Pest Management Professional, December 2012

marketing matters Preparing for Harvey F Goldglantz Contributor F all findings of PNC banks biannual survey regarding 2013 s economic outlook indicates a decline in owners expectations for sales and profits as the lackluster economic recovery struggles to gain steam The pace of the U S economic and jobs recovery remains disappointing said Stuart Hoffman chief economist at PNC Despite significant headwinds like the deepening recession in Europe and impending fiscal cliff the hiring plans and business outlook reflected in this survey are just enough to keep the modest recovery persistent into 2013 The survey found 46 percent of respondents expect sales to increase in 2013 s first six months Also profits are expected to be lower than at the end of 2012 Twenty three percent of those surveyed expect to add new employees Only 58 percent plan to spend on capital investments in the next six months while spending on technology equipment remains priority Marketing your way out of uncertainty Companies that increase advertising during soft economies can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times Consider allocating 6 to 9 percent of 2013 s projected revenue for your marketing budget Also consider Q Social local mobile SoLoMo The SoLoMo concept is how consumers prefer their content today Your content will have to bridge these three essential content variables and tailor content to the end users needs Smartphone adoption will continue to grow with projections suggesting theyll account for nearly 90 percent of all mobile phones by 2013 Q Create once publish everywhere Creating adaptable linked copy and image formats can help make the expensive practice of effective content creation more efficient Content management systems CMS marketing teams and budgets will also adapt New CMS offerings will emerge in 2013 that will help with multi channel content management and deployment Q Email is old school The use of email declined last year for most age groups but increased in age groups Buy Marketing Matters by Harvey F Goldglantz from the PMP bookstore at www mypmp net 55 years old and older Video as a communication tool will become the standard supported strongly by social channels The 2013 marketing plan Measurable business objectives are the cornerstone of a successful marketing plan Goals should be measurable so that its clear when objectives are achieved Objectives should be realistic without lacking ambition Q Maintaining and growing client base Maintaining and growing your customer base is a key element of any marketing strategy It is usually possible to identify which clients you can grow which have a stable revenue stream and which are at risk of going to a competitor Think about the most cost effective ways of keeping your clients and growing the average revenue per client Can you promote other products and services to your existing clients Q Acquiring new clients How are you going to ensure that your business generates enough leads to have a steady flow of prospects in your sales funnel Apply some common sense financial targets How much will it cost and how much additional revenue will be generated This provides a useful comparison for different marketing tactics Some which initially appear expensive exhibiting at a Home Show for example might in fact be a very efficient way of generating new business and raising your profile in a niche market Budgeting for 2013 Break your marketing strategy into a month bymonth plan of activities and include detailed cost analysis This helps identify pinch points in terms of expertise resources and cash flow Know in advance how youll measure results and evaluate the success of the marketing strategy Compare the cost of the marketing program to the expected increase in revenues after allowing for direct costs of generating revenue Approach 2013 with a marketing plan aimed at achieving your goals with more confidence and control over growth PMP Goldglantz president of Pest Control Marketing Co and author of Marketing Matters can be reached at hgpcmcinc@ aol com 74 December 2012 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net