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RECESSION-PROOF MARKETING:
Internet Marketing Comes Of Age (Part 1 of 2)
New Times Bring New Ways to Market
 When the economy is not bright, potential customers withdraw from the usual brick and mortar shopping venues. Traditional media is largely focused on drawing people into stores for in-person shopping.
Such is not the case for Internet marketing. Internet marketing has the power to draw an audience into brick and mortar stores, but it is not limited to that. It is largely known among Internet shoppers that they can efficiently look for the best deal, make a selection, and complete a purchase all from the keyboard.
It is impossible to ignore the promotional potential of the Internet avenue. Even magazine and newspaper publishers and television and radio broadcasters all have a marketing presence on the Internet. Internet marketing is one of several strategies you can employ to make you business more recession-proof.
Today’s Economy Makes This the Right Time to Include Internet Marketing
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about an impending recession in our economy. It sometimes seems that the only people who don’t know we are already in a recession are top government officials.
Certainly, for quite some time, business owners and wage earners have seen the earmarks of an economic recession. Businesses seek to make their own commerce as recession-proof as possible. Not only are these business owners and wage earners searching the Internet for the best bargains to meet their needs, many businesses make the Internet their chief place for conducting business. There is a lot of money to be made using the Internet as a primary promotional pathway.
Expanding New Business During Recessionary Downturns
National Retail Federation is forecasting $204 billion in retail sales over the Internet, a 17% increase over last year. Other findings include:
- 35% of retailers will continue to market through search engines.
- 90% will use pay-for-performance search placement and 79 percent said they will make this a priority this year.
- 85% said they have used some shipping with conditions promotion in the past and 35% said they will focus on more of these promotions this year.
- 65% said they will increase focus on social networking advertisements and 55% said they will focus on Web widgets.
"From higher shipping costs to changes in consumer shopping habits, online retailers are not immune to the current economic climate," says Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org. "But the fact that online sales will increase substantially this year demonstrates the resilience of the channel and is a testament to the value and convenience most customers find when shopping online."
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Using the Internet as a primary vehicle for expanding economical product promotion in a downturn, here are a few more ideas that may help you make your own business ventures more recession-proof:
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Offers to former clients. If you haven’t talked to some of your former clients for awhile, it is a good time to do that now. Former clients know the quality of your work and you have an inside lead since you have established contacts with management internally. This isn’t a hard-selling call but a “how’s business and what’s going on call” with ideas to suggest. It is a good way to bring the client back to you with an idea you present to them and then offer to implement.
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New assignments/existing clients. Review what you have been doing for your current client and form some new ideas for smaller, incremental programs that can improve their business. Again, meet with those people who manage the account with you and suggest some ideas. Hear what they tell you and respond with necessary modifications that help the proposed project be more acceptable. Then offer to implement the new ideas for them.
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Broaden your own promotional footprint. If your business has been targeting more affluent or large-base customers, consider making some modified packages of promotional tools and go after some of the clientele that is a little smaller than your usual customer. Offer “economy promotional packages” to smaller clients. By working economically, it won’t be difficult to find things you can do for these clients that suit both their and your needs.
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Sell-up and expand. Eighty percent of the time a sale is completed only after a fifth sales call. On average, only ten percent of the sales people make sales calls on a prospect more than three times. That collects the low hanging fruit, so to speak, but there is much more money to be made if you are willing to take that extra effort to stand on your toes. Look at leads you have explored before and see if you see opportunities to go back and make some calls with new ideas to implement. Do your homework and it can pay huge dividends.
By adding to your Internet marketing strategy, and by looking at ways to broaden your (and your clients’) promotional impact, you can better protect yourself and your clients from intrusions brought on by economic downturns.
Thrive Marketing Ranked as a Top 25 Web Design Firm
 ThriveMarketing is ranked in the Top 25 Web Design Firms for 2008 by The Phoenix Business Journal. Thrive ranks #18 on the list and is the 2nd youngest company firm on the list, formed in 2004.
With a web design expert like ThriveMarketing helping you with your Internet marketing, you are in good hands. And, we have plenty of amazing results and happy clients to prove it...
To read Recession Proof Marketing (Part 2), click here.
Happy Clients
 "Not only did Thrive help me create a website that went beyond my wildest dreams, but they assisted me in creating an entire marketing package—one that fit my needs and my budget. I have felt supported and nurtured from day one. Working with Christie Turley at Thrive has been not only one of the best business moves I have made; it has also been a sheer delight. I could gush forever! Thank you Christie & Thrive!"
-Rebecca Ecklund, Apparel Manufacturer  More Testimonials Read Case Studies
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ThriveMarketing is a proud recipient of multiple American Marketing Association Spectrum Awards and is ranked in the Top 25 Web Design Firms by The Phoenix Business Journal.
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