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In this edition of Web Enlightenment we'll be talking about how recession marketing requires the web.

This newsletter focuses on giving you practical, interesting insights into how to successfully use technology as a tool to improve the way you do business. Bridging the gap between knowledge and understanding that all entrepreneurs have will help you make money online.

Please hit reply and tell me what you are doing to change your marketing mix in 2009. I answer every email sent to me.

All the best,

Recession Marketing Requires the Web

I hope you attended a super bowl party last weekend - even I thought it was an a amazing game, and I'm the kind of guy that refers to football as "that game with the oblong brown ball, right?" I also stuffed myself silly with Nachos and other snacks - that is a fun thing to do any day of the year.

If you spent time with people last Sunday I'd bet conversations turned to the economy and to business. Actually, people in rural Franklin county where I live almost always ask me how my business is doing - I'm still learning my "rural polite" but I love the relationships I have with my local community. I lived in cities my whole life and I never came to know those folks in the excellent way I know my country neighbors.

The story of the web professionals business in the last 3-6 months is amazing. Business on the Internet has exploded, gone through the roof, I haven't seen people starting new projects at the rate they are now since the stupid VC funded "boom" times of the late 90's. Every web professional I know is flooded with work and they will soon have troubles keeping up with the pace.

I don't dispute that this reality is a bit weird in a climate of layoffs, shrinking retail sales, and a housing market that sickens most who examine it carefully. However, there are always businesses that do well in down times and I suspect that people who sell alcohol and anti-depression pills are also experiencing a big up tick in their sales volume.

I was recently looking at the statistics for my website and the most popular single page in all of 2008 was my April article on how The Web is Recession Proof....but of course not depression proof. This speaks directly to how interested folks are in this topic and how after all these years, the major thing you need to do to make Google happy and attract lots of site visitors is still so simple - have good content.

So after briefly being happy that someone is doing well in this incredibly difficult climate what does the explosion in the Internet business mean for Entrepreneurs like you?

It is important for entrepreneurs to understand why the web business is going through the roof, and to comprehend how they can use that trend to help their own ventures. You also want to be sure to not make the fatal mistake so many will make as things go forward.

There is only one reason why the web business is growing the way it is - the Internet is far and away the most efficient advertising and marketing vehicle available.

It is likely that the majority of your customers have an email address and it is likely you send things to them via snail mail. And as you know you can purchase amazing template design, managed campaign services, and be able to track the response via email marketing for a small fraction of what it costs to pay for printing and postage.

Correctly executed search marketing, especially CPC (no idea what CPC is? Click here) , has even better efficiency and return on investment. Failure to utilize this tactic is just plain silly.

In a time when we are all looking to cut costs and with an awareness of how dangerous it is to reduce advertising in a downturn - It is critical that you are utilizing the most efficient resources available to you. But you have to balance this reality with the possibility of fatal error.

In all the excitement about the web it is really important to remember that just because something is on the web that doesn't automatically make it a good idea. The same way all mediums have a spectrum of success there are real winners on the web (search marketing, email marketing) and some real losers out there as well (inappropriate social marketing efforts, silly custom applications).

The web is a big part of the answer when you consider how to cut costs and still advertise effectively, some of the efficiencies are just amazing - but you must remember that this year you should go back to basics while keeping your focus laser sharp. Considering social media optimization without a wonderful enewsletter in place? That's silly as could be and you'll fail at that for sure.

I love pirates, they have some of the best one liners and so I offer you one of my favorites: Keep your wits about you laddies - and to it I add my opinion that you should utilize the most efficient advertising and marketing vehicle on planet earth every time you get a chance.

Speaking of Speaking

Agency Management Roundtable has asked me to be a member of the faculty at the Recessionomics - Management Roundtable being held in Scottsdale, AZ on March 26 - 27, 2009.

You can learn more about this workshop by clicking here.