Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1394762
18 I PSAI Association Insight, July 21, 2021 times, people need to hear messages before they "stick." So if you are not "out there" in your market on a pretty consistent basis, people will forget. You might not mind that too much right now, but you will certainly care when things slow down and the orders aren't coming in. 3. Your competition isn't quitting their marketing or advertising. People will spend money to make purchases, and if you don't make these potential customers aware that you are selling something, they'll spend their money elsewhere. They'll also form a rela- tionship with your competitor that will make it harder to gain them as cus- tomers later. It is that simple. If you are relying on your alphabetic listing in the phone book to get your business, you may just be watching your competitors continue to grow. 4. Marketing strengthens your iden- tity. When you quit marketing, you shortchange your reputation, reliabil- ity and the confidence people have in you. The bond of communication is too precious to break due to the ups and downs of the economy. The advertising you are doing this month is what consumers are going to remem- ber when they need you, which may not be until 2022 or beyond. 5. Marketing is essential to survival and growth. With very few excep- tions, people won't know you're there if you don't get the word out. Of course your trucks and your equipment have your name on them, and that will give you some passive presence in people's minds. But what about the folks who aren't seeing that equipment? The PSAI often takes calls from contractors who will be entering an un- familiar market seeking re- ferrals for providers in those towns. At that point, the fact that you are a PSAI member and your name is advertised with us will get you the prospect. Those new customers won't have seen your equipment anywhere. Just as you can't start a business with- out marketing, you can't maintain one without it. 6. Marketing enables you to hold on to your old customers. Many busi- nesses survive on repeat and referral business. Old customers are the key to both. When old customers don't hear from you or about you, they tend to forget you. On the flip side, if a cus- tomer who sees your marketing efforts after they have done business with you, they will be enhanced to remem- ber you and use you again as a trusted and well-respected business. 7. Marketing maintains morale. Your own morale is improved when you see your marketing at work, and especially when you see that it does, indeed, work. Your employees' morale is similarly uplifted. And cutting out marketing can look like failure to those who actively follow your advertising. That won't be many people, but it will be some. 8. Marketing gives you an advantage over competitors who have ceased marketing. Both a thriving and troubled economy can be a superb advantage to a marketing-minded entrepreneur like yourself. Don't be the one who stops their messaging. You should be the one who continues to take advantage of the market when your competitors decide to sit it out. Even if this means creating messages to explain how busy you are now and to help customers find alternatives, you are still helping customers and they'll remember that. This will give you a chance to pull ahead of your equally busy competitors and attract some of their customers over the long haul. In all economic situations, there are winners and losers. Be the winner. 9. Marketing allows your business to continue operating. You still have some overhead: telephone bills, rent and/or equipment cost, possibly a payroll, your time. Marketing creates the air overhead breathes. 10. You have invested money that you stand to lose. If you quit marketing now, then all of the money you spent for ads, commercials and advertising time and space becomes lost as the consumer awareness it purchased slowly dwindles away. Sure, you can buy it again. But you'll have to start from scratch. Unless you are planning to go out of business, it is rarely a good idea to cease marketing completely. Business should be compared to a shark, it is always moving forward. If you decide it is okay to stand still with any part of your business, you may soon be compared to a dead shark. Not moving forward could mean going belly up over the long run. So advertise with the long game in mind. You will be glad you did. Crazy Busy? Don't Stop Promoting Your Business! (continued from page 17)