What most business owners realize in this economic downturn is the decrease in revenue. So naturally, cutting back on the overhead will save the day …right? Trimming the fat will determine our future …right? Limiting or eliminating spending on marketing is the right move …right?

Don’t make the mistake of assuming all businesses are pulling back on their initiatives. In fact, your competitors may be counting on your nervousness. Now is the time to strategize and market smarter. Targeting your audience, targeting those personas on your website, improving your e-marketing plan … those need to happen now. How the heck do we know this?

As a service provider to many businesses in California and the east coast, we are seeing the trend of scaling down on expensive ads and shot-gun tactics to sharpshooting optimized techniques. The best part … it’s working. They are seeing real results in this economy. Real visitors, real conversions, real sales.

What should you do? You should start … start somewhere. Start online. Here are 4 real goals for your business:

1. Email your customers – send them a straight forward email about your new deals, new products and more. Use inexpensive services like Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com) to help you achieve this.
2. Freshen up Your Website – even if it’s just a couple new images and new content, you need to do it now.
3. Be Found – Google is your friend. Be sure to add your business to Google’s free local business listings (www.google.com/local/add). Yes it’s free!
4. Socialize – get your Facebook page and Twitter account set up for your business. Your competition may be doing this already. It’s just one more audience that you’re not taking advantage of – And it’s free.

So don’t panic. Take a deep breath before you jump. The water’s fine. You can still market to people in this environment successfully.