Are You Ready for 2010? How to Assess Your Marketing for the Coming Year
I presented two topics at the 2009 Southern Building Show & Conference – “Marketing in a ‘Low’ Time” and “Eco-Friendly Building Trends.” Like other tradeshows this year including the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show and the International Builders’ Show, the turnout was somewhat bleak, but the tone was conservatively optimistic.
Regardless of the past few tumultuous years in our beloved home and building industry, there is hope on the horizon. No matter how bad things may seem right now, they will eventually turn around — just as they always do.
As marketers and business leaders operating at a little more than halfway through the year, now is the time to look to 2010 and prepare for a rebound.
Do you have a plan for when the economy and industry improves? Have you determined the areas of marketing for which you will reap the highest return on your investment in the coming year?
Think. Plan. Consider.
- Think about which marketing activities you need to maintain and possibly increase.
- Plan new marketing strategies to reap the greatest benefit when conditions begin to improve.
- Conisder the changing media landscape and traditional marketing channels’ effectiveness on your brand’s overall marketing objectives
With the decline of print and the overwhelming popularity of social media, media channel effectiveness has experienced a dramatic shift — away from television, radio and magazines to word-of-mouth/guerilla marketing. What’s more, customer service, experience and satisfaction have reached new heights of business and marketing importance as customers now have the ability to directly communicate with brands due in large part to the ever-increasing popularity of user-generated content.
Only time will tell if conditions will drastically improve for your company in the year ahead. But despite your valid concerns, it’s no secret that preparing for 2010 is key to your brand’s short- and long-term growth and success.
Diligently assess your marketing return on investment. Have a strategic plan. Implement it. And prepare yourself for a rebound.
If you’re interested in free downloads of my Southern Building Conference’s presentations you can email me at sk@kleberandassociates.com.
