Part
2 . . .
Marketing
and Management Tips
For Tough Economic Times
When you run out of red, use blue!
- Pablo Picasso
Design Messages and Programs That Speak to What's on Your Audiences'
Minds Now
In the wake of September 11 and with the ripples of recession
widening daily, people's values, concerns and lifestyles are
changing rapidly. Your programs and messages should be changing
with them.
The state of the economy and fear of
flying make backyard marketing more important than ever as people
postpone plans for long-distance travel and stay closer to home.
Renewed patriotic spirit opens the door to heightened interest
in local history and local heroes. And
increased cravings for comfort, meaning, reassurance and togetherness
pave the way for changes in everything from how people spend
their time to what types of foods they order in restaurants.
Family volunteering, for example, on
the rise in recent years, has seen a spike since September 11.
If you haven't yet established a family volunteer program, what
are you waiting for?
It's important to stay abreast of these
changing cultural trends. (Iconoculture's Guideposts
for Moving Forward and study findings at Euro
RSCG Worldwide are good places to start.) Strive
for relevance in your programs and exhibits, offer solutions
-- and in the words of Frances
Hesselbein, Chairman of the Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit
Management, keep asking yourself the question, "When our
customers look at us, can they find themselves?"
Remove the Blocks
Most organizations have layers of bureaucracy that impede the
flow of ideas and slow down the approval process. If yours is
one of them, remove as many of those blocks as you can so that
your organization is able to react quickly when news developments
or changing trends warrant.
Make Everyone a Marketer
Everyone in your organization can be and should be a stakeholder
in the marketing process. How can you accomplish that? First,
make sure everyone understands what marketing really is (What is Marketing?) -- and that
it supports mission, not undermines it. Then make marketing an
inclusionary process and an integral part of all planning. Most
important, let people know that their ideas are welcome -- and
that they will be heard.
Get the Message "In"
You read an ad or receive a direct mail piece promoting
an intriguing new product or service. But when you call for more
details or go in to purchase it, you can't find anyone who knows
what you're talking about. You're met with a blank stare, an
"I don't know anything about that," or you're given
the wrong information.
A lot of marketing campaigns fail not because the message
doesn't get out, but because it doesn't get "in." Before
you launch any new marketing initiative, be certain that everyone
in your organization knows about it, understands their role in
it, and realizes the importance of that role. Poor internal communication
is bad marketing practice in any economy, but in tough times
it can be devastating.
Put Your Money Where it Counts
Spend your money on results-oriented
marketing materials, not image building. Four-color brochures,
expensive annual reports, elegant stationery and dazzling store
packaging are great for building your image -- and for draining
your recession-era budget. When dollars are tight, it's more
important to concentrate on creativity and effective calls to
action. And while you're at it, consider doing rack cards instead
of brochures and using more postcards and self-mailers.
Tune Up Your Targeting
Scrutinize your media buys to
make sure you're reaching your target audiences and getting the
biggest bang for your buck. Take advantage of all the
market research information that media sales departments can
provide. And don't be afraid to negotiate price. Mary Fessler
of Media Matters offers some excellent tips on media planning
and buying in her three-part
article for Backstage@Festivals.com.
Think No-Cost and Low-Cost
Take better advantage of no-cost and low-cost promotional
opportunities. Pitch more feature articles to newspapers and
magazines -- the time you spend finding a good story angle can
pay off more than most ads ever will. Send out tip sheets on
timely topics to members and the media. Publish an e-mail newsletter.
Keep the events calendar on your website up to date. Aggressively
market your speakers bureau. Write newspaper op-ed pieces and
letters to the editor. And start paying more attention to getting
those "free listing" forms filled out and submitted
on time!
Do More of What Works
If you have a popular event that always sells out,
add an extra day or repeat it in a few months with a different
twist. If certain classes always fill up fast, offer them on
additional dates or institute a Part II. When times are tight,
it often makes more sense to replicate than it does to reinvent.
At the same time, it's important not
to put all your marketing eggs into one basket. Don't pin all
your hopes on one event, one campaign or one method of recruitment.
Increase your overall efforts so that if one thing fails, you
have others to fall back on.
And take a closer look at what's working now and what isn't
-- and adjust your marketing plan accordingly. If, for example,
your corporate donations have nosedived but individual giving
is holding its own, concentrate on cultivating more individual
donors. If you usually do a lot of marketing to schools at a
distance but security fears are keeping them from traveling,
heighten your marketing efforts to schools in your own geographic
area.
Avoid Entitlement Mentality
Keep your messages positive
and remember that nobody "owes" you. When there's
more year left than there is money, it's tempting to appeal to
potential donors on the basis of urgent financial need -- even
throwing in a bit of a guilt trip for good measure. Don't do
it.
Many of your constituents are feeling the same economic pinch
you are and, frankly, when they're worrying about their own ships
sinking, they're likely to think that saving yours is your problem,
not theirs.
People give because you fulfill needs, not because you have
needs. But it's easy to forget that when you're feeling desperate.
Keep focusing your message on all the positive reasons there
are for supporting your organization: great learning experiences;
good times; the opportunity to be part of your important mission,
exciting programs and wonderful service to the community.
Get Out of the Bunker
If you're not already doing it, this is the time when you must
get out from behind the desk and concentrate on building and
nurturing relationships. Meet face to face with important donors,
become active in community groups, cultivate new contacts --
and network with local business people. Hearing the strategies
they're using to cope may help you develop even more of your
own.
"When You Run Out of Red, Use
Blue"
Pablo Picasso had the right idea. There are always solutions
-- even in tough economic times. The trick to finding them is
being willing to look for them. And being flexible enough to
adopt them when you do.
<<
Back to Part One
Copyright © 2001 Katherine Khalife All rights
reserved.
For reprint permission, please e-mail info@museummarketingtips.com
Katherine Khalife is a writer and consultant specializing in
museum and Internet marketing, customer service and heritage
cultural tourism. See the Services
section for information about her workshops and other services
or e-mail her at kkhalife@museummarketingtips.com
