Marketing in the "New-Normal World"

I googled the phrase "New Normal" and find I'm one of many using the phrase to describe how business -- and marketing -- has changed thanks to the recession.

There are plenty of industry experts asserting that the rules of busines have changed and maybe for good. Or at least for a good, long time.

Some thoughts on how B2B marketing has been effected:

The involvement of the CFO on more than a peripheral level. Close inspection -- and I mean close -- of the planned marketing spend and occasionally without overt enthusiasm for the positive impact on top-line results is a trend we've seen repeatedly in the past 18 months.

The requirement to do more with less budget. Do I really need to go into detail on that one?

The use of technology to build communities, streamline communications, engage customers, wash the laundry, walk the dog and deliver actionable marketing metrics. Yep. Technology carries a full load these days.

The use of "integrated PR" as a priority program element. PR tends to increase in use during a recession. "Searchified" and "social media-ized" public relations isn't NEW...it's more that the prioritization of these extensions of an already powerful tool may be new. (You could argue with me on that one...)

Lots has changed.

And so have marketers. And their agencies.

Unless your marketing strategy is delivering "send me straight to retirement do not pass go" kind of results, you'd be wise to audit what you're doing and identify ways to re-work your program as you enter 2011.

We urge you not to look for budget cuts, but rather to seek out ways in which you can improve program performance while playing by the new rules.

-- Seek a better understanding of what motivates your prospects in today's economy. Often this is enhanced through improved integration of sales and marketing. Craft your messages, select your tactics, time your activities, in ways that demonstrate your understanding of the prospect's current points of pain. You've changed, right? Well so have "they."

Commit to using audience-centric messaging and tactics. Execute a program that is completely customer centric as well as fully integrated.

-- Consider a shift in focus from customer acquisition to customer retention, but only if this is aligned with top-level objectives and will not handicap your company in 24 or 36 months when you'll be hungry for leads. (We offer this only as a sample strategy, not as one that's appropriate to all companies.)

-- Identify ways in which you can effectively support your sales team or channel. This may be a planned distributor communications program, a co-marketing program or even a Mobile Phone App that aligns sales and marketing teams. There has never been a better time to support sales than now.

What does YOUR new normal look like? How can you evolve your marketing in a way that allows you to take advantage of the opportunities existing within today's economy?

Can we help?