Promote, Promote, Promote

I was recently in Orlando, Florida at a diversity business conference chatting with a marketing director at Merrill Lynch. Just recently Merrill Lynch lost billions of dollars as a result of the national foreclosure crisis. I asked him if this would affect their advertising budgets. He told me "no", and that they were planning to increase their spending.

I did some research and found that in times of an economic slow down, many big businesses increase their advertising budgets. If this is the case, how much more important is it for small businesses to increase their promotional efforts as well?

Now is a great time to have a better presence at related conferences, to launch a postcard marketing campaign, and even to solicit speaking engagements at industry events. Now is the time to give away free t-shirts and other promotional items with your logo.

Promotion is so much more than just passing out flyers and business cards. It's so much more than just running a classified ad in the local newspaper, or even sticking a magnet on your car.

Effective promotion requires actual legwork. Become a hustler, get on your feet, and go get those clients. If you have a booth at an expo, don't just sit there. Engage people. Conquer the masses, and recruit them as long-term customers.

Don't use the bad economy as an excuse for why your business is slow. Things can easily speed back up when you take an active hands-on role in your company's advertising methods.