But where to start? How do you measure ROI? These are hard questions but they both lead to the same answer…STRATEGY. There has to be a strategy in place to move the social media efforts toward an end goal and support the brand. Too often this is not the case! Proof -  another Nielsen study showed that 50% of Fortune 500 companies will fail and drop their Social Media efforts by 2010…Why? Lack of Strategy.

I’d say that this study should be the catalyst to get the sideliners into the game and playing ball. We have created a webinar to help companies do just that – put the team together and get on the field. What is the right mix? How should each be used? How fast can I see results? You’ll come out of this session with clarity of where to go and what you should be doing. And just in case you need a little pep talk at half-time, all participants will be part of a follow-up call to be sure that you are on the right path.

Click to register for either the Monday, August 3 event at 7 pm, or click for the Tuesday, August 4th event at 1pm.

Let me know if you have jumped in – what is working, what do you hope to gain. Join us next week to go to the next level.

McGraw-Hill research, analysing 600 companies from 1980-1985:

• The sales of companies who had kept advertising during the 81-82 recession had risen 256% over those who had not.

For even more statistics on the subject…read the McKinsey report.

This great graphic from BrandTao illustrates the effects over time that these reports are describing. As in everything, it is no miracle cure, but the numbers do speak fairly loudly for increasing and maintaining your marketing in a downturn.

At times like this, the big guys are taking the advantage of the market with this information well ingrained in their marketing strategies. Just like real estate investors know to purchase like crazy right now, the companies in the know, simply shifted to their recession strategy. So what would that strategy look like? Spending would continue in major markets and increased in markets that have been earmarked for growth. Think about it, now is a great time to forge ahead in a new area that may not be getting much attention or seeing a growth in sales – not because the potential is not there – but because marketing budgets to that segment have not been maintained or have been completely severed.

So are the big guys really doing this – the proof is in the pudding…

Kraft’s Second Quarter Shows Payoff From Marketing Efforts

Revenue, Earnings Up Despite Difficult Economy; CEO Rosenfeld Vows to Keep Spending

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — Kraft reported a stronger-than-expected second quarter this morning, thanks in part to increased marketing spending. Kraft’s net revenue was up 21.4% to $11.2 billion, and net earnings were up 4% to $732 million from $707 million a year ago.

So why talk about this now?

Well, because the upturn is around the corner. A recent INC. article described the savvy businesses are preparing to pounce on opportunities and are creating deals that would have never happened in an “up” economy. Paul King of Hercules Networks (Automated Charging Machines – ATM-like kiosks that charge cell phones and MP3 players) stated that “no doubt the economy helped us get a better deal then we would have before. Today [retail developers] are very happy to sit down with us.”

So what are we suggesting for our clients? We have often taken the Guerilla Marketing approach even in good times. Now with the onslaught of Social Media into the marketing mix, now is a good time to implement a strategy to those efforts to make them work in your favor. It’s all about the ROI in everything you do. I find that most conversations turn to what the return will be with each expenditure. Adding in metrics to track results makes sense in any economy (hard lessons drilled into me by my business coaches  - Jody Johnson and Ben Quinn!)

Here is a fun video that gives a great demonstration of keeping the momentum going in your marketing …

Keep Momentum

Overwhelmed by it all? Give us a call and schedule a Brain Audit. We’ll pick your brain, let you do a bit of picking of ours, review what you are doing and look for opportunities that may exist. Call  888.752.8611  to schedule yours now.

We all know the recession is here and frankly, I can do without the daily rundown of the latest tailspin. What we need, and what we hope to provide, are ways to strengthen our businesses  - and brands – one day at a time. There are some new tools out there that can become great brand builders encapsulated under the Social Media umbrella. These tools – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YoutTube, Plaxo and more - allow great opportunity for us to connect with clients and prospective customers in ways that were never possible. How do we create raving fans? Let’s explore that together as we navigate our business from a downturn to an upturn.