Marketing For Free

Many Businesses Won’t Survive The Crisis. Don’t Be One Of Them

The biggest mistake a business can make is to stop marketing, especially in difficult times.

Marketing can be a cost, but it doesn’t have to be.

Remember your customers are your greatest asset. Don’t ignore them.

Many businesses that survived recessions in the past have gone on to thrive because they were well placed to take advantage when the hard times were over, and that is particularly true in the leisure industry.

When people have struggled and had to cut back, booking a holiday is often high on their list. Will you be ready to serve them? If they’ve booked with you before, will they remember you?

I have followed Chris Cardell for many years. He is a world renowned authority on entrepreneur success and has run a webinar showing 10 ways to do marketing for free.
I would urge you to watch it.

His presentation included:

1.  Online Videos. Video marketing is one of the most effective ways to market your business, and it’s free and easy to do, even if you’ve never done it before.

2. Email Marketing. Send emails regularly, talk to your customers like they are your friends and don’t ignore the current situation. And use your lists.

3. Events. Do an event such as a webinar, an online meeting or a video call etc. There are several ways to keep in touch.

4. Referrals.  Don’t just let them happen, ask for them. People love to connect and comment. This is why TripAdvisor and Social Media channels like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are so popular.

5. Joint Ventures. Look for joint ventures not only in the leisure and travel sectors but elsewhere where other businesses could have access to people you want to target.

6. Telephone Marketing. When was the last time you called your customers and asked them how things are going? They will remember your call when they start looking for holidays.

7. Social Media. This might seem obvious, but how effectively do you use it? How often do you post on Facebook,. How many groups do you belong to? Do you have a Blog and post regularly? You have the time now that you’ve never had before.

8. Upsells and Affiliate Marketing. What can you add to increase the value of your product or service? Can you add or include other people’s products and services in your offerings?

9. PR. Articles or interviews in the media are great ways to get free marketing often to people you wouldn’t normally target. It doesn’t need to be selling but passing on your knowledge about things and places that would be interesting to others.

10. Split Testing. What is working and how can you improve it?  Testing is something everybody talks about but we never have the time to do it. Well you do now.

Watch Chris Cardell’s presentation here