How to Market Like a Soldier during a Recession

Just because we are going through a recession doesn't mean that it has to affect your business negatively. You just need to know how to market effectively during a recession. No matter what, you must always be focused on your marketing efforts, and it is even more important when there is a recession. Guerrilla marketing is what you really need to learn about and start using to make sure that you can ride a recession without losing your shirt. Here are five great ways that you can use guerrilla marketing to your advantage: Get back to basics: You don't have to spend a lot of money to market your business. Just look at history. Long before currency was invented, people worked on the barter system, and this is a marketing tool smart business owners still use today. Here is an example of how you can use the barter system to your advantage. Let's say that you sell phone cards for cell phone users. You can partner up with another business that can compliment, but not compete, with yours to enhance your marketing efforts, such as a coffee house where people often sit around and chat on the phone while enjoying their coffee. Offer discounts to the coffee house, which will give this business the incentive to help promote your business. Hit the streets: This is something that is pretty difficult for many entrepreneurs to do, because of the fear of rejection, but it is also something that is very necessary to keep sales up, even during a recession. Many people will still spend money during a recession, but if they do not know that you exist, they will be spending their money elsewhere. Start knocking on doors and pitching your product or service to anyone who will listen to you. The more you get out there, the more leads and sales you are going to get. If you do nothing, you will not be able to survive a recession. Technology can save you money: You can use technology to help you cut back on all kinds of expenses that will eat into your profits. Some examples are using your computer for virtual meetings, which will save you money on travel expenses. Use Internet banking to save you time standing in lines, not to mention traveling to and from the bank. There are all kinds of ways that technology can help you cut back on expenses and manage to stay afloat during a recession. Give customers a reason to do business with you: If you are not offering anything different than your competition is, do you really think that customers are going to come running to you? You need to give them incentives to shop with you. Have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that will make customers interested in what you are offering to them. Create a list of things that make your business a special one, and relate these reasons to your customers. This is really going to go a long way in recession-proofing your business. Watch your cash flow: You need to do all you can to cut costs during a recession, and you need to make sure that no matter what, you are able to maintain a steady cash flow. Even though you think it may hurt you, it may be necessary to cut back on expenses by discontinuing credit. You can always re-establish a credit policy once you have gotten through a recession. Have systems in place that make it so that you get at least 50% of payments up front. Do what you have to in order to avoid having to apply for credit.