Don't Let the Recession Depress You

No more free coffee, the outside marketing firm has been dismissed? Across the country increasingly businesses are continuing the belt tightening & reigning in expenses. the staples needed to operate a business are what all that appears to be bought these days. But is this thinking a mistake or is it wise business? Thus, the answer depends on the level of your optimism. Are the obstacles we are facing a temporary hiccup or will these doldrums go on for years?

Personally, I have no choice but to be optimistic. The thing you can control for definite is your attitude. Therefore, our company is moving forward with an eye on dominating our niche irrespective of the conditions. There is no other alternative. Without this mindset, you'll drive yourself crazy & your business may die a slow & painful death. America has seen worse & each time when the odds were stacked against her, they not only survived, but came back even stronger. I think that no politician can truly hold back the American spirit one time it gets motivated. The pressure is building even now. Admittedly, I am a bit naive so I recognize that attitudes along can over you only part of the way.. So maintain your realism as well.

Now may be that crucial moment when you select to do what your competitors will no doubt refuse to do. Get aggressive & expand in whatever way you can. Perhaps it is offering more services or products, or perhaps it is investing in new technologies. Regardless of the case may be, this might be that golden moment when you seize what looks like despair & pull ahead of your more complacent rival. After all lots of of the giant companies they enjoy today had their giant move in the work of the gloom of the Great Depression. "little" company was Proctor & Gamble; another was the radio industry in general. In our industry Smead Manufacturing, the makers of Smead file folders weathered the depression under more youthful more aggressive leadership. What was the major contributor to this growth? Both anecdotal & empirical proof support the case that marketing was the main factor in the growth or downfall of companies in the work of those years. To put it bluntly, the companies which demonstrated the most growth & which rang up the most sales were those which advertised heavily. The Great Depression offers classic examples of the power of brand marketing even in the work of times of economic crisis.

What will most companies do? Nothing. This is fantastic news for you. Money may be tight but you'll start taking a small from a lot whereas your competition was geared up to take a lot from a small. Let those other daft companies nix their promotion. Avoid such a rash decision.

Today promotion means lots of different things. From by hand distributing your material, to traditional print, to tv and radio, to net and naturally to the latest darling, social media, you have at your disposal boundless m ore options than did the successful companies of the Depression. You have economical methods that even the tightest budgets can support. Use them.

The situation is not hopeless. There is money to be made for the nimble and the smart prepared to rethink and prepared to reinvent. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

  Sales might have slowed but you can and must learn to sell differently.
  You better prepare your business for e commerce. It is not going anywhere.
  Take full advantage of the free promotion vehicles that exist. (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Social Bookmarking, etc.)
  Focus on you website's SEO and search engine position. It is the battle ground you finally must face. Do it now if you have avoided this.
  Use every free tool you can to promote your net site and gain valuable traffic. (weblog, e-mail market, editorial writing, etc)
  Be it a web designer or SEM guru, hire any verifiable professional you can afford to help move your message quickly and effectively.
  Don't be so fast to lower all of your prices as your only offensive maneuver.
  Maintain a healthy positive attitude. The choice is terrible.
  Vote out incompetent politicians that have strangled business growth but don't spend you mental energy blaming them.
  Be proactive and think about joint ventures with companies associated together with your industry but not direct competitor ( example: office products and the copy machine industry often target the same person).

This boils down to your dedication to creativity and your willingness to modify to a quickly changing surroundings. Let your competitor's indecision drive him out of business while you seek to become increasingly relevant. Stay the work (of a sound business plan) and in time you will be a success despite the economic odds.