How was your day today? Was it anything like this?

Do you feel like this when you do your nine to five? Are you stressed about the economy, layoffs, recession and life in general?

Well what are you going to do about it?   Let’s be completely honest…

… nothing right?

If you’re like me, you know that life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.

You’re gonna get hit. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t take risk. You’ve got to get hit, and when you do, it’s all about getting up and keeping after it. That’s the only way you’re gonna get ahead.

I have just one more video for you.

Are you ready to take control of your life?  Take Action!

Contact me, find out more, or sign up today.

Would you like to get your local Tulsa business to the first page of Google, Yahoo, Bing and more?

You’ve heard all the hype from the others.  Let’s get down to business and make real, measurable, and significant results for your local search marketing for Tulsa and surrounding areas.  Here are 4 of my most popular options;

1. Tulsa Internet Marketing and Consulting - If you just need help with Internet Marketing projects in the Tulsa area and you don’t know exactly what you should do next, then my consulting services can help you.  I once charged $550 an hour with clients lined up! However, since it’s a recession, you can have my time at $199 per hour with a 2 hour minimum visit, phone call, or webinar.  Full day live training sessions are now only $1250 per day plus related expenses.

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2. The “Make it Happen” Package – If you want first-page Guaranteed rankings for local Tulsa Internet Marketing and related keywords in Google within 5 days, then I have just the program for you. I don’t spend a lot of time educating you on this, we simply do it. We have a three-tiered approach that focuses on local listings, natural rankings, and sponsored search results to make sure that your have an amazing presence.  The local listings are subject to the time it takes Google to verify and update them.  The natural rankings are never guaranteed, (never guarantee what you don’t own or can’t buy) but we have significant history in getting rankings in the natural results.  Sponsored listings are guaranteed to have an average first page ranking and be online within 5 days of receiving your paid order.  Most companies can get started and have significant traffic, leads, and impressions for less than $400 per month!

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3. National Campaigns - If your business is in the Tulsa area and you market to the entire nation.  I can build a significant Internet Marketing campaign for you that includes search engine optimization, online publicity, and manage your online media buying.  You should expect your budget to exceed $1250 per month plus expenses.

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4. Social Media Marketing Campaigns – Whether you’re looking to reach Tulsans with your Tulsa Social Media Marketing Campaign or reach a national market.  I can help you.  My Tulsa Internet Marketing Social Media Campaign starts at just $799 and includes business profiles in YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Linked In.  Likewise, I’ll teach you how to create, automate and build buzz about your business.

Ultimately it comes down to results. Yes, you can buy into all of the hype from good-looking slick suits with their amazing presentations.  Or, you can find a down-to-earth guy who spends all of his time and resources on producing results for you!

With over 15 years of hands-on Internet Marketing experience, you can rest assured that when you follow my recommendations, you will see measurable results.

- Tony Darrick Baker

There has been a great deal of “recession is over, recession over by December” and other nonsense in the media lately. But the fact of that matter is that Recession Marketing strategies and tactics are more important now than ever before.

A Harvard study of publicly traded companies coming out of the last three recessions shows that 41% ceased to exist in their former public state ( bankruptcy, liquidation, privatization, or they were simply acquired); 48% struggled through in varying states of vulnerability; and only 11% emerged intact (some even stronger) with growth rates of 25% or more in the subsequent three years following the recession. Only the most proactive, visionary companies ever “win” the recovery after a major recession.

Many businesses are stuck in a cost-cutting mode.  They focus on weathering the storm so they can make it to the “recession is over” promise that is supposedly just around the corner.   However, they do not understand that after a recession is often a long drawn out period of recovery. In the meantime they unknowingly are causing the final blows to their struggling businesses.

By simply focusing on the short-term, letting their time to fill new positions lag, and only addressing immediate problems, these companies are failing to plan their marketing properly and ultimately it is very unlikely for the effects of this recession to be over for them any time soon.

We must start by educating management and staff on the importance of a strategic marketing plan throughout the remainder of the recession and the upcoming recovery. Businesses that do this now will be more likely to recover easier and become profitable again.

To get your free copy of “The Recession Marketing Guide” by Tony Darrick Baker, simply visit: RecessionMarketingGuide.com

- Tony Darrick Baker

P.S.  Let me know what you are doing to speed up your recession recovery.

As part of my monthly newsletter, I encourage people to “ASK TONY.”

“Do I raise or lower my prices or leave them the same.”  Thanks, Craig

Hi Craig.  Thank you for asking.

In my free ebook, The Recession Marketing Guide, I have written the following:

Evaluate Pricing - During economic downturns, businesses are tempted to lower their prices.

Lowering your prices creates three problems:

• Customers get the impression that you have been ripping them off the whole time.
• It makes it more difficult to return your prices to “normal levels” as the economy gains strength.
• It reduces or eliminates profit margins, which will eliminate your ability to market your business.

Arby’s has recently started giving away a Free sandwich on Wednesdays with a drink purchase. Obviously the drink is mostly profit and helps to cover the cost of the sandwich. However, this is a way where Arby’s can drive traffic to their stores without lowering menu prices.

To drive additional cash flow, Arbys is encouraging bulk purchases by offering a campaign that promotes 5 regular roast beef sandwiches for 5, with a limit of 250 sandwiches. By establishing a high limit they actually introduce the concept in consumer’s minds that buying more than 5 sandwiches at a time is acceptable. Companies, churches, and other groups are quick to react.

However, Taco Bueno, dropped the prices of several of their items by 50% or more for a month and then raised them back to their original menu price. The reaction of many people was that they were upset that Taco Bueno was raising prices on something that they apparently could afford to sell much cheaper.

I love Taco Bueno, but you can see a big difference between Arby’s strategy and Taco Bueno’s strategy.

To “ASK TONY” feel free to visit this page and ask your question.

Be sure to get your free copy of “The Recession Marketing Guide” by Tony Darrick Baker

- Tony Darrick Baker

A few weeks ago I had a post titled “Recession Over Soon” headlines misleading.  I received a few twitter remarks that tried to label me as a fear-monger.  In what I refer to as the ultimate “October Surprise,” nobody called the media “fear mongers” when talks of billion dollar bailouts made the news just 2 weeks before a national election.

The facts however are very clear.  The popular news media may indeed be trying to simply write something different to keep up their readers/viewers.  It’s more likely that they want to help prop up their favorite political figures against criticism from fiscal conservatives.

Ask yourself honestly:  If this was anything other than a Democrat party presidency with a Democrat controlled House and Senate, would the major media be so kind?

Occassionally the truth leaks out from sources that are more concerned about finances than politics.

In a July 10, 2009 Financial Times article by Chrystia Freeland, Larry Summers, director of the President Obama’s National Economic Council said;

“I don’t think the worst is over … It’s very likely that more jobs will be lost. It would not be surprising if GDP has not yet reached its low.”

Today unemployment is nearly 10% (some would say actual figures show over 16%) and the GDP has lost more than 6% over the last quarter.  By many standards it only takes a 10% loss for a recession this long to be classified as a depression.  Considering that the economy is much different than it was in the 1930’s, the reality for determining what is actually a depression may be different as well.

According to economist.com, before the 1930s all economic downturns were commonly called depressions. The term “recession” was coined later to avoid stirring up nasty memories.

This provides more evidence that politics plays a hand in what we consider recessions and depressions.

In 1978 Alfred Kahn, an economic adviser (”inflation czar”) for Jimmy Carter, was admonished by President Carter for scaring people as he warned of a looming recession/depression. Mr Kahn, in his following speeches, simply switched the offending term, saying;

“We’re in danger of having the worst banana in 45 years.”

So yes, contrary to popular headlines, we’re in a banana and it’s more likely to get worse before it gets better.

For more information about recessions and how you can market your business effectively, please visit http://RecessionMarketingGuide.com

- Tony Darrick Baker

In my recent press release I am quoted with the following:

“It’s unfortunate to emphasize, but if you read past the headlines, the news stories will show additional unemployment, rising gas prices, and rising fears in the future of this economy,” said Baker. “Keep in mind that while economists now say that the recession started in December of 2007, most people did not feel the effects of that recession until well into 2008.”

Some people may be wondering how I can say that “we’re not going to feel the effects of recovery any time soon” when top analyst are now going on record predicting that the recession will be over by December 2009.

I found the perfect explanation from none other than Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moodys Economy.com

“I will just give you some context. I expect the recession to end this year and then in 2010, we’ll see some growth, not a recession. But it will be a modest kind of growth. We’ll be uncomfortable with it and rising through the first half of the year.  It won’t be until 2011/2012 before we start to see meaningful growth. The key reason for that is that there are large parts of our economy that are struggling. While the banking industry is better, it’s not really providing the kind of credit. So I think we’ll get just as much growth to get out of recession, but not more than that.”

So once you get past the big headlines, we now find that we are not going to see meaningful growth till 2011 or 2012.   What does that mean?

The fact that the recession might be over in December 2009 is:

MEANINGLESS!

… at least to you and me.

The economy overall is not going to be back to “normal” any time soon.  Our society is going to be struggling economically until at least 2011, if not 2012 by Mark Zandi’s own explanation.

The stories about this recession being over in December of 2009 are simply misleading.  I don’t think that people are purposefully trying to deceive us.  Perhaps the news media is just looking for something new to write about.

Recession or not, there are ways for businesses to overcome a bad economy.   Stories about how Apple sold 1 million iPhones in the last 3 days (during a recession!) is where the media should be focusing their headlines.

“Instead of trying to pretend the bad stuff is soon behind us, let’s start talking about how innovative companies are determined to succeed in any economic environment.”

The economy is going to be in trouble until small businesses start seeing success with the advertising and marketing campaigns.  The only way that they will see success is if they start advertising and marketing with a different style and technique than they did when the economy was in “meaningful” growth.

In The Recession Marketing Guide, I show several case studies on how businesses have changed their thinking in order to capatilize on bad economic times.  The Recession Marketing Guide ebook is available free at:

http://www.RecessionMarketingGuide.com

- Tony Darrick Baker

I released a new press release today about my new free ebook, The Recession Marketing Guide.  The press release is about how Small Businesses and their ability to advertise confidently, is the key to recession recovery.

The Recession Marketing Guide shows case studies and modern day examples of how businesses have not only survived, but have actually excelled during tough economic times.

You can get The Recession Marketing Guide free at http://www.RecessionMarketingGuide.com

And be sure to read the Recession Marketing press release on PRWEB.  Please let other people know about this important free guide.

Thanks!
- Tony