Originally published by Marketing Donut in my guise as a blogger for small businesses looking to get the most from their marketing.
In a downturn, it isn’t just small businesses that look to make their pennies stretch further or spend more time investing time resources into ‘free’ marketing opportunities but they certainly have a greater opportunity to do such things. If trade is down and money is tight, things might look bleak and the marketing resources cupboard somewhat bare.
One way that you may choose to keep on top of your marketing activities, even if the budget has run out, is to try out something that requires little or no money (beyond buying a computer and internet connection). Social Networking or online media resources are a great way to make use of your time in an inexpensive manner in order to drum up trade and to make sure your business is ‘out there.’
If you are unfortunate enough to have less footfall than you are accustomed to in headier times, you may be in a position to spend more time on Twitter, Facebook and any of the hundreds of online social networking sites where you can promote, network, converse or establish your brand and make real connections. If you do this well you may see that trade picks up again and so you have less time to commit to online activities as you are dealing with fantastic customers making purchases. When trade does pick up once again, does online marketing through social networking have to give?
I believe in the cliché that tough times make us stronger but beyond that I anticipate that this recession has rewritten the rules of small business marketing and the online marketing model of the future will see social networking as a standard practice in advertising for small firms. When the tills are ringing again and the ‘R’ word is but a distant memory, try and set aside short and frequent bursts of online marketing activity, be it Twitter, Blogging or Facebook, for great results long-term.
We at TS Group definitely agree that social networking is the way to go to improve traffic to your business. It’s inexpensive and well worth the time it takes to connect to the community.
We can help! We create great websites and advertising for small businesses.
Don’t give up hope in this economy! Together we can make small business thrive once again.
TS Group
877-332-7102
http://www.tsgnw.com/webdesign
Great article, I think the combined timing of the economic downturn and rise in the effectiveness of social technology, mean that marketing spends are moving away from traditional methods for good. SME business could never really compete with the upfront investment in traditional advertising anyway (recession or no recession) and we are witnessing a seismic change in the ability of these companies to get their message out to a new audience, able to influence a community with more direct and insightful information about their products and services than ever before, bring it on……..
Don’t be afraid of the social technology, there are many who can help you and isn’t it best to use technology companies who are making social media work for themselves, we at http://www.comapny-net.com have a brilliant partner http://www.reddresscreative.com who are pioneers in the use of the social networking for business, give us a call and see if we can help.
Many people shy away from social networking out of fear. Companies fear giving out too much information or too little and being misunderstood. The other day, a popular talk show host mentioned that she deletes most Facebook friend invitations because she fears that too much information will leak out into the wrong hands. Times are tough and there are wierdos out there… but we can’t hide all our lives. The Biblical Proverbs say a lazy man says there’s a lion in the streets and stays indoors out of fear. There’s no lion! Just get out and do something that will make a difference for you personally and for your company. Making friendships is important to humanity. As it stands now, people are so distant and have difficulty relating to each other. Social networking on the internet can help bridge the gaps.
I love to see cultures that welcome strangers and whose families consist of 3 or more generations. Love the bonding that occurs when neighbors get together for celebrations and just to chat. You can’t always share a pot of tea or split a sandwich with strangers nowadays, but you can atleast welcome them to your website and introduce your ways of life and maybe exchange a friendly conversation or two.
You can create a great website for personal or business use with TS Group. Start today at http://www.tsgnw.com/webdesign. Not familiar with social networking and marketing your services?? We can help!
877.332.7102