PORT ANGELES — Businesses owners should market aggressively, strive for good customer service and take advantage of social networking Web sites like Facebook, a panel of experts told the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce members this week.
Graphic designer Laurel Black, Strait WEB owner Roxi Baxley and Call Center 24X7 owner Shane Miller offered marketing tips in the latest installment of the chamber’s monthlong business series at its weekly luncheon at the Port Angeles CrabHouse Restaurant on Monday.
Black outlined seven strategies for marketing in a bad economy.
Be clear about brand
They were be clear about your brand, have a clear massage, compete as a local business in a global economy, weather the recession through advertising, team up with other businesses for advertising, pretend you are the customer and use spare time to scrutinize your business model.
She said the current recession is no time to stop advertising.
“You can’t afford not to,” Black said.
“You may not be able to advertise as often — and there are certainly less expensive ways to promote on the Web — but this is not a time to stay out of the game.”
Black said local businesses need to compete in a global marketplace.
“You have to earn business all the time because your customer’s opportunities have gone global,” Black said.
“It will never go back to the way it was. And in any case you need to respect your client by making the business case for them to choose you.”
Having a clear message is essential because “confused people don’t buy,” Black said.
One way to market for free is the use of social networking Web sites like Facebook.
Use networking sites
Baxley said about half of the 400 million people who have logged onto Facebook in the last month do so daily, making it a good tool for businesses to use.
About 35 million update their status on Facebook every day, Baxley said.
Before setting up a Facebook account, Baxley said, a business should decide if it wants to increase its sales or build contacts.
Posting useful information on Facebook is important, she added.
“Being active means posting relevant content,” Baxley said. “What you had for lunch today or your vacation photos probably doesn’t belong on your business fan page.”
Baxley said a business should post consistently because Facebook fans, or contacts, can be fickle.
“They’re going to follow you as long as they know what you’re doing, when you’re doing it and what to expect,” she said.
Business should have fans on Facebook instead of friends, she said, because search engines like Google index fan pages.
“People have friends, businesses have fans,” Baxley said.
While most industries are struggling in the current economy, Miller said, the customers service industry is thriving.
“One of the big reasons for that is because retention of customers costs less than gaining new customers,” Miller said.
He cited U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that 2.3 million Americans held customer service jobs in 2008, ranking it among the largest occupations.
Customer service is getting more attention now because social media Web sites allow customers to comment about a business, Miller said.
Local businesses can benefit from good customer service because it fosters customer loyalty, he said.
A good customer representative is “someone who listens and gives a complete and accurate answer in a timely fashion,” Black said.
The final installment of the chamber’s business series is a presentation on Microsoft 7.0 software next Monday.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
