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Recession-Busting marketing Tips

• Hire a specialist branding company (we know one really well!) to bring your image and message under a brand. Develop all collateral and image materials (web, stationery, logo, tagline, mission statement, cards, postcards, brochures, elevator pitch, newsletters, letters, project sheets, company profile, etc.) to coincide with the brand and your message.
• Develop a mission statement that shows your reason for being and the value you provide to your customers.
• Develop a memorable tagline that expresses who you are and what you do.
• Make a matrix of all those you'd like to reach in the next year and the potential influencers on those people. Develop a timetable and calendar of outreach.
• Regularly write and issue press releases to the media.
• Regularly write and post press releases to your website.
• Regularly write and post press releases directly onto the internet.
• Regularly write articles and do all three of the above.
• Regularly write and pitch feature story ideas to the media.
• Diversify all marketing, PR and media to reach the markets where your clients are to be found (as opposed to marketing within your own service industry).
• Participate (attend, speak, host, present, show) in at least two national and local industry conferences.
• Create and issue an online or direct mail newsletter.
• Get known for niche expertise or specific industry knowledge. (speak, write, present, teach, Blog, use on-line forums to express all your thoughts/ideas on your niche expertise).
• Participate and sponsor local charitable efforts; get your name in the program the charitable cause distributes; get your name in the press surrounding the event.
• Think Local - who is near you, get to know all potential teaming partners in your geographic area. Let them know your people, your areas of expertise and potential for cross referrals.
• Develop collateral material with a regional bent; think what projects, services, people or elements might be important to this local market and capture this regional tone in all collateral material.
• Develop tip sheets as to how your company is different than your competitors and why this makes a difference to teaming partners and to your end users-your potential clients. Include these differentiating tips as the basis for all your branding statements.
• Develop a calendar of local and regional events in your locale and make your company visible in the areas most related to your company and your potential clients' interests.
• Post your calendar of appearances and participation on your website.
• Plan a media release before and after each event.
• Hire an industry professional to conduct a survey on your behalf; post the results on your website. Publicize the results most important to your industry.
• Update your website to be informational based so that search engines can find you, and clients can read in-depth material demonstrating your expertise.
• Add informational website content a minimum of four times per month and overhaul your entire website at least every 2 years.
• Establish your brand by regularly updating the financial value or potential value associated with your brand. Quantify results achieved and add these results to your brand value. Communicate through all methods, the value of your brand to those associated with it.

Branding your company is key to influencing a memorable response in the minds of your chosen audience. It is not only the name recognition of your firm, but also the perceived value of your organization. Capture these twenty-four essential branding elements and begin to cement a positive branded image for your firm.