Burkhard Works:How To Advertise During a Recession

Here are Eight Things you can do during this recession to stay profitable and prepare for the next Rising Tide of Economic Prosperity, just in case it ever comes in.

1. Increase Reach. Reduce Frequency.

In any Recession the weekly market of Active Shoppers in your category will shrink. Therefore the share of this week's Active Shoppers delivered by any radio or TV station, newspaper, or magazine will also shrink.

You must increase your advertising REACH to find them, which means you must give up frequency. Instead of a 70 reach 3 frequency buy (210 GRPS), try 75 and 2.5 (187.5 GRPS).

If your advertising delivers VALUE, you'll pick up most Active Shoppers without wasting a nickel trying to bludgeon non-Shoppers into submission.

2. Look like you're Worth More.

Perceived Value (which must be greater than Price) is a combination of emotional appeal and relevant details.

All purchase Decisions are driven by Emotions
and then rationalized with Facts.

Even if you have to cut prices, don't try to look suddenly cheaper than The Other Guys. Low price speaks for itself. You should still LOOK like you're the highest value in your category. When the next high tide does roll in, you won't have to repair a cut-rate image.

3. Slickify your Website.

Your home page presents your packaging, your brochure, and your corporate image in about eight seconds. Your web site is also your store. However beautiful it looks, if people can't find what they want and buy it quickly, they're gone.

In Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization it is true that Content is King. The right keywords will drive in tons of hits.

But in sales, Conversion is King. Whatever dollars you spend on clicks must be recouped from visitors who Buy Something.

Cost Per Click / Conversion Rate = Cost Per Sale.

To increase conversion, slickify the path from First Impression to Check Out. Eliminate needless diversions, links, pop-ups, and eye candy.

Do your ads and your web pages look like they promote the same brand, or different "visions?" Get your ad agency, web designers and database managers working together. Stop coddling your web techies. Start stroking your prospects.

4. Think Like a Seagull.

Before Man, Seagulls used to dive deep in the ocean for stray fish. Recently they've learned to trail along behind Giant Trawlers feeding of the detritus and small fry cast over the stern.

Don't try to expand your category with a primary sell aimed at first time buyers. Go after people who are dissatisfied with those more expensive, more heavily advertised products. Trail along behind the Big Brands and pick off their detritus. (See Problem Detection Research and Brand Resistance Surveys for tactical suggestions.)

5. Call or click your own company.

Try to buy something from yourself. Count how many buttons you have to push to get to a human. Tell that person what you're looking for. Use a fake name. Be a little vague. Disguise your voice. Listen carefully.

Does your telemarketing team know your brand, your technology, your shipping rates, your website... cold?
Do they know what ads you're running today? Slickify your TMs, too. While you're at it, ask a teenager to try to buy something from your own site. See how long it takes!

6. Call or write your Best Customers.

Thank them for their support. Ask for their opinions. Remember Ed Koch: "How am I doing?" Ask for an unvarnished testimonial. "Could we quote you?" Add some current gush to your sales materials and direct mail.

Even better, make Testimonial Radio Spots. Run them on High QA Cume stations in Five Top Markets. Compare results to the Image TV you run in Five Other Top Markets.

Aim high. Bottom feeders are tapped out. Run your ads in media that reach the top two household income quintiles. The US Treasury won't bail you out, but your better-heeled prospects might.

7. Try something New. Anything.

When sales are in a slump everyone in your company gets depressed. If for no other reason than as a morale booster, try something new. Do you need Permission to change anything?

Test a new campaign. Try a different piece of direct mail. Learn something about Direct Response Radio. Launch a new low-budget initiative every six weeks. If one in three pays out you'll be way ahead of The Other Guys.

8. Get The Works - BurkhardWorks.

I am the only human in America who combines Madison Avenue media and branding strategies with the bare-knuckle tactics of Direct Response.

Which means I can apply bare-knuckle DR to the challenges of brand managers and retailers.

Most of the people on your Team of Team Players have never been through one recession. I've been through four. If you'd like learn more about how you can get through this one, do what you want your own best prospects to do. Pick up the phone.

(407) 895-3092.

Calls & Clicks, Sales, Rollout = Profits


Here are Eight Things you can do during this recession to stay profitable and prepare for the next Rising Tide of Economic Prosperity, just in case it ever comes in.
1. Increase Reach. Reduce Frequency. In any Recession the weekly market of Active Shoppers in your category will shrink. Therefore the share of this week's Active Shoppers delivered by any radio or TV station, newspaper, or magazine will also shrink. You must increase your advertising REACH to find them, which means you must give up frequency. Instead of a 70 reach 3 frequency buy (210 GRPS), try 75 and 2.5 (187.5 GRPS). If your advertising delivers VALUE, you'll pick up most Active Shoppers without wasting a nickel trying to bludgeon non-Shoppers into submission.
2. Look like you're Worth More. Perceived Value (which must be greater than Price) is a combination of emotional appeal and relevant details. All purchase Decisions are driven by Emotions and then rationalized with Facts. Even if you have to cut prices, don't try to look suddenly cheaper than The Other Guys. Low price speaks for itself. You should still LOOK like you're the highest value in your category. When the next high tide does roll in, you won't have to repair a cut-rate image.
3. Slickify your Website. Your home page presents your packaging, your brochure, and your corporate image in about eight seconds. Your web site is also your store. However beautiful it looks, if people can't find what they want and buy it quickly, they're gone. In Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization it is true that Content is King. The right keywords will drive in tons of hits. But in sales, Conversion is King. Whatever dollars you spend on clicks must be recouped from visitors who Buy Something. Cost Per Click / Conversion Rate = Cost Per Sale. To increase conversion, slickify the path from First Impression to Check Out. Eliminate needless diversions, links, pop-ups, and eye candy. Do your ads and your web pages look like they promote the same brand, or different "visions?" Get your ad agency, web designers and database managers working together. Stop coddling your web techies. Start stroking your prospects.
4. Think Like a Seagull. Before Man, Seagulls used to dive deep in the ocean for stray fish. Recently they've learned to trail along behind Giant Trawlers feeding of the detritus and small fry cast over the stern. Don't try to expand your category with a primary sell aimed at first time buyers. Go after people who are dissatisfied with those more expensive, more heavily advertised products. Trail along behind the Big Brands and pick off their detritus. (See Problem Detection Research and Brand Resistance Surveys for tactical suggestions.)
5. Call or click your own company. Try to buy something from yourself. Count how many buttons you have to push to get to a human. Tell that person what you're looking for. Use a fake name. Be a little vague. Disguise your voice. Listen carefully. Does your telemarketing team know your brand, your technology, your shipping rates, your website... cold? Do they know what ads you're running today? Slickify your TMs, too. While you're at it, ask a teenager to try to buy something from your own site. See how long it takes! 6. Call or write your Best Customers. Thank them for their support. Ask for their opinions. Remember Ed Koch: "How am I doing?" Ask for an unvarnished testimonial. "Could we quote you?" Add some current gush to your sales materials and direct mail. Even better, make Testimonial Radio Spots. Run them on High QA Cume stations in Five Top Markets. Compare results to the Image TV you run in Five Other Top Markets. Aim high. Bottom feeders are tapped out. Run your ads in media that reach the top two household income quintiles. The US Treasury won't bail you out, but your better-heeled prospects might.
7. Try something New. Anything. When sales are in a slump everyone in your company gets depressed. If for no other reason than as a morale booster, try something new. Do you need Permission to change anything? Test a new campaign. Try a different piece of direct mail. Learn something about Direct Response Radio. Launch a new low-budget initiative every six weeks. If one in three pays out you'll be way ahead of The Other Guys.
8. Get The Works - BurkhardWorks. I am the only human in America who combines Madison Avenue media and branding strategies with the bare-knuckle tactics of Direct Response. Which means I can apply bare-knuckle DR to the challenges of brand managers and retailers. Most of the people on your Team of Team Players have never been through one recession. I've been through four. If you'd like learn more about how you can get through this one, do what you want your own best prospects to do. Pick up the phone. (407) 895-3092.