Marketing is a critical component of any industrial business. It has the potential to mean the difference between success and failure. When the economy is in a slump, marketing becomes even more critical.
Marketing can be difficult during an economic slowdown due to a lack of funds. However, there are numerous things Industrials can do to assist their marketing efforts during this time.
The Importance of Marketing during Recessions for an Industrial Business
Businesses need to be more inventive and imaginative than ever during the crisis. Businesses need to put in more effort now if they want to retain their clients and keep them coming back for more. And this applies to your industrial organizations as well.
In a recession, marketing departments are under tremendous pressure to generate new and innovative ways of attracting new customers. This is because, in a recession, businesses have less money and resources than they would during times of economic prosperity.
One of the most crucial points to remember is that marketing is never a waste of money. Marketing and advertising are always necessary investments, regardless of the economic climate.
For Industrials to remain competitive and profitable during the current economic downturn, your marketing teams must rethink their strategies and methods. Industrial marketers need to use marketing tools that can cut costs, better target specific customers, produce measurable results more quickly and have a positive impact on the bottom line to be successful during this recession.
As we approach 2023, it will become increasingly difficult for businesses (particularly smaller ones) to succeed without new ways of marketing themselves.
Here are the top 5 ways how Industrials should market during a recession
1. Turn to your customers, rather than count on new logo wins
The recession is the time when Industrials should prioritize customer retention over new logo acquisitions. This is the time when your customers are your biggest assets, and once you have engaged and happy customers, your journey through the recession becomes smoother.
As Industrials, you should focus on your current customers- keep them engaged, check in on them to see how the recession is impacting them, and try to figure out ways in which you could assist them through this downturn. This will, in turn, help you out in the long run! Your customer churn rate will decrease, and good word of mouth will definitely increase the probability of new logo wins once the recession comes to an end.
2. Be sure to understand your customer’s needs and wants
At the onset of any recession, consumers tend to rethink everything that they have invested in. They often compare any products or services that you offer with the perceived value for their money.
Industrials need to pay more attention to details and ensure that their customers remain with them. First, it is vital to understand your customer’s needs and desires and figure out ways in which you can meet those needs amid a recession. Then the next step is to ensure that you not only meet but also exceed those needs.
3. Create a marketing strategy that fits your business model
Marketing becomes a bit tricky during a recession. More often than not, due to various reasons, we have seen that marketing initiatives are not prioritized in an economic slowdown.
Marketing for Industrials isn’t just about selling, but it’s also about creating awareness about the brand and influencing public opinion. Therefore, a good marketing strategy needs to be backed by a creative idea that will capture the attention of your target audience and compel them to take action.
Industrial marketing campaigns need to be better strategized to help organizations survive tough times. During a recession, the market changes, and the things that have worked for you before need not be still working for you. Instead, you need to focus on adopting new marketing strategies that fit your business model while keeping your budgets in check!
Recession is the right time for Industrial marketers to get creative.
4. Get creative with product, pricing, positioning
Once you understand what your customers want and have the right marketing strategy in place, now it’s time to get creative with your product, pricing, and positioning.
A recession influences the purchasing patterns of your clients. Their priorities change, and so does their buying behavior. The best way to deal with this situation is to think outside the box and experiment with the pricing and positioning of your product. This helps you remain competitive and capture the attention of your prospects. The right positioning efforts help Industrials to differentiate their products from the competition and stay ahead of the curve.
5. Go full throttle on digital transformation
In this age of digital disruption, digital transformation is the key to growth. Unfortunately, even during an economic slowdown, digital transformation is not something that you can oversee. Many Industrials try to cut costs by reducing their digital transformation efforts during a recession. But this is a bad idea because it will only lead to more losses when the economy recovers.
As Industrials, you should concentrate on how you can leverage new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to provide value to your customers while also creating new revenue streams for yourself. Investing in digital transformation initiatives will definitely help your industrial organization prosper through tough times.
You can also read: Customers can help Industrials navigate through the recession – if only Industrials would let them