Many companies slow their marketing efforts towards the end of the quarter. This means it’s the perfect time to pull out ahead of the competition. Since your success is our success here at Creative Coaching, check out these tips and tricks on how to end your marketing quarter strong.

Why You Should Keep Going

If your company is stepping on the brakes come the end of the quarter, here are some reason to keep going. By far the biggest reason to step up your marketing game, in fact, the only reason to ever focus on marketing, is because it’s an investment.

You don’t put aside a significant marketing budget just for fun. You do it because it produces a return on investment (ROI). So, what do you need to keep in mind for your marketing budget? We’re glad you asked.

Spending Budget

It ain’t over till it’s over. While it may be rare, some departments find themselves with additional budget dollars allocated. With the “use it or lose it” policy found in most organizations, department managers are looking for opportunities to spend these excess dollars.

• Don’t get passed up by a lack of visibility. Make sure your organization is front and center when prospects are looking for ways to spend their dollars. This includes communicating with your prospects on the right channels at the right times.
• Your end-of-quarter marketing efforts need a sense of urgency. They should feature messages and offerings that company leaders can use to help justify last-minute spending. This includes things like concise, bullet-pointed lists that focus on the value you’re offering, as well as how the benefits of what you’re offering can extend into the next quarter or year.

Another important thing to note is that you should try and avoid wasting your audience’s time by marketing to them just for the sake of marketing. You should respect your potential customer’s time and ensure that, if you are marketing to them, you actually have something to offer other than just information.

One great way to achieve this is via information heavy content marketing. You can write informative articles and create interesting webinars that your audience is interested in and only subtly include advertisements for your business services, or just give your company a little call-to-action plug at the end of an article. You’ll be surprised at how well this can work. Yes, it’s an indirect form of marketing, but customers are often more likely to check out your website or explore your service offering after you’ve earned their trust by providing valuable information.

Think About Next Year’s Budget

Toward the end of the fourth quarter is when most companies are figuring out their budgets for the coming year. Your goal should be to make sure your products or services are fixed firmly in your potential customer’s heads as either a necessary cost to round out the year or as a must have for the next one. This, obviously, is easier said than done. But the best way to do so is to highlight how your products/services address their key points of pain and how you can relieve that pain.

• Identify your customer’s biggest pain-points.
• Create ROI reports and cost/benefit analysis to help department heads justify spending on your company’s products and or services.  
• Provide proof-of-concept via case studies as well as customer testimonies and, if requested, references.

So, the takeaway is to remember to focus your marketing efforts, particularly at the end of the year, on the benefits you’re providing to the customer. Don’t waste your breath describing features, or just trying to raise awareness about some particular product and or service. That sort of passive advertising and marketing is fine at the beginning or in the middle of a quarter, but it is not okay at the end of one.

Need to develop and implement a truly effective marketing strategy? Then it’s time you checked out Creative Coaching’s Consulting services. our website or give us a call at (888) 201-0567.