(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 21, 2008 ) Goshen, MA – It certainly does look like we’re in a recession. But wallets are not completely locked up. Buying continues, just more cautiously. To help companies and entrepreneurs stay alive despite the economic downturn, master marketer Marcia Yudkin has released a free marketing report, “33 Keys to Thriving During a Recession” (www.yudkin.com/recess.htm ).

The author of 6 Steps to Free Publicity and 10 other books, Yudkin outlines in her free report four ways to attract new customers when the economy has slowed:

1. Have a risk-free introductory offer. For example, 1AutomationWiz.com, an online shopping cart, offers a free 30-day trial. You sign up, set up the cart and can use it for real transactions without having to pay until the 30th day. (By then, you’re hooked!) As a variation on this theme, Changing Course initially charges just $13.55 shipping on its $297 Fast Track Your Dream program. They ship the materials, then begin charging the program fee on day 30. The buyer can ship everything back before day 30, then not be charged.

2. Develop and sell information products. Information products offer a low-risk, low-commitment way for new customers to get to know, then trust a vendor company. You can sell them to do-it-yourselfers who might not spring for full service as well as to regular customers who want to learn about a new topic area. Not only do the information products provide an additional stream of revenue during the recession, they will continue to do so after the economy picks up again (as it inevitably will) with no additional work. To get products ready for sale within weeks, start small, as with short downloadable reports or audio recordings of expert interviews.

3. Catch their pulse. What do your customers need most right now? Put your ear to the ground. Listen in on your target market’s complaints, questions and wishes where they hang out on email discussion lists and web-based forums. Based on what you hear, add a new product or service or twist an existing one so it clearly connects with their concerns. Let’s say that on the financial forums you see more questions than usual from couples nearing retirement or parents with more than one child in college. You could quickly create seminars, reports or telephone hotline hours specifically for those groups.

4. Pursue publicity. Getting media coverage can be as quick as picking up the phone and calling the news desk of your metropolitan newspaper or TV station to explain why you’re the local angle to today’s big story. Invest a little time to understand what constitutes newsworthiness in the eyes of the media, and pitch your company or yourself in pitch letters and press releases. During a recession, you may have a better shot at earning 15 priceless minutes of fame because competitors may have scaled back on the retainer for their PR firm. Find a cost-effective compromise between writing your own releases and hiring someone to do it for you by Googling “press release makeover service.”

The full report, which includes the above tips, also contains suggestions for keeping an upbeat mood and preventing a recession slowdown during any future economic crisis.

Yudkin’s 12-page report, “33 Keys to Thriving During a Recession” is available at no cost and without even having to provide a name and email address at www.yudkin.com/recess.htm .

Contact Information:
Creative Ways
Marcia Yudkin
Tel: 413-582-4052
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