Marketing Jam ‘09Marketing Jam 09PR and Marketing in Times of Turmoil

May 12, 2009

Question #1:

H f h i dHow many of you have increased your marketing effort in the current business

i t?environment?

Yes No

Question #2:

H f f l t dHow many of you feel you must do more with less?

Yes No

Situation

• Recessionary periodRecessionary period• Unemployment high• Capital is constrainedCapital is constrained• Demand is down• Resources are scarceesou ces a e sca ce• Nothing seems easy

Never enough…

MoneyMoney

Time

LeadsLeads

Must haves…

Strategygy

TargetsTargets

Message

Differentiation

Strategy

Wh t i t lli ?• What is my most compelling message?• Where is my market sweet spot?• Who are the decision makers?• Who are the decision makers?• Should I shoot at the top first?• How do my targets get their information?How do my targets get their information?• How can I penetrate those channels?• Can I secure referrals first?• What will be my follow-up plan?

Target / Focus

R h• Research• ID your targets

N ti iti• Narrow your activities• High frequency / high impact

W k h d• Work harder • Work smarter

Messaging

M i• Message session• Sharpen

Si lif• Simplify • Document

G t i t l f lk b d• Get internal folks on board• Test for message pull-through

Low Cost Tactics…

Media Relations

Ask for Referral Relations

Power mappingBe Host

Referral

E-NewsletterLetters

SpeakingGift Books

Networking

Partner

Entertain

Events …can keep eyesPartner Events …can keep eyeson your firm

Reach Out and Touch

E l / ft• Early / often• Reinforce relationships

T k f t d• Take no one for granted• Wine / dine

S k i fl• Seek new influencers

Do Something Different

• Host luncheons• Tasteful PR series-like events• Marketing Jam ‘09g• Speed networking• C-level dinner• Unique client gifts• Reward referrals• Involve employees in marketing

Sales

B b ld• Be bold • Ask for referrals

“W h ld b ki t th ”• “We should be working together”• Call former clients / customers

St t ll b ild t t• Start small, build trust• Ask for projects

The Beauty of a Recession

P f t ti f diff ti ti• Perfect time for differentiation• The tough get tougher

T t l• Tests your resolve• Spurs innovation

S t• Successes are sweeter• Organization becomes stronger

Recommended Reading

“Selling to VITO” (the Very Important Top Offi )Officer),

Author: Anthony Parinello

“Getting to VITO” (the Very Important Top Officer),

Author: Anthony Parinello

Defending the Role ofDefending the Role of Marketing

Marketer’s Role

• Are you concerned about being laid off or losing accounts because of cutbacks?accounts because of cutbacks?– You’re not alone– Organizational advocate vs individual roleOrganizational advocate vs. individual role

• As marketers, how do we advocate internally for ythe good work that we do?

Ask Yourself

• What really drives your executives? Sales?– Sales?

– Goodwill in the community? – One-upping competitors?One upping competitors?

• Besides your direct supervisor, how many people do you really have a relationship with at your organization?

• More importantly, what do they know about you?about you?

Ask Yourself

• How often do you report the results of your role?

• When and what do you report?

• Do your executives really understand how to evaluate your work?

• Who initiates reporting?

Tracking and Reporting

• Report your success on the same schedule used to measure operationsto measure operations

• Demonstrate your impact on what matters to themy p(member satisfaction, product inquiries, sales)

Sh l i d d bl• Show correlations and draw reasonable conclusions (don’t need scientific results)

• Words I don’t use: “branding,” “awareness,” “coverage” – Mean a lot to us, little to executivescoverage Mean a lot to us, little to executives

Look to the Marketplace

Find benchmarks to Track the activities ofreinforce expectations

Track the activities of competitors

Become a Planner

• The only way to demonstrate success is to defined what success isdefined what success is

• Minimize the impact of fly-by projects that derail p y y p jyour most important initiatives

B l b l i h li i• Be a team player, but a team player with limits

Marketing in a Recession

Initiative Outlook Your ActionC t C tti Eli i t U t ti ti dCost Cutting Eliminate non-

essential functions first

Use statistics and analysis to show how you’re essentialy

Executive Changes

New executive “doesn’t get” marketing

Demonstrate your strategic value in a language they do “get”marketing language they do get

Budget to other depts.

Believe marketing takes resources

Demonstrate how marketing creates more ot e depts ta es esou ces

away from R&D, production, etc.

a et g c eates o eresources for operations

Questions? Call us…

Stacy Armijo Michael RussellStacy Armijo512-448-4950

sarmijo@piercom.com

Michael Russell512-448-4950

mrussell@piercom.com