For those in the internet advertising business, the news must be strange to hear: internet ad sales, which have never been in decline since recovering from 2002’s dot-com burst, have finally slumped 5 percent in the first quarter. This means that the recession, which seemed to be mercifully sparing this sector of the Internet industry.

Much of the money to be made on the Internet comes from advertising, which means that this development is potentially concerning for both website developers and advertisers. Those who rely on Internet advertisement, though, are faring much better than newspapers and broadcasters. A decline in advertising in traditional media has created a difficult situation for these industries.

According to most reports, this setback for the internet advertising industry is only temporary. The economic decline is mostly to blame, whereas traditional media has suffered from advancing technology making several forms of media less desirable to the technologically-advanced among us. 

Image: Flickr

The uncertain economy of the last six months has even the most successful business looking at ways to cut money from its budget. Yet, slashing sales and marketing dollars can often have a disastrous effect on the bottom line. Here are five ideas to keep your product or service in customers’ minds without spending a fortune.

1. Start a blog. Seemingly everyone is blogging today…and you should too. You can start a blog on your Web site for very little (or no) money. Adding a daily–or weekly–post about non-sales news in your industry will keep your company on customer’s minds and keep them returning to your Web site, where of course they can order your product.

2. Join the local Chamber of Commerce. Most communities have a Chamber of Commerce that small businesses can join for very little money. Advantages include exposure throughout the area in Chamber publications, networking within the organization, and discounts on business-related services and products.

3. Make (and distribute) your own flyers. Face-to-face contact sells. It worked in the 19th century and it still works today. Print up some simple flyers outlining your product or service and hand them out at key locations or tack them to community bulletin boards around town.

4. Engage the media. Cultivate relationships with your local newspaper, radio station, and television channel. When something interesting happens in your industry, you’ll be the first person they contact for a quote (and a little free publicity). Also send your contacts a note when something noteworthy happens in your business, such as a new product, new hours, new key personnel.

5. Volunteer to give speeches. Community groups, libraries, and other associations that meet monthly are often at a loss to find features speakers for their events. Volunteer to talk about an interesting aspect of your business or product. For example, a travel agent could talk about Alaska cruises. Some groups will even pay you.

(photo credit: Newscom)

A couple of days ago I wondered why some employers of writers, editors, etc. seem to believe they need the writers in their offices in order to get the work done. I’ve been thinking about this and a couple of things have occurred to me.

There may indeed be situations where the writer needs to be on site, although I have trouble figuring out what those might be. The most obvious is a writing team, like a newspaper or a magazine. There is a synergy that can happen that makes for a better product. Although I’ve seen that happen with groups of writers who never meet fact-to-face.

Can you think of situations where the writer really needs to be on site to get the job done?

Write well and often,

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Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you probably realize I believe every single freelance writer, editor, professional blogger, translator, tech writer, etc., should have their very own website, with their own domain name. It’s easy to do, and I’ve even written an article that will give you the overview you need to get started.

Now, along comes Eric over at Common Sense PR, suggesting that a website should also be a good source for journalists or other media. My first thought was something like, “oh, writers don’t need to worry about that.” And it’s true, his post is really aimed at companies, rather than individuals. Then, in my email, came a request for contributing to a book about business proposals from, yes, someone in the media.

This doesn’t mean you immediately have to redesign your website, but it’s probably worth spending a few minutes with it asking yourself if it shows you off well to the media. If it doesn’t, take time to add a page, or do some minor adjustments. No reason not to be prepared if a reporter or other media type comes looking.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.