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Marketing in Times of Change The beauty of a well-planned marketing strategy is that it’s flexible enough to accommodate unforeseen challenges. By Carrie Karki
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hough times of change are inevitable, they have obviously been especially challenging throughout 2020. As a small business owner, a parent of school-aged kids, and an active member of our community, I empathize with that fully. While not easy, it’s important to take change in stride and adapt as much as possible. When it comes to an organization’s marketing strategy, that same philosophy applies.
marketing partner who will take the time to get to know you well enough to be able to offer customized recommendations and solutions. Building a marketing strategy during times of change may seem daunting, but if you do nothing, you can’t expect anything in return. It’s best to jump right in and tailor it to where you are now, while noting
The beauty of a well-planned marketing strategy is that it’s flexible enough to accommodate unforeseen challenges, and solid enough to help your business weather the storm and still succeed. In reality, this is a crucial time to make a concerted effort to connect with your market, keeping your business front and center. If you don’t have an official marketing strategy, now is an essential time to create one, preferably with the help of a
Contributor ________ Carrie Karki is the president and founder of WhiteBox Marketing, a full-service marketing agency located in downtown St. Cloud.
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BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
target audience. This is who you need to be talking to. d Define a budget. The sky’s the limit when it comes to ideas, but knowing how much money you have to work with will make the dollars you have, work as hard as possible. e Outline your plan of action. Decide what you’re promoting,
The beauty of a well-planned marketing strategy is that it’s flexible enough to accommodate unforeseen challenges, and solid enough to help your business weather the storm and still succeed. the long-term direction you want your business to grow in. The initial outline doesn’t have to be elaborate, and can even be as simple as exploring these few key questions.
how you’ll do it, and who you need to help you get your message out there. Now is the time to enlist the talents of your marketing partner, if you haven’t already.
a Consider your niche or specialty. What is it that you want people to know you for, and what do you do best?
f Monitor and reflect. Layers of marketing are the best course of action so you are in front of the right people repeatedly. If you can measure your return on investment (ROI), you should. If concrete numbers aren’t feasible, as is often the case in advertising, reflect on how close you’re getting to those goals mentioned earlier.
b Identify your competition. Who near you provides a similar service? c Name your ideal client or customer, also known as your