RECESSION BUSTING MOVES

With the economic outlook not great for 2012 one line cost item that often is cut by management is advertising and marketplace communications. Big mistake.

Here’s why:

More than 50% of commercial and industrial clients still use print media publications as their informative source of reference. Of these readers, a large majority are in senior decision making positions - not having the time to learn and adapt to the messages of the social media on the web. Readers such these are looking for well written, informative content, supported by logical arguments. The web is not ideal for this.

So you want to keep your media presence, yet reduce expense. Here are my suggestions for you:

1. Use the editorial channel on an organized, sustained basis. You pay only for the time spent on researching and preparing the content.

2. Use a professional, dedicated service provider to prepare this content.

3. Take a serious look at your current advertising with a view to: 

• Eliminating crossover between your targeted groups.
• Audit - size and content of message

 4. Employ specialist communications service providers, such as freelancers. The days of the large corporate advertising dodo companies are over.

5. Use social media - YES - but use it wisely. Intergrate it into a plan!

Save money. Get it right first time.

When you want to do these things, talk to Energy MC. The time is always right.

CONTENT - THE WEBSITE AUTHOR'S BUGBEAR

We spend thousands of 'dollars' on making a nice web presentation - a great look and feel to our sites. Yet how often do we spend time working the content. 80 - 90 % of corporate websites fail to do the job they are intended to do!

That's because resources are needed for effective management of a website on an ongoing basis. This means responsible, informed and empowered management by professionals - much like a press/media editorial campaign.

Its amazing to see how many major companies still have entries for events and other information dating back to the year 2007. Unsurprising then that they are not getting the traffic they deserve through their website.

Yes, and one really important - basic item - Contact Details!!! Telephone directories are rapidly going out of vogue, yet how often is it a mission-and-a-half to find a company's telephone numbers, email address, physical address and the like. Are your company's key contact details readily accessible on your website? They should be on the Homepage. (Forget the mailto forms).

Somewhere among the exciting style sheets, the look and the feel of 21st Century web authoring software, we have forgotten the basics of communication.

Need help? See my ever-lasting entry on the ABC of Communication - below. Contact me for further information. My floating advert at the bottom of this Blog has all the information you need.