13 Actionable Marketing Ideas To Get You Through The Recession
We’re currently in the midst of a once-in-a-generation pandemic. It’s everywhere, and it’s affecting everyone. It’s a scary time to be in business. And your clients are working from home, isolated and anxious. They’re looking for guidance and confidence. They want to trust someone.
In other words, your clients need you now more than ever.
It’s not the time to hunker down and wait until this thing blows over. Now is the time to step up, serve your existing clients, sign new clients, and solidify your business.
Here is a list of 13 marketing ideas to help your business and your clients get through this crazy time. And you can put these into action today.
Need help implementing? See my invitation at the bottom.
#1) You Have A Client List. Offer Them A Simple Solution To Relieve ONE Of Their Pandemic, Quarantine, or Recession-Related Concerns.
Your customer list is your most valuable asset. These are people know, like, and trust you.
And right now, they’re hurting.
So step in and offer a simple, direct solution to relieve ONE of their concerns about the pandemic, the recession, and social distancing. It just depends on what service and products you offer. Find the relevant benefits and lead with those. Some examples of specific concerns YOU can help relieve:
- How do I find inner peace when the world seems so scary?
- My gym is closed… How do I keep up my workouts without equipment at home?
- My 401K is down 30% this month… What should I do?
Whichever business you’re in, your clients could use your specific expertise.
However, most businesses neglect their list of past clients. Now is the time to step up and serve them in their time of need.
#2) Free Giveaway For People Stuck At Home
Package a free giveaway to help people while they’re stuck at home. This can be a mini-course, a DIY training, or even an ebook. Whatever you choose, the point is you’re acknowledging your audience is stuck at home and you have something that makes the quarantine easier, more productive, healthier, etc.
You’ll earn trust with your audience by giving away a value product. And you’ll convert more of them into paid clients once things get back to normal.
#3) Picking Up Your Competitors’ Cancelations
Over the next few months, your competitors will lose unhappy clients as people rein in their spending.
Now you’re going to turn them into your own happy clients.
Highlight how you are better and different from your competitors, where your product or service exceeds theirs. Use specific examples and benefits here. By doing this, you’ll turn your competitors’ loss into your gain.
#4) Long-Term Predictability With Incentives & Discounts
A mentor once asked me, “Do you know the most important word in business?”
After I guessed wrong many times, he finally told me…
Predictability…
Predictability allow you to plan, mitigate risk, and invest confidently in new opportunities. For new and existing clients, look to secure long-term deals with incentives and discounts.
#5) Stick Together (‘Til This Whole Thing Blows Over)
You may have clients cancel on you. But you don’t have to lose them forever.
Offer your canceling client free access to your product or service for three months or until the pandemic blows over. You’ll keep your clients and earn goodwill that will turn them into raving fans.
#6) DIY Product & Back-End Support
Another idea if your client cancels his or her high-end package… Offer them a mini-course or Do-It-Yourself training at an irresistible price.
Not only will you pick up some revenue, you can make it up on the back-end by offering additional support.
#7) You Are Your Clients’ Rescue Team
Your clients’ life and business is just as disrupted as yours. They’re feeling the same anxiety, fear, and isolation as you. Don’t you want to help them?
Since you’re reading this, it’s safe bet you do :)
If you know your clients well enough, you know which of their painful problems are getting worse during the pandemic and quarantine.
You can position yourself as their personal rescue team. That means you work with them directly to relieve their concerns about the pandemic, the quarantine, and the recession.
#8) Make Allies and Pay Referral Bounties
Who else do your clients buy from? Non-competing companies in the same industry could be an untapped source of new clients for you. And with the right approach, these companies can become your biggest allies.
These potential ally companies are interested in (A) additional revenue and (B) serving their clients in new ways.
So you can approach them and offer both. Propose a joint-webinar or training and incentivize your new allies to refer clients to you. These “Referral bounties” are a great way for your ally companies to earn additional revenue from their existing clients. And you’ll sign new clients.
#9) Become A Super Connector For Your Clients
You can act as a Super Connector – bridging a connection between your clients.
Some of your clients will have unique problems without a clear solution. Other clients will likely have encountered the same problem and worked through it. By connecting your clients with each other, you’ll be helping them overcome their challenges and thrive. And with it, you’ll earn priceless loyalty during the pandemic, quarantines, and recession.
#10) Facilitate Their Business Moving Online
Brick ‘n Mortar businesses are feeling the brunt of the quarantines and city lock-downs.
But which companies have boomed during the pandemic? Those that help their clients facilitate business online. Take Zoom, for instance, the popular video conferencing platform. Zoom’s stock is up 22% in the last month, while the broader market is down 25%.
You can do the same in your industry. If you haven’t already, offer your services in an online format. Not only will you be able to serve your clients while everyone is stuck home… You’ll open your business to clients all over the world.
#11) Turn Your Service Into A Scalable Product
If you have a training, coaching, or consulting offer, this is the perfect time to turn your service into a product that can be sold over and over. One agency turned to this method when one of their biggest clients canceled and brought their service in house.
Instead of losing the client, the agency owner offered to train his client’s in-house staff. In doing so, he created a training product that he can sell to others. (And his client kept him on retainer to train their employees.)
#12) Create A Roadmap & Checklists for When Things Get Better
Even though your clients’ businesses may slow down, planning and strategy has to stop. In fact, slow periods are perfect times to think through strategy and build a rock-solid plan for coming back.
And if you are the one helping your clients plan, who do you think they’ll ask to them execute it?
#13) Double Down on Ad Spend, Lead Generation, and Lead Nurturing
Your competitors will scale back their ad spend and new marketing while the economy slows down. For you, this is the perfect window to capture more new leads and clients.
If you have a profitable lead generation and conversion funnel, steadily increase your ad spend and top-of-funnel lead generation. With fewer companies advertising now, your customer acquisition costs will fall.
Your funnel will get more profitable. You’ll end up with greater market share and a stronger business. All while your competitors are sitting on the sidelines.
[BONUS!] The Secret Sauce: Consistency
If one recession-proofing strategy doesn’t work, move on to the next one.
The secret sauce for marketing success is consistency. In fact, keep trying new strategies until multiple new revenue streams are working for you.
Then, as the world returns to normal, you’ll bounce back even stronger.
Now, Back To You . . .
How are you planning to get through the recession? I’d love to hear! Shoot me a private message and let me know how you are adapting to this rapidly changing environment.
And if you’d like to discuss any of these ideas with me personally, I’m opening my calendar for free 15-minute consultations to my audience.
Schedule a time here and let’s talk!