5. Give social media a shot
To me, this one is a no-brainer. Using social media tools, you can target your message to the key influencers in your space, you can communicate with them directly, and there are no media costs associated with it. In fact, the "creative" oftentimes is limited to good thinking, brand consistency, and good copy/content. This reminds me of the simple diagram of the spheres of influence; this is the place where you're talking to the most loyal of your customers -- the ones who you can convince to use more of your product and to tell others. The success metrics are there; we just need to get smart in finding them quickly.
6. Re-evaluate your software
There are probably a lot of tools that you consider to be part of your standard bag of tricks that, if you were in the market for those tools today, you wouldn't buy them. It is not that they're not good tools, or that you don't feel that what they do isn't essential -- it is simply that they're too expensive for the anticipated return on investment. Re-evaluate your licenses, and take another look at the basic tools you use every day. There have been many improvements in the last year from companies exploiting the efficiency of the software as a service (SaaS) model, and today's vendors are much more competitive. You may be able to both save money and get more value. And today, you might be willing to give some underdogs and newbies a shot.
7. Change the way you talk to management
Timelines are tightened, and resources are being squeezed. Every moment you can spend kicking around ideas or talking about budgets with the decision makers at your company or clients is precious. Make the most out of that time by doing some of their mental legwork for them. In other words, stop speaking in code and start bringing things back to the bottom line -- dollars and cents rather than conversion rate lifts and engagement.
Also, think about how the web fits into the company's overall strategy rather than just communicating the results of the web strategy's performance. Figure out the simple but important things -- for example, the cost of a customer online versus acquiring them offline. Or identify the costs of promoting in a new or underperforming market online versus opening or maintaining physical locations. How does the web contribute to the company's goals in both sales and costs reduction?
If you're going to recommend making additional investments, don't overlook the fact that those investments need to be returned faster than ever. Find out what that window should be and propose only those things within that window; otherwise, you run the risk of having nothing heard. And even if you get approval, have a plan B. Realize that companies' outlooks are changing every 60-90 days, and you will need to be prepared to solve new problems.
Conclusion
Hopefully the above suggestions are nothing new to you. I also hope that we can get things back to normal quickly and move to where we operate less in 90-day windows and in environments of constant uncertainty. However, the current good news is this: We are getting the chance to do some clean-up, try some new things by getting scrappy, and start truly operating our web properties like the legitimate contributors to business that they are. Get your squeeze on!
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Reid Carr is president of Red Door Interactive.
