Step 3: Focus on Your Current Customers
We’ve made it to the final step in our “Being Strategic in A Slowing Economy” series … focusing on your existing customers. Customer retention is always key in a business development strategy and is even more vital when things become uncertain with the economy. When reallocating marketing spending to those proven effective areas, the top focus should be existing customers. The cost of retaining existing customers is much less than attracting new ones, so shifting your focus to existing customers will lower spending without slashing your marketing budget. Here are two ways to retain customer loyalty.
Become a Strategic Partner:
Provide extra value and service by offering reports, free analysis, and outstanding customer service. These won’t cost you much, if anything, and will go a long way in creating customer loyalty.
Check-in Regularly:
Automate a weekly email and interact often with your customers on social platforms.
Justine is the Founder and Creative Director at Just By Design, a Central Oregon–based marketing studio that helps service-driven businesses build standout brands with strategy and purpose. With more than 20 years of experience in digital marketing, SEO, and content strategy, she’s known for combining clear thinking, creative direction, and real-world practicality to help businesses grow with clarity and confidence.
A proud University of Oregon graduate, Justine has called Oregon home for over 40 years. She leads every project personally, collaborating with a close-knit team of expert creatives and developers. Whether you’re launching something new or leveling up an established brand, Justine brings a thoughtful, hands-on approach to turning your vision into visibility—always grounded in strategy, built for real impact, and backed by care.