Lead generation and content marketing are Rachel Klaver’s areas of expertise as a marketing strategist.

Opinion: Thousands of small business owners actively participated in frequent communication with their communities during the pandemic. Perhaps you were one of them. There were letters, updates on Facebook, and moments of intimacy.

I sincerely wish that these actions had lasted even after everything had reverted to our new normal from a business standpoint.

We safeguard our company in trying times by staying in touch with and cultivating relationships with those who have chosen to provide us at least an email address or a follow, and at most, financial support for our goods and services.

We all need to promote our products or services, but the problem is that most small business owners either don’t have a strategy or rely on a shoddy plan. It makes sense why marketing is frequently the first item to be neglected and put on the backburner when combined with a lack of necessary abilities.

Then everything settles down, and all of a sudden it seems like a good moment to try, including marketing.

It might be challenging to convey to someone how effective and consistent marketing can be if they have never seen it in action.

If your marketing has never produced the anticipated outcomes, the issue isn’t with the idea of marketing per se. The “how” and “consistency” that are used to describe it are the problem.

In my business, I never want to be in a desperate situation. When we are in such a state of desperation, we may choose clients poorly or provide services that don’t play to our strengths. Ultimately, I want to avoid having to promote my company reactively in order to save it, which is what motivates me to do it every week.

However, there are circumstances that are out of our control, and in those cases, I am completely willing to step up my reactive marketing efforts in order to drive sales for the company. All of us should be prepared to fight for a change. This preparedness is crucial to the success of our marketing.

Reactive marketing, in my opinion, represents the “sales and hard-core push” component of marketing. Contrarily, proactive marketing entails setting up a reliable system and building the groundwork for it.

Regardless of the stage of our firm, we must always engage in both sorts of marketing, but the proportion fluctuates. If the economy is currently struggling, we should reserve 30% of our marketing resources for proactive marketing and devote 70% of our efforts to reactive marketing.

As our company expands, we change this balance. When things are going well, the ratio would be closer to 70% proactive marketing that focuses on long-term reforms and 30% reactive marketing to keep the revenues coming in steadily.

A compass, proactive marketing points our company in the direction of long-term success. It necessitates deliberate, planned activity while steadily establishing our influence.

By taking a proactive stance, we forge a significant presence in our sector, draw in our target market, and build a solid customer base. It entails fostering relationships, providing insightful information, and demonstrating our knowledge.

By making these efforts, we establish a foundation of reputation, trust, and long-lasting relationships that is conducive to business expansion.

Although reactive marketing is frequently considered a response to outside events, it should not be disregarded. It enables us to take advantage of present chances and quickly adjust to evolving situations. We may be more responsive and nimble as a result, increasing our chances of quickly attracting and closing sales.

However, relying only on reactive marketing is a danger because it could produce erratic results and leave us exposed during economic downturns.

There are instant, doable steps we can do to achieve those crucial, immediate sales when it comes to reactive marketing.

Let’s think about email marketing’s reactive and proactive aspects:

Email is one of the best mediums to use if you need sales right now. Utilise your email list by sending promotional emails with time restrictions and obvious calls to action to buy or make a reservation right now. Create enticing incentives that will encourage customers to make purchases, such as discounts, one-time specials, or payment plans.

Keep your prices for your services from dropping too low if you run a service-based business. Instead, think about bundling offerings or offering more affordable, smaller offers.

Create proactive email marketing systems as you engage in reactive email marketing. Create a nurture sequence of emails filled with content and education to engage your readers and gradually build trust.

This proactive strategy widens what I call your “sticky web” of material, keeping people interested in your business and preserving a solid connection with your audience even during sluggish times.

Use Instagram Stories every day to advertise your deals if you use the platform. Incorporate engagement stickers, such as polls and quizzes, to promote involvement. Add buttons to your content to encourage your audience to respond or contact you directly.

Every day, you can talk about your deals in some way on Stories, and if they are automatically shared on Facebook, you can reach users on both platforms at once.

While you are utilising social media for reactive marketing, proactively post interesting content to your feed. This information may be instructive or inspiring. Maintain consistency for your audience as well as the platform’s algorithms.

Strategic partnerships

Let’s go on to discussing the utilisation of strategic alliances for both short-term and long-term gains.

Look through your contacts and contact any strategic partners who can aid in spreading the word about your goods or services to their clientele. Look for ways to support each other’s enterprises through mutually advantageous agreements and cross-promotional opportunities.

You may reach new audiences and improve your chances of making sales by combining your efforts. You might even be able to create an offer for which you are both responsible for the marketing and contribute to it.

It is crucial to cherish and cultivate these relationships in the long run. Spend time connecting with others in the industry, joining relevant Facebook groups, and conversing with them. By creating these connections, you can improve your entire marketing environment and raise the possibility that people would think of you first when recommending you to others.

Yes, it’s possible that we need sales right now, and it’s essential to engage in marketing initiatives that help with that. However, if we don’t also lay the groundwork for more long-term, sustainable marketing initiatives that produce leads and sales, we’ll get caught in a stressful cycle of brisk and slow sales.

No matter the situation, we should take action for today’s success while always saving something for a future that will be simpler.