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So, as of this morning, the UK is officially on step away from entering into a full-blown recession. It’s hardly surprising, what with all the doom and gloom of recent times.

And you’d be forgiven for thinking that we were ALREADY in the red, thanks to the doomsayers, the negativity and even panic that has been spread by the mainstream media (and, boy, do they LOVE the fear induced by the dreaded R word; it means they fill and sell their papers more), kind of like an infectious disease.

But, before you turn yourself over to an inky-fingered bank clerk cementing your future in his ‘big debt’ book, remember you’ve got to have a little faith…

…Faith in the fact that just as a lack of confidence in the markets has caused this economic downturn (OK, with a large dose of greed thrown in), confidence will get us out of this precarious situation — sooner or later. Faith in the fact that history has shown that it is those businesses who march full speed ahead, actually increasing their advertising and marketing spend, who come out the other end fighting strong. And faith in the speculators who say we’re in a good position to ride any recession wave — no matter how big — with ease. Indeed, I heard one financial expert this morning say that any looming recession will be a short if sharp one, and NOT a long, drawn-out one. He also predicted that we’d be well out of the worst by this time next year.

Of course, there will be difficult times for those companies who need credit, and, yes, people STILL need to have a roof over their heads and eat well. They will still need advice, and services and products, too.

However, to flourish in business right now, you need to  have confidence in your own ability to rise to the challenge . . . and confidence knowing that consumers will always buy. If they didn’t, things would have ground to an almighty and irrevocable halt quite some time ago. 

So to recession-proof your business:

• Ignore the doomsayers
• Have confidence 
• Build value in all that you do and sell 
• Nurture your ‘house’ list
• Aim for excellence in customer service
• Actively seek out the positive in everything you see and hear (there is ALWAYS a silver lining to every dark cloud, if you look hard enough)
• And, above all, market more and panic less.

Feel the fear and do it anyway. Marketing, that is. If you cut back on this one vital element to running a business, you WILL feel a hit. These times call for the bold and the brave… 

What about YOU? Are you doing anything differently because of the slowdown? If you have any tips, let’s hear it!

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Inner confidence, self esteem and . . being the first-born child are what makes a winner, according to new research.

Alliance and Leciester Commercial Bank’s study shows that 60% of business owners are the first born, while 80% have one or or siblings, where they put to good use qualities such as leadership and teamwork learned at a young age.

Big egos, super confidence and an almost blasé attitude towards risk, as often displayed in business programmes on television, are NOT necessarily what it takes to be a winner. Rather, being dependable, considerate and a good listener are what counts, says the study.

And you don’t have to necessarily have benefited from a private education to make it in business: nearly three-quarters of survey respondents come from a state school background. However, further education does seem to have a positive role.

I think tenacity ought to be added to the list, and maybe time-management skills (still haven’t quite worked out the latter, though). Having all the desirable ‘winner’ qualities, as outlined above, is one thing, but when the economy is on a downward spiral, business is slow and almost three in ten small businesses fail before they pass the three-year mark, having faith in oneself and being prudent with your time are paramount . . . if you want to stick around for much longer.  ;-)  

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A client asked me to put something together for a new self-help DVD she has produced. (The product is related to a topic that is close to my heart, so please do at least check out her website, below.) The launch coincides with October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here is the press release I wrote, which has already been picked up by the media:

MLD Specialist Yvette Jordan Details Self-help Natural Routine To Combat Breast Cancer 

SHOREHAM BY SEA, West Sussex United Kingdom/18 August 2008 — An essential new guide to help women keep their breasts healthy in the way that nature intended is to be launched at the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, bringing breast cancer prevention and awareness into the 21st century. 

Breast Wise emphasises active self-help by teaching a simple and effective, easy-to-follow routine. This is based on proven manual lymph drainage (MLD) massage techniques to encourage natural cancer prevention. 

The programme has been compiled on DVD by MLD expert and lymphedema therapist Yvette Jordan, LMT, CDT, GBTH. 

Jordan said: “I see and treat many post-breast cancer patients. Now I want to help to prevent this terrible disease from occurring in the first place, which is why I have created this imperative DVD. 

“Our bodies are designed to fight cancer cells naturally through our lymphatic system and lymph nodes. However, in light of the link between stagnant lymph and breast cancer, we urgently need to pay attention and increase the efficiency of this system. Using proven techniques and moving it continuously keeps it clean and prevents stagnation, ultimately improving our ability to fight this disease.” 

Additionally, Dr Marika von Viczay, ND, PhD, medical director of the Isis Health and Rejuvenation Centre in Asheville, NC, USA, said: “Not only is lymphatic drainage a key to disease prevention and rejuvenation, it is the means to reverse and contribute to the natural healing processes of the human system for a host of illnesses, including breast cancer.” 

Latest figures show that, unless action is taken soon, by 2024 one in seven women will develop breast cancer by the age of 80. This is exacerbated by the general increase in obesity, which is related to inflammatory breast cancer with 45 per cent less survival rate. 

Breast Wise costs £9.99 (approx. USD $18.57), plus p&p, with £1 (approx. USD $1.86) from each sale going to breast cancer research charity. It will be available from the Feel Good Factor website at http://www.fgf.uk.com or by emailing breastwise@fgf.uk.com. 

Feel Good Factor, where Jordan practises massage therapy, is the first lymphatic health centre in the UK dedicated to lymphatic therapy treatments and education. It opened for business in February this year at Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex, England. 

For further information, DVD product shots and photography, contact Yvette Jordan on +44 (0)7814 752041 / +44 (0)1273 389175 or email breastwise@fgf.uk.com.  

ENDS

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Wotz ron with the English langwage? Kwite alot, according to a leading academic expert.

Teaching correct spelling is a waste of time, and the apostrophe should be scrapped, says John Wells, an Emeritus Professor of Phonetics at University College London and president of the Spelling Society.

“Let’s stop worrying if people sometimes spell ‘you’ and ‘u’, ‘you’ and ‘you’re’ as ‘ur’, and ‘whose’ and ‘whose’ and ‘who’s’ as ‘whos’,” he adds. 

Well, yes, I agree — WHEN we’re talking about informal emails and ‘textmessage speak’ among friends and family. BUT in general I’m a stickler for correct use of the English language as it was intended.

Sure, add words as we and the language we use evolves, but let’s not get complacent over what is often regarded as possibly THE greatest gift to the world.

The trouble with completely altering any language with each generation is — apart from the fact that different generations may well not be able to communicate with one another on paper — great literature works from hundreds of years ago will become unreadable and unintelligible.

Speaking and writing the English language as it has been thus far been taught allows us to communicate . . . to be understood . . . to be socially mobile.

Playing around too much with the English language — abandoning spelling and punctuation — will ultimately lead to a world full of conflicting messages and meanings, and a place where no one can really understand one another.

Let’s not dumb down too much, nor abandon the pursuit of excellence in attention to detail. English is universally too precious a language. 

As for John Wells, all I can say is, careful; you don’t want to do yourself out of a job.  :)

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I’ve been asked by many to put together a few publicity packages that will offer year-round publicity ideas, support and mentoring without the HUGELY steep prices associated with the typical PR agency. 

So I thought, “Why not?” I’ve worked with companies as large as NEC on their big-budget campaigns, as well as entrepreneurs on a one-to-one, more-down-to-earth-budget basis. So why not package that expertise? Especially if it will help small businesses and entrepreneurs leverage the most from F.R.E.E. publicity.

As a special offer to all my clients and CfS subscribers, I am happy to deduct 10% from all the prices you see at this new page:

www.mediaminister.co.uk/PRservices.htm

BUT . . . only until 12.01pm on 9 September.

To take advantage of this offer, email the word “publicity” and your details to me before D Day.

(NB: I will never sell, rent, trade or share your email address with anyone. Plus, I will ONLY email you regarding this offer, unless you tell me otherwise, of course!) 

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I heard on the news (BBC) this morning that supermarkets are spending more on advertising and less on branding, in an attempt to lure shoppers and defeat the credit-crunch fallout.

Does this mean that you should follow suit?

Advertising – whether it’s advertising in magazines, newspapers, the trade press or online – CAN be yield a good return on business. But it’s generally more appropriate for larger brands with the advertising budget to match their size.

That said, advertising DOES work, and it can work for you . . . providing you advertise the right things to the right people in the right places and in the right way.  

If you do wish to dip your toe in the advertising arena, then I would suggest spending your budget very carefully to ensure you receive maximum returns for your expenditure.  

My step-by-step, lead-generation system High-Powered Ads that Generate Sales reveals where to place your ad – and where NOT to advertise – as well as how to triple the results of ANY ad you write . . . guaranteed! For more information, point your browser to: http://mediaminister.co.uk/products.htm#HPA 

But back to the question of whether you should ditch your branding efforts. I think not. Branding is crucial to any business – at any time and regardless of the state of the economy.

It can reinforce your image so that you stay in your existing customers mind, as well as grab the curiosity of potential new customers. 

Central to effective branding is the concept of consistency. No matter what you do, you absolutely MUST be consistent with your core marketing message. That’s because you want your business image and brand to be easily recognisable, and you want your prospects to conclude that your company is a confident, credible and stable one.

To really strengthen your brand image, as well as being consistent, you should be educating your potential customers about WHY they should buy your product or service (no one likes to be sold, right?). The use of case studies and testimonials is a great way to achieve this. You’ll find plenty of other ideas in posts here on MarketingMoment.

So what about you? How are you educating your customers to increase sales?

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Top web advertisers and marketers favour search and email marketing, according to a recent survey carried out by industry leaders ad:tech and MarketingSherpa. The annual survey is a good indicator of what’s working online and what’s to come.

Behaviorally-targeted ads rated higher than any other online performer. The advertisers and marketers questioned plan to invest more in PPC and behavioral ads this year, and move away from poorly-targeted display ads.

Other top tactics include:

- House email lists.

- Testing. Marketers are measuring, testing and split-testing more than ever in almost all categories surveyed.

- Search engine optimisation (SEO) is delivering a strong return on investment.

- Agencies are urging marketers to explore viral marketing and advertising in mobile phones, online video sites and virtual worlds.

The latter reflects the changing landscape of the online advertising world. 

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Entries are open for the 2008 CIP Eco-Innovation fund, which has a total of £22/€28 million in grants available for innovative, environmental-friendly projects in the areas of materials recycling, sustainable buildings, food and drink, cleaner industrial processes, green business and smart purchasing.

The fund is open to all legal persons based in the eligible countries, but the priority will be given to SMEs. Clusters of applicants and projects which demonstrate a European added value and have a high potential for market replication are strongly encouraged.

The closing date for all submissions is 11 September 2008.