Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Spending more during a recession = spending less in the long run

The recession has been causing many businesses to change their strategies which includes downsizing and cutting costs. Cost cutting is a great way to increase gross margin and maintain profit in the short term and works for many companies, but what's hard to grasp in a time like this is that spending more in certain areas of your business will actually save you more money. This is a constant rule that applies in almost any industry and should be taken very seriously when going through cost cutting procedures. Cutting costs without carefully examining the long term effects could cause a lot of harm to your companies long term profitability.

This is very true in the trade show and marketing industry. Many marketing efforts take time and effective research to work to their full potential and give a return on your initial investment. In the trade show display industry there many different display options ranging in price points and quality. Cutting costs in your trade show marketing budget can save a lot of money in the short term, but it is important to examine why certain products have a lower cost. In almost every situation a lower cost product will last for a shorter period of time than more costly product. When budgeting for long term marketing plans it is critical to examine how many uses each display will have to determine if a higher cost display should be purchased up front. This is a critical consideration because if it will last for more uses, it will result in a MUCH lower cost per use.

If most of your marketing displays and banner stands are only used a few times, then low cost options could be a very good way to save cash in your current fiscal year.

I offer both options for all the products I sell on my site. I offer very low cost products for temporary solutions as well as high quality options that will hold up year after year. Carefully planning your marketing plan and teaming with a good supplier that can work with you on every project will help to maximize your ROI on every marketing campaign.

-Matt
NWCI

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