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In times of
uncertainty, day-to-day business decisions can be daunting, especially
when it comes to allocating where to spend that shrinking
budget.
When you're tightening the rein on your
purse stings, marketing and PR can seem an unnecessary
expense. But this is a complete misconception.
The reality is that the bulk of marketing
can be carried out extremely cost effectively, often
just requiring some research and a little determination.
Even maintaining a minimal marketing presence throughout
a period of economic strife can reap long-term
benefits.
Marketing is vitally important in the
enterprise agency sector in what could strangely be a
productive time. A new year, redundancy on the up and
job loyalty decreasing could result in a rise in the
number of people 'going it alone', or finally giving
that business idea a shot.
Thankfully, marketing in our sector
doesn't have to cost big bucks. PR can be an invaluable
resource, allowing a medium to get your name out there
for free. If you're not already talking to your local
press, get in touch to offer your organisation for
comment or case studies. Even the smallest mention in
your local paper is an advantage - people give much more
credence to news than they do to advertising. [Don't
forget, NFEA is here to help. Send us your press
releases and we can distribute them through our media
channels.]
Increasingly, social media is becoming the
advertising tool of choice in the business world. The
power of the internet is there to be harnessed and in
2009 it's not just a website and the odd marketing
email, it's search engine optimisation, business
blogging and RSS feeds. With such cost effective
resources only a click of a mouse away, it will pay to
keep our fingers on the online pulse.
If you would
like to discuss this issue further, come along to our
Members Marketing Group on Thursday 26 February, which
will be focusing on marketing in a recession. This is a
quarterly meeting that we run for anyone with a
marketing responsibility. It's a chance to network and
discuss key topics and issues.
Email
Daniel
Locke at NFEA or click here for more information about
this event.
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