice and values – and the rest should follow. Seize this as an opportunity to innovate and you’ll come out the other side ahead of where you began, and ahead of your competitors.

STRENGTHEN YOUR BRAND

When was the last time you took a step back and looked at the bigger picture? A quick self-audit, or brand sense check?

Are your competitors telling a better story, or coming across with a more likeable personality? Is your tone of voice still as believable, persuasive and lovable as it’s always been? Or has your brand integrity, clarity and consistency been slipping recently?

Now is the time to take stock and quickly put things right. Customers are going to have little time for businesses that don’t have the ability to provide them with the experience they’re looking for.

If you need an objective opinion, Cherry can help with a quick creative/ brand healthcheck. Just give us a shout.

NAIL YOUR MARKETING MESSAGING… AND MAKE IT INTEGRATED!

With Forrester analysts predicting that B2B marketing budgets will take a typical hit of between 15% and 25% in early 2009, agencies are going to be working for every penny of marketing spend this year.

But it will be those companies that continue to invest in advertising and marketing that are far better placed for profitable growth post-recession. It needn’t damage your profitability in the immediate term, either. Just make sure your messaging is nailed down, integrated and sharp.

A well-tailored integrated strategy is way more effective than the sum of its parts. Focus your efforts on ways to connect your message through every consumer touchpoint and you’ll extend your ability to compete, win business, and win the hearts and minds of customers. It’s all about finding the right combination for you – and with digital more affordable and measurable than ever, you can experiment until you get it right without splashing too much cash.

YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR SHOP WINDOW. SO MAKE IT THE BEST ON THE BLOCK

Your website is the first port of call for new business enquiries, and a source of reference for existing customers. But is it really doing you justice? Is it clear and easy to use? Is it engaging your audience? Is it immediately obvious what you do, the services you provide and how to get in touch?

Whether it’s introducing rich media to your site, improving SEO or sharpening up the look and feel, small differences can make huge improvements to your site’s usability, web traffic and conversion rates. Remember, if the online experience isn’t as good as it could be, customers will go somewhere else.

DEVELOP YOUR ONLINE CONTENT STRATEGY

This downturn will see more money channeled into digital as marketers take advantage of its cost-effectiveness and measurability. But many businesses still regard online content as the poor cousin of static/ offline print… and overlook an online content strategy entirely.

Online content’s transitory nature, coupled with its indexibility by search engines, means it should be both embraced and treated with caution. Sure, it’s very quick and easy to update. But once you’ve written or posted something to a site, it’s there to be found – and saved – by users around the globe. It could still be hanging around on the web years later.

With this in mind, a clear copy and content strategy is essential if you want to keep your brand message clear and consistent when building or updating your digital projects. Do you need a full online copywriting service, email newsletter strategy or blog to engage your audience? Or could you perhaps get your audience to provide the content for you?

And remember, if words fail you, it’s never been easier to add multimedia to your site. Free services such as Vimeo allow you to embed high quality video on your website without the stress or cost of hosting.

SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE

It’s one thing YOU knowing the business inside out. But what about that new freelancer, graduate or intern trying incredibly hard to please, but lacking the in-house experience?

People are usually unaware of the power of the knowledge they hold, and how useful it could be to others working alongside them. Make tacit knowledge explicit and you’ll find it easier to pull together as one, especially important during tough times.

Don’t rely on one person to hold the keys to everything. A free, hosted Wiki (such as PBWiki or Wikia) will allow you to unlock people’s brains and share things around.

TAKE SOME EXPERT ADVICE

OK, we’ve spoken about a few things you can do to help ride out the tough times. But how do you go about implementing them?

Firstly, why not have an informal chat with Cherry? It costs nothing to find out how we can help. At the moment we’re also offering a free Creative Healthcheck for businesses looking for insight into their creative strategy and marketing effectiveness. This carries no obligation whatsoever, and will help give you a new perspective on your business.

We’ve been doing this for years for many successful companies of all shapes and sizes. They’re well placed to be winners this year… so why not join them?