Advertise Your Way Through a Recession

Guess what marketers in the flat lining economy are singing? When the going gets tough, the tough gets going! Clearly consumers are watching their spending which means that the advertisers need to try harder by providing better rates, top placement or other incentives.

Modern marketing techniques have been used extensively to assist businesses with attracting consumers and converting more visitors to leads. However, in recessionary times its importance is magnified as the Internet is a clear and proven means for exceptional return on investment. It is much more targeted and measureable than traditional advertising channels. When competition is less active it is definitely the time to dominate the market. To top that, online advertising is simple, cheaper [most of them are free] and a faster option.

Great Return on Investment
Great results can be achieved with just a bit of effort, minimal time and no cost. Post your article or service to online forums, use your social networking profile to provide information about your business services, advertise for free on Craigslist, undertake and email marketing campaign or try posting articles related to your business on the number of free article submission sites. Writing and submitting press releases is an important aspect of most marketing campaigns. Today, you can use the extensive online databases to perform targeted submissions. For added ROI, link all [posts, ads, emails] back to your website.

Another widely used technique is e-mail marketing. You can add coupons to e-mails to acquire new customers or even convince existing customers into availing your services. When you attempt to generate publicity through your social networking profile through blogging, RSS feeds and incorporating community functionality, you are using Social Media Optimization. It distinguishes itself by focusing on driving traffic from sources other than traditional search engines and thus results in higher ranking.

Online classified advertisements are a popular option for browsers looking for jobs, housing, pets or personal services. Craigslist is a breakthrough network of online communities which features online ads relating to community, services offered, housing, jobs, services, gigs and forums on various topics.

Free Advertising on Google
Create an account with Google and use Google Maps or Google Local to ensure that your business shows up in the search results on Google.com. When Google infuses these results on its page, it increases the value of its local search and Maps application. I searched for ‘Salon in New York.’ Check the image below. Sense Spa at The Carlyle is listed at the top of the Google search results.

This isn’t paid advertising. There are a number of other salons listed as well. None of them have paid to advertise their services on Google. All they have done is added their business [or edited it if it is listed] at google.com/local and followed the simple steps to verify their business. A concise description of your business/services, contact details, a logo which represents your business and details of any offers you want to advertise, just what you need to get your free advertisement on Google. You could add a coupon for FREE as well to further entice customers!