Unica (Nasdaq: UNCA), a global provider of business marketing management (EMM) solutions, today publishes its decalogue to try to offer solutions to marketing professionals in times of crisis:

1. Consider the crisis as an opportunity . Everyone talks about the same thing but really, who does it? Hard times are an opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competition. Do not miss the chance and outperform your competitors using innovative marketing strategies and the right technology.
2. Get more results with less investment : As a general rule, the marketing department will have less budget at your disposal; at the same time they will be forced to cover even more ambitious budgets than in “normal times”. In order to do more with less, marketers need to increase their effectiveness. The a priori requirements are to have everything clear and the optimal technology.
3. Focus on existing customers : How to win new customers is very expensive, this should not be your focus in times of recession. The best strategy is to try to keep your existing clients. To increase your loyalty, make sure your marketing offers are seen as a service and offer them added value.
4. Reconsider and be innovative : Avoid repeating what you have always been doing. If you used to send mass mailings to a large number of clients, try to leave old habits behind and avoid this type of indiscriminate “shout” in the future. Customers do not appreciate marketing offers that do not fit their specific needs but, contrarily, they feel attacked (spam) by them.
5. Listen and talk with your client : Make the most of the dialogue you establish. Find out what your client is really saying, explicitly and implicitly, and use this information to find the most suitable offer. Do you prefer to do your transaction online or offline? Do you visit the company’s website after receiving an offer via mail? Use this information and everything you know about it to go with the most appropriate offer and make you feel understood and valued.
6. Take advantage of the “Good Practices” : You do not have to invent anything from scratch, just be attentive to the “Good Practices”. For example, a well-known Belgian merchant has taken advantage of inbound and outbound integration as well as online and offline communications. After realizing that many of his customers abandoned their online purchase just before proceeding to pay, (which meant losses of more than 100 million euros), began to systematically contact those customers for the next two days asking them the reason for their abandonment of purchase and offering to finish the purchase together. 10% of the clients accepted the proposal, which gave the Belgian merchant an approximate income of 10 million euros.
7. Combines online and offline channels : Do not waste money on isolated structures, but integrate sales channels (online, catalog and store) with marketing channels (direct mail, e-mail, mobile, web, kiosk and telephone. social media such as YouTube or MySpace). Everyone in the company should be able to take advantage of consumer data that has been obtained through all these channels.
8. Prepare for the time after the crisis : Invest in modular technology that can be extended as soon as budgets are increased again. With the new emerging marketing and sales channels, you should be prepared to integrate them into a flexible structure.
9. Follow and evaluate the digital revolution : Consider working with Twitter and the wide range of social networks. Address your customers through their favorite channel and it is very likely that they are willing to listen and respond.
10. Relax and remember : Each cloud has a silver line and the recession will end some day. Meanwhile these tips will help you overcome these moments in an easier way. And most importantly, do not forget to have fun because that’s what marketing should be like!