Have you heard that the Presidential candidates are going to bring change in this election year? It seems they use the word "change" in every other sentence. Change, change, change. I'm actually sick of the word by now, and as I write this we still have five months to go until election day. Yikes!

Now, politicians promise all kinds of things, but I think we all know whoever wins in November isn't really going to change all that much in Washington.

You can however, change your business's fortunes in a down economy. You can even grow your business when your competitors are hurting. Yes you can! Sorry, I couldn't help but borrow another campaign slogan.

With economic uncertainty growing by the day you're likely thinking more and more about how your business will keep getting new business. Many companies think they should scale back their marketing efforts when the economy hits hard times. They usually think this way because they are trying to save cash, and cutting back dollars spent on advertising seems like an easy item to cut without much pain to the company.

They also think that with their customers' budgets tighter they'll spend less, so there is no need to market as heavily. Cutting back marketing can lead to disaster because when money is tighter you want to be sure you're on the minds of those who have it to spend. If anything, you should expand your marketing efforts.

Article Marketing is the solution.

Article marketing is extremely cost effective, much more effective with your current and potential customers, and it builds that precious commodity credibility.

Credibility is extremely important in any economy, good or bad. In a bad economy though, credibility often determines who gets the business. When buyers are fat and happy their wallets are open, and they are more likely to take a risk. That's just human nature. People are less afraid to spend money when it seems unlimited in supply.

When budgets tighten, buyers will do more research, and be more worried about making a mistake when buying products and services. They know a costly mistake could cost them their jobs or even their business. Buyers and decision makers will go with the supplier that has a high and positive profile in their industry.

When you have positive articles written about your products and services, and then published in trade magazines you create a high and positive profile. You become perceived as an industry leader, and it's always better to be the leader of the pack.

Are people more willing to buy an iPod than a Zune Mp3 player? In case you don't know, a Zune is Microsoft's answer to the iPod. The Zune is no where near as popular as the iPod, but because the iPod is considered the leader of the digital music pack people are willing to pay more to get the iPod.

Keep in mind that 90% of computer users have PC's that run Microsoft's Windows. Wouldn't it stand to reason that Microsoft should own the digital music business with such an advantage? Because Microsoft was late to the game, and Apple's iPod is a great product, it is the leader, and likely will be for a very long time.

If you read technology magazines, blogs, and web sites you will find far more positive press about the iPod than negative. The same cannot be said about the Zune. Anytime digital music is mentioned most people have the iPod name and/or image come to mind right away. You want to be the iPod in your industry.

The people who buy what you sell read the trades, and when they read articles that put a spotlight on your company it burns your image in their mind. By that I mean even if they're not in the market for your products or services this month, they might be next month.

Having a high positive profile in your industry keeps you on the minds of the most important people to you... the people who buy. You want them to think of you first when they are ready to buy the kind of products or services you sell. The more good things they read about the products and services you sell, the better for you. Obviously.

Having articles in at least one of the trade magazines in your industry every month absolutely builds a positive, credible image for your company. Writing and publishing even more articles in online forums such as blogs and web sites in your industry adds even more credibility for your company. You can't publish enough positive "ink" about your company and products and services. The more you publish the better.

Paid advertising does not not build your credibility, and costs a fortune. Article marketing costs a fraction of what you would pay in ad rates in trade magazines. Especially when you consider the standard trade magazine article is two pages long. On average that's about $10,000 worth of page space.

Article marketing builds way more credibility, and is way less expensive than paid advertising.

Article marketing is a fantastic, and little known, method for marketing in both good and bad economies. The best part is that your competition probably has no idea about article marketing. You can soar past your competitors, and leave them scratching their heads wondering how you do it.

Now, that is change you can believe in!

Ted Hebert is a writer and Maverick Thinker who works with business of all sizes to grow their business. If want to grow your business in new ways contact Ted at ted@atunga.com or visit http://www.Atunga.com.

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