Polymer Studios :: Web Consulting

All this talk of economic downturn has gotten me thinking. Are we in for a repeat of the ugly years of ‘02 and ‘03?

I don’t think so.

If you recall, during the last downturn, companies froze in their tracks and virtually halted all marketing activities. Advertising plummeted. So did investments in marketing infrastructure. It was a frustrating time to be hawking marketing wares, let me tell you.

But what happened in that downturn is key, and the reason things will look different this time around:

• Advertising started migrating online (thanks to low cost and metrics)
• Search marketing exploded (again, thanks to low cost and metrics)
• Previously expensive technology (content management systems, email marketing) got cheap
• Now unemployed Web 1.0 geeks got busy building a wide array of cheap tools, which are now the heart of Web 2.0.

There’s no denying that as a result of the last recession, we’re now looking at a marketing landscape that’s fundamentally different than what existed 5 years ago.

So, what does all this mean to you, a marketer with little power and little budget? Simply this: that you no longer need a huge marketing budget in order to build your brand, create awareness and generate leads and cultivate public relationships. All you need is to be willing to roll up your sleeves and play in the sandbox.

I call this approach “low-cost, no-cost” marketing. But let’s shorten it and call it LocoNoco. In a nutshell, LocoNoco is about making aggressive use of the universe of free or low-cost online marketing tools that are available to you today.

In Part II, I’ll describe the tools that are critical for LocoNoco marketing. Meanwhile, let me give you a quick rundown:

• Content management platforms
• Blogging
• Photo/Video
• Geo-marketing
• Micro-blogging
• Social networks
• Networked marketplaces
• Social bookmarking
• Email marketing
• Wikis
• Analytics tools
• Testing tools

Let’s talk about the principles behind LocoNoco. Because even though the tools are cheap or even free, you won’t be able to use them properly unless you can commit to the principles. And there are but 3 of them:

• Do – Get out there. Use the tools. Join the networks. Show up. Down markets don’t reward shyness. Plus, there’s an inherent value to working the levers of marketing. It’s how you come to understand the power and potential of the tools. And it leads to the next principle. After all, without doing, risking and experimenting, how can you possibly hope to learn?
• Learn – People who’ve founded startups often remark that their current product or service looks nothing like what they launched with. That’s because their customers spoke, they listened, and what resulted was better. Same goes for marketers. After you “do” and put something out there, you have to listen, track and observe. What are prospects and customers saying to you and about you? Be willing to learn from experience. If it helps, think of your job as Marketing R&D. Let both the metrics and your experiences inform your gut. And then let your gut lead you into new and untested territory.
• Adjust – As you do and learn, be prepared to adjust your course. You’re going to discover what works and what doesn’t. Based on your increasing knowledge, you may want to try new stuff. All of this is good and quite doable, thanks to the built-in flexibility of the tools in your LocoNoco toolbox. Besides, none of us are smart enough to anticipate what our customers will respond to. However, we all can – and should – swallow our pride and be ready to respond to what the market asks for.

For some of you, this is nothing earth shattering. It’s what you’ve been doing for the last couple years anyway. If so, congratulations. Please leave a comment about your experience with LocoNoco marketing.

But if you’re a marketer who, for whatever reason, hasn’t had much exposure to down-and-dirty online marketing, you may be in for a pleasant surprise as you discover that LocoNoco marketing is fun and terribly rewarding. Looking for a spark in your career? This could be it.

Coming soon: Part II: Tactics and tools

Photo by: Elizabeth Wentling