Affordable Marketing for Businesses in Recovery

Hard times are inevitable in business. From industry backslides to wide-reaching recessions, few businesses survive an economic downturn untouched.

Source: Expensivity

While you might not be able to avoid tough times, how you get through them is up to you.

During a recession, it is essential to cut costs and maximize cash flow to keep your business afloat.

But when hard times end and the economy rebounds, businesses must scale up once again. How?

By reconnecting with old customers and reaching new ones. However, marketing after a recession requires a careful touch.

If you need to rebuild your B2B customer base following an economic downturn, this advice is for you.

Start by Reaching Out after an Economic Downturn

Did your firm cut staff or services or stop accepting new clients? Whether you’re still operating in a downsized capacity or are ready to scale up once again, address changes you’ve made in response to the downturn.

For example, were you in the process of redesigning or building your website? Now that your business is starting up again, be sure you know exactly what your options are how much it costs to build a website.

Warm calling provides an opportunity to reconnect with customers regarding how you can serve them moving forward. Another way to reach out to customers is to create an email marketing campaign.

You may need to reach out to former and potential employees as well if you’re scaling up your business.

Once you’ve hired new people, you can keep track of your team with time-tracking software that allows you to monitor, submit, and approve your employees’ timesheets. This software can also help you forecast future job costs.

Offer Promotions

Promotional offers are a great way to reignite interest in your business. Discounts, add-on services, and promotional products entice loyal customers who may be reluctant to spend as they emerge from lean times.

Create new and attractive designs to entice customers to your offers. Look for tools to help you design professional visuals such as a flyer maker and video templates.

They can also appeal to new B2B clients looking to rebuild their own businesses.

After the Economic Downturn, Ask for Referrals

When clients return to your business after a downturn, you know you’ve earned their loyalty. So why not tap that loyalty to grow your business?

Nothing beats word-of-mouth marketing, especially when businesses are spending cautiously. An effective referral program relies on making it simple to spread the word.

Add a referral button to your website, include a referral question in customer surveys, run referral campaigns on social media, and ask happy customers to leave a review. Referral partnerships with other businesses are another savvy way to reach new clients.

Invest in the Customer Experience

An outstanding customer experience is the foundation of any referral program.

Small businesses have to not only meet customer expectations but surprise and delight their clients.

One way companies are accomplishing this is by taking their businesses mobile.

By meeting clients where they’re at, rather than waiting for customers to come to you, you can stand out from the competition and save money.

This is easy to accomplish with high-powered laptops with a long-lasting battery and enhanced security features.

Online scheduling and self-service tools are another way businesses can deliver the convenience their customer’s desire.

Embed self-help functions, including booking apps, knowledge bases, chatbots, and live chat on business websites. Implementing these features can be more affordable than you think.

Gain Visibility

Customers have to find your business before you can wow them. Besides referrals, how can businesses reach new customers?

Social media is one affordable option, particularly for B2C companies. B2B firms should also incorporate content marketing into their strategy.

Newsletters, how-to guides, and off-domain content are winning content strategies for B2B businesses.

Stay Attuned to Changing Needs After an Economic Downturn

Most critically, make sure you’re adapting your business marketing to the times. The challenges your clients face during an economic recovery may not be the same problems they faced in the past.

Learn what your clients need right now and how you can help. Website traffic is helpful for this, but so is engaging with your audience directly.

Not only does good public relations inform business strategy, but it’s also a smart way to build trust after a downturn.

Does this sound like a tall order? Marketing can be intimidating in the best of times, let alone when you’re working with a tiny budget after an economic downturn.

There’s a brand to build, a website to redesign, social media to manage, and so much more. Instead of trying to do it all in-house, invest in professionals you can trust to deliver.