Why Now is the Perfect Time to Invest in Marketing (and Creative Hiring)
I've always been fond of dating analogies, especially as they relate to client- and job-searching. They're just so apt, sharing common themes of communication, self-confidence, and the value of knowing a lot of people.
Turns out Eric Karjaluoto likes dating analogies too, evidenced in his blog on his excellent Ideas on Ideas blog, entitled "Stop acting like a sissy and market your company." The message is fairly straightforward: getting clients, like getting dates, requires making impressions on a lot of people, and presenting yourself as valuable. So when the economy tightens, the last thing you should be doing is getting quieter:
What baffles me about all of this is how people are choosing to cut their spending. I can appreciate reducing office space or negotiating a lower lease rate. I similarly understand reducing staff members or entertaining job sharing options. What I can't quite grasp, however, is this tendency to narrow the pipe for incoming sales. When you aren't getting dates, you don't go home and watch re-runs of Matlock; you get out of the house and meet people.
It seems that most companies are in fact doing the opposite of this though. I talk to numerous people in key roles who look a little like they're a moment from crapping themselves. When I ask what they are doing in terms of marketing they typically respond in the same fashion,
telling me something to the effect of, "We know it's something we should be doing, but we have to cut right now."
A nice office space doesn't directly drive sales. Office perks may heighten morale but they don't necessarily bring in new clients. In times like these, all of us have to look at what keeps the machine running. As such, there's one simple truth that I want you to embrace: your company has to accelerate its marketing and sales efforts.
This may help explain why the creative professions seem to be doing slightly better than the job market as a whole. Getting noticed, whether for purposes of selling stuff or attracting clients, requires creative effort, and smart businesses recognize that. This is why good designers, especially those with a marketing bent, are still relatively in demand, though they're probably expected to multitasking more than in pudgier times. Karjaluoto takes the additional step of presenting the company that embraces marketing as being in an unusually good position to gain share from more timid competitors:
When times are good, everyone's clamoring to have their voice heard. Today, however, your marketing dollar has more bang, largely because fewer people are advertising, selling, and getting the word out. It's ripe for you to get out there, bang your drum, and perhaps even grab a couple of your competitors' clients in the meanwhile.
Note: This article was originally written by Carl Alviani.