Marketing In A Poor Economy
There is no escaping the reality of the economy. These are not good times for most people. Many individuals and businesses are suffering. However, in spite of that, many online businesses are still doing well. Online shopping was up over shopping in traditional retail stores (Cyber Monday was up 15% over the previous year). People don't stop searching the web just because times are bad, and the number of searches per person are on the rise, so there is still plenty of traffic to be had. Then it becomes the job of your website to convert that traffic. What you need to know is that people tend to shop differently in a poor economy. They research more, they comparison shop more and they look for more value for the money they spend.
It's true, individuals and businesses are trying to cut costs - but most people and businesses can't stop buying. There are still supplies, inventory, services etc that we need - to function and to run our business. So when people go to purchase these products and services they are more likely to look for discounts/sales and to search and compare on multiple sites.
Now is the perfect time for websites to step up and provide potential customers with the information and incentives needed to get the sale. Do a marketing review of your website and make sure your site is compelling, informative and offers a great deal. You should look at what special offers you can afford to make to entice people into doing business with you. You can also set a deadline on the special offer in hopes of getting people to just buy right then rather than comparison shopping. If you know for sure you are cheaper than some competitors place your own price comparison chart on your site so they can compare you to others without leaving your site.
You may also want to consider revisiting your keyword phrases and add phrases that include words like: sale, discount, free shipping on, best price on, cheap, etc. People are more likely to search for products or services combined with these kind of phrases in hopes that they will quickly come across a great deal.