Now’s the time to expand

Looks like Pepsi-Cola is pressing forward. Not only have they totally revamped their branding and logo they now have released a “retro” version of its cola. Now made with real sugar (instead of high fructose corn syrup I’m guessing), the flavor is supposed to take us back to a time long ago when we were growing up and swigging a Pepsi on a hot summer day. I’m amazed that in this down economy that they are even advertising. After all the rule of thumb is that when the economy tanks you stop any and all marketing and advertising efforts, right?

Not so fast. It seems that Ford , Chrysler , and GMC , even in financial dire straits, are spending millions on advertising. Is it a last ditch effort to save themselves or good business? I’m sure that’s a topic for hot debate. Yet, I think there’s a lesson to be learned here. When hard times come, keep telling your story. GMC is doing some of their better marketing right now. They are hard selling their product. Giving us the facts, the information needed to make an informed decision. It’s not about style and emotion; it’s about why we should buy GMC instead of somebody else. Sound marketing that they should have been using all along. Maybe if they had been, coupled with a well-engineered product the public wanted, they wouldn’t be in the place they find themselves today.

Small businesses can’t afford to stop their marketing and advertising in this tight economy. No matter how small the effort, owners have to continue on an ongoing basis to tell their story. They must tell their target audience (potential customer) how they can do the job, furnish the service, or provide the product better than their competitors. If they don’t their competitors will and they will lose what market share they have. Now is not the time to pull in but to expand.

I know, marketing and advertising is expensive. Go to an ad agency and it’s like hiring a lawyer, and almost as expensive. Most won’t look at you if you don’t have at least $100K to spend. Try to do it on your own and it is just one more job you have to research and learn before you can do it effectively. So what’s a small business owner to do?

Talent is talent. Marketing and advertising is all about talent. Ad agencies have talent and they charge for it. A small business owner may have undeveloped talent but may not have the time or interest to educate and nurture it. I am one of many talented individuals who has chosen to be part of the growing freelance industry. We are talented, educated, and dedicated individuals who serve the small business community in a variety of ways. We are graphic designers, copywriters, creative project managers, web developers; the list goes on and on. We can provide great work at an inexpensive price. We can expand your small business market by partnering with you, the owner and helping you achieve your marketing goals in this tight economy.

So where do you find freelancers. You can contact someone like me, a Creative Project Manager who will help you pull together a team of people who will fulfill your needs project at a time or you can be your own CPM and hire the necessary people by using an organization like the Freelance Exchange (www.kcfreelanceexchange.com/index.php). This resource gives you access to over 150 talented people to choose from. It all depends on your time constraints.

The beauty of all of this is that you only pay these people when they do the work. There’s no retainer (unless you desire one). There’s no monthly fee. Just payment for the project (each individual is a small business owner and as such each as their own payment policies so be sure to discuss that before signing a contract.) They are a pool of talent that is at your disposal to do as much or as little marketing and advertising as you need, when you need it.

So now you have a resource to draw on and no excuse not to market and advertise your small business. If I can be of any assistance I can be reached by phone at 913.677.7060 or my email at mirvin1129@yahoo.com. Please don’t hesitate to call me. As always the first meeting is free.