When the Going Gets Tough ... MOVE!
By Deirdre Cavener, MCP
Digital Marketing Magazine

You can't make it to the finish line if you aren't in the race!

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!

About The Author

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.  She also writes for Bay Area Business Magazine.