J Wright Design – New York based Graphic and Web Design studio delivering creative and targeted solutions.
I was walking with my daughter in the grocery store parking lot the other day. I was lost in thought, thinking about a friend that got laid off, how much I just paid in taxes (yes, I’m THAT guy), what a troubled state the economy is in. You know, the good fun stuff that really lifts your spirits. Then my daughter said, “Look daddy, a balloon!” as it rose up into the sky. In that moment, in that cheesy clichéd three-year-old moment, I realized that all the worrying in the world won’t change what the economy is doing. The lack of control is what gets to us all, especially small business owners. But there are things you can control. Assess your marketing strategy. Get your email campaigns going. Keep your site updated. Or build it if you don’t have one. Evaluate how effective advertising is in a newspaper versus online solutions.
Even though it is tempting to let this aspect of your business slip, now is not the time to slack on your marketing. Research from Webvisible and Nielsen state that only 44% of small businesses even have a website. Working on your online presence puts you at a great advantage when compared to your competitors. Most importantly, people will LOOK for you before they GO to you. Make sure they like what they see.
Ignore your marketing and you might find your business float away like the proverbial balloon.