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PinellasLife.com Local Marketing Blog
Articles
When the Going Gets Tough …
MOVE!
By Deirdre
Cavener
Published in
Bay Area
Business Magazine
What does the economic slowdown have to do with the
Internet and your business? Everything! When the going
gets tough, you better get going. This is NOT the time
to pull back on promoting your business. It is the time
to rethink your plan and invest in Internet Advertising!
The Internet is the
Yellow Pages of the Millennium.
If you don’t have a
Website and an Internet Marketing Plan the only thing
that comes to my mind is “Business Closed.” Think about
that for a second . When someone is searching for a
product or service, can they find you? Is your business
“invisible” to potential Internet customers? Why, why,
why?! It is 2008, and amid the slow death of yellow page
usage, only a small percent of local businesses have
moved to the Internet. With the economy in turmoil you
better step up your game if you want to survive this
storm.
SWOT Analysis
Whenever there is a
huge threat looming in the business world, opportunities
are also abundant if you do a little strategic
brainstorming. I love conducting a good old-fashioned
SWOT analysis whenever the business landscape is
changing to find that needle (opportunity) in the
haystack.
A SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning tool used to
evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats involved in a project or in your business. A
SWOT Analysis groups together key pieces of information
into two main categories:
Internal factors – the strengths and weaknesses internal
to your business i.e., staff experience, credibility,
longevity, and expertise
External factors – the opportunities and threats
external to your business Many opportunities and threats
can fall into both categories. i.e., the price of gas is
a huge threat to truck manufacturers, but a great
opportunity for motorcycle dealers, bike shops, and
neighborhood businesses.
This powerful technique allows you to fully understand
your strengths and weaknesses and brings to the surface
opportunities and threats outside your business. It is a
simple, but powerful, framework for planning your
future!
Save Gas, Save
Time, Save Money … Go Online First!
Doing business
locally makes cents!
The price of gas is going through the roof! This drives
people to the Internet first when searching for products
and services. If they can’t find your business in a
click or two, they will find your competition.
If you do a local Internet search you will be surprised
at the vast array of businesses in your neighborhood. I
can ride my bike up the street and find an Italian
Restaurant, Walk-In Doctors’ Clinic, Local Sports Bar,
Grocery Store, Gym, Chinese Restaurant, Video Rental
Store, Jewelry Store, Florist, Convenience Store, Drug
Store, Pack and Ship Store, Bakery, Hair Salon, Deli,
Hardware Store, Accountant … you get my drift! Doing
business locally not only saves you a small fortune in
gas, it supports your local economy, and saves you time
(we all need more of that)!
Get Ready … Get Set … GROW
Local Internet advertising can pay off quickly! You
reach the people who want to do business with you right
now. Investing in local Internet advertising is an
investment in the future of your business and the
payoffs are huge. People prefer to do business with
those they know, like and trust. Make that you! The
Internet is affordable to ALL businesses regardless of
size or budget. So start your engines and fuel your
business today!
People go online first to research big purchases and
just about everything else. Is your business invisible?
While in the process of writing this article, I received
the following email from a client:
“I really love your Advertising Ideas. I do not have
$1,000.00 to spend at this time. I just placed an ad in
the XYZ Publication, in all the XYZ Local Newspapers and
I always advertise in XYZ Magazine. Also I just created
and printed 5000 brochures, plus purchased signs for my
new office and car magnets.”
All of the things my client did are important factors in
branding, but I want you to ponder this thought. The
Internet is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to
everyone with Internet access. Wouldn’t it have been
better to invest in an Internet Advertisement first and
then implement the traditional advertising?
In conclusion, the Internet, although global, is the
most important marketing tool available to your business
today. If you aren’t utilizing the Internet, you will
not survive in today’s digital business world! It is the
yellow pages of the millennium! I can only imagine the
controversy that arose among business owners during the
introduction of the telephone. Can you envision not
having a telephone? Of course not. Today a business
without an Internet Marketing Plan and Website is like
having no phone in the 1900s!
Deirdre Cavener,
MCP is President and CEO of K.I.S.S. Marketing, Inc. and
founder of PinellasLife.com, B2B Tampa Bay,
MyGreenPages.com Network, WomenEmpower.com, and The
Beach Life. Deirdre is a Microsoft Certified
Professional (MCP) in Analyzing Requirements and
Defining Solutions Architecture and graduated Magna Cum
Laude from the University of South Florida in 1996 with
a degree in Management Information Systems from the
College of Business. She can be reached at deirdre@kissmarketing.com
or 727-517-8450.
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