It’s time to market.

Now that things are officially awful, companies are looking for effective marketing solutions. Web Sites are being redone, social media is flourishing, and even the old e-newsletter is being looked at again.

As we all know, this should have been going on in the good times in order to make the bad times more palpable. So if you find yourself in tough spot, looking to effectively market, Merge would recommend the following cost effective measures:

1. Get a web assessment. Have somebody audit your web site, adjust it for maximum usability and make sure your web site offers your users to do something (also known as a call-to-action).

2. Start your newsletter. Do a monthly or quarterly newsletter–or as frequently as your customer/prospect base wants it. Keep it short and to the point, but most importantly, consistently send it out.

3. Review your statistics. Know what your web site is doing–or what it isn’t doing. We get requests for “more traffic.” When we ask, “How much traffic are you getting now?,” we get a blank stare. Is it more traffic, a more effective web site or both? Get someone to help you look at and decipher your analytics.

4. Leverage Google Adwords. The most cost effective way to get qualified users on your web site is to use Google Adwords. Setup a campaign, setup a budget, and track the results. If you get good results, increase your budget! If you don’t get good results, see step 1!

The key to marketing is: When times get good again, don’t stop. Keep on keeping on.

Bottom line: There are several basic “blocking and tackling” e-marketing techniques you can do today. Start today, and don’t stop tomorrow.