When the slow season strikes, it's time to put some energy into pumping up that brand. These five exercises will show you where to start.

On your mark. Get set. Good.

Good approach for the off-season, that is, and a prime situation to be in—perched in a power position, reputation honed, and ready to grow—when things start to pick up again.

The following five exercises are designed to help you get there.

Exercise 1: Strengthen connections with your current customers

Shift your focus to your tried and true: your current customers, who require no acquisition costs and, with a little nurturing, could become one of your most valuable marketing assets.

"Attracting a new customer costs far more than keeping an old one happy. Not only that, but an old customer is far more likely to bring you new people via word of mouth than someone who isn't even a customer yet," Seth Godin wrote in a recent blog post.

For example, this MarketingProfs case study shows how Toronto-based FreshBooks, an online invoicing service, was able to more than double its customer base over the last year, much of that through word-of-mouth. How? By surprising customers with dinner invites, going out of its way to send a little something special when a customer has a baby or even just a bad day, and fostering friendships that go beyond the typical client-vendor relationship.

Another example comes from Roselle, IL-based Exhibitgroup Giltspur, an experimental events/exhibit marketing agency. Its leadership team was able to completely turn the company around, increase sales more than 12% a year, and decrease client shrinkage by 75%, all through the development of a client-centric culture.

Among the client-focused initiatives it implemented:

  • Holding one-on-one meetings between company executives and clients with the sole intention of listening to client needs
  • Making the executive team's contact information readily available to all clients
  • Producing competitive audits for clients along with recommendations for how they might better engage their target markets
  • Incorporating small gestures, such as providing airport transportation at conferences, into all of its client-facing activities

Exercise 2: Stretch into the industry expert position

Content that illustrates your level of expertise, understanding of the marketplace, and best-practices in action can work to establish credibility—as well as increase organic site traffic if you can also effectively incorporate popular keywords.

A good place to start is case studies of successful client campaigns that demonstrate your core competencies as a business or professional. Your approach, however, should not be to simply tout your products or services; instead, it should aim to showcase the challenges overcome and the benefits achieved by your client in a way that potential customers can relate. For a little inspiration, check out the MarketingProfs case-study archive; you can even borrow our format, if you like.

Once written, case studies should be posted to your site, then shared with current and potential customers as well as industry media, which may end up featuring your story and lending additional credibility to your business.

You might also get your name out there by contributing content to industry organizations or by answering questions on LinkedIn's Answers forum; but in all instances, understand that credibility will come through your ability to impart knowledge and provide value to readers.

Exercise 3: Build your network muscle

A recent article by Jefferson Graham in USA Today tells how Hansen's Cakes of Beverly Hills has realized a 15-20% lift in sales since one of its staff began using her Facebook status to relate her daily cake-decorating projects to customers, and how a barbecue lover with a special bacon recipe landed a book deal and a "thriving ad-supported BBQ blog" after his Twitter update found its way to CNN and The New York Times.

Those are great social-media marketing success stories, but one of the reasons they worked was because, in both cases, sizable networks had been established ahead of time. The cake decorator, for example, had 2,000 friends on Facebook, and the barbeque lover had already accumulated 1,500 followers, at least one of which re-tweeted his message and helped to propel the dissemination process.

To build you network on Twitter, it's important to show potential followers that they have reason to follow you; you should offer insightful, interesting tweets that relate to their interests. Take the time now to develop and execute that strategy, then try following others with similar interests in anticipation that they might recognize the value you provide and return the favor.

Subscribe today...it's free!

MarketingProfs provides thousands of marketing resources, entirely free!

Simply subscribe to our newsletter and get instant access to how-to articles, guides, webinars and more for nada, nothing, zip, zilch, on the house...delivered right to your inbox! MarketingProfs is the largest marketing community in the world, and we are here to help you be a better marketer.

Already a member? Sign in now.

Sign in with your preferred account, below.

Did you like this article?
Know someone who would enjoy it too? Share with your friends, free of charge, no sign up required! Simply share this link, and they will get instant access…
  • Copy Link

  • Email

  • Twitter

  • Facebook

  • Pinterest

  • Linkedin


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kimberly Smith is a freelance writer. Reach her via dtkgsmith@gmail.com.

LinkedIn: Kim Smith