Printer Friendly

Email Article

May 2009 | Dental Lab Products
Competitive edge : marketing strategies

Brand relevance

Photo: Southern Stock/Getty Images

Prospering in a down economy means protecting
and maintaining brand expectations..

By Bill Neal, CDT

Many dental laboratories around the country are scrambling to replace business lost to the slipping economy. Many have cut their prices and others have opened new “price” or “value lines” to appeal to price-conscious dentists. These are reactive tactics and can often help a business “stay afloat” until the economy rebounds. Others are taking a proactive stance by investing in new CAD/CAM technologies to bolster offerings and regain lost sales. Still others are doing nothing, “waiting it out” and hoping they will still have a business when all this is over.

All have one thing in common: their individual brand identity, which must be protected at all costs. It is what built the company and is an identity that you’re heavily vested in. When trying a new campaign in these tough times, you need to consider all options, and know that success or failure depends on your approach.

An effective marketing campaign in a tough economy must follow some basic principles. Whether you are a marketing novice or veteran, it is always a good idea to stay focused on the basics. Ignoring them can waste valuable time and marketing dollars and can do serious damage to your corporate image or brand identity.

Principle No. 1: Marketing Works…
Billions of dollars are spent every year on marketing products and services for a good reason: marketing works. In essence, marketing is about making your products and services known to potential customers, and it must be part of every business for it to grow and prosper. Build on your existing brand, expand it and promote it.

Principle No. 2: …but not Overnight
The classic mistake for any small-to-medium size business whose sales are down is to scramble to get out a letter or flyer that will bring in enough business for next month. It doesn’t work that way. Marketing takes time to work. Developing a brand identity in your market and making your services known takes continual repetition. One piece of a campaign builds on another. From newsletters to ads to direct mail, all the pieces fit together to implement your strategy and promote your brand. Marketing isn’t something you can do occasionally and expect it to be effective. It should be an ongoing effort in your business; it never stops.

Principle No. 3: Consistent Identity
New customers do not know you or your company. You need to fill this void of information with an identity. Everything you send out, every means of communication should be consistent with the identity and brand you want to project. Regardless of the product or service you are promoting, there should be an underlying message or theme about your identity that remains the same. If you forget this, you will confuse your marketplace and squander a valuable hidden benefit of consistent marketing: a recognized, established brand identity in your market.

Principle No. 4: Consistent Messaging
The lack of a marketing strategy will cause you to “shotgun” ideas and messages, thus wasting valuable financial resources. Your potential customers, as well as some existing clients, have a void of information about you. You need to fill that void by directing their attention to a particular message about your capabilities.

Principle No. 5: Market Regularly
It is not the brilliance of your campaign or the foil embossing on your stationery that will ultimately bring you marketing success. It is the relentless hammering away in your marketplace, with consistent messaging, that will win the day.

A mediocre campaign, doggedly carried out on a regular schedule, will always outperform a dazzling, but haphazard campaign. Make sure your campaign is dynamic; that it touches every communication you have with new and existing customers. If your newsletter stresses your commitment to service, do not have sullen or uncooperative phone personnel.

Principle No. 6: Follow-Up Is Vital
What good is a marketing campaign with little or no follow-up? No good at all! Yet it happens all the time. There is a flurry of activity, money is spent, mailings and ads are done, leads come in...and that’s it. The sales person was too busy to follow-up. In three months, when you need new business, those leads will be dead cold.

Decide ahead of time who will handle follow-up then make sure they do. Follow-up is the final step in making your marketing efforts pay off. It cannot be done when you have the time; it has to be done now.

Principle No. 7: be Committed
Like everything else, you will get out of your marketing campaign what you put into it. Take the time to strategize and plan your activities, and follow through with your commitment.

Whatever you decide to do during this economic downturn, remember to protect your brand identity. You have invested heavily in it, and anything you do from this point on should be directed to ensure the expansion, promotion, and growth of that brand. 

• Marketing in an uncertain economy
• Web marketing: Be indispensible to your office
• Going direct