Commercial Feature – There is little doubt that the recession has affected all of us in some way.  Many thousands of workers have found themselves unemployed, and those still in employment have withstood savage cutbacks in internal budgets that would have otherwise been spent on wage rises, promotions and employee benefits.

For the first time in living memory, even so-called ‘safe’ public sector jobs have been axed, resulting in mass protests, strike action and an unfamiliar feeling of unrest amongst public sector workers.

Businesses have been hit particularly hard by the recession. A sharp decline in consumer spending, coupled with a general scarcity of available finance from the banks, has put the squeeze on virtually every sector, with countless companies closing their doors.

Faced with such trading conditions, it is natural for businesses to cut their operating costs. Unfortunately, with staffing being the most significant overhead cost for many companies, this often means cutting employee numbers.

Other expenditure has also been drastically reduced. Advertising for example, has seen a sharp decline, with the resulting reduction in sales further perpetuating the problem.

In this climate, effective online marketing has never been more important. Businesses are drawn to the internet following the promise of cheap marketing, and a vast potential customer base. The reality is however, that without a carefully planned promotion strategy, even the most sophisticated website is worthless. Without traffic, a website is like a brochure that is printed, but never distributed.

Halifax-based Pyro Marketing, have seen a marked increase in the number of enquiries received for search engine optimisation services.  Marketing Manager Damien Porter says, “For web design Halifax is home to a number of agencies, however a design service simply isn’t enough nowadays. For a website to be truly successful, employing an agency that understands effective search engine optimisation techniques is not only preferable, but absolutely essential, especially given the current economic climate”.

Whilst online advertising options such as Google Adwords, directories such as LocalMole.co.uk and specialist sites such as MyHammer generally achieve a high return on investment for many businesses, high placement within the natural, organic search engine results is clearly important.

Given the long term benefits of such a strategy, it is no surprise that cash-strapped businesses are switching onto the idea. Despite the recession, the fundamentals of advertising remain the same – place a clear, enticing message in front of the right people at the right time, and the sales will come, even if a little more tentatively than they used to.