The election is finally behind us and with it the rancor and noise of the propositions and politicians. Now is the time to concentrate on the future of our small businesses. The new administration will need to focus on the economic well-being of the country, both short and long term. Government is not the answer to the issues affecting the economy, but its participation is vital to recovery and to sustained growth not fraught with greed and fraud.

What is the role of business at this juncture? Aside from a return to the basics of adjusting expenses in order to maintain cash flow, we need to create innovative ways to increase top-line items (sales) for now and the future.

During economic downturns, companies can view marketing and advertising as unnecessary expenses. But it has proven to be short sighted and inflicts long-term damage to market share and product branding.

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As the story goes, companies that continued their marketing efforts in the 1930s rose to prominence in their industries becoming household words while their competitions’ image withered.

The lesson here is that in order to remain in consumers’ minds, branding your image and advertising your products cannot be viewed as unnecessary. Branding and advertising need to be focused and deliberate with the goal of reaching the target market directly. 

Additionally, advertising results need to be trackable using coupons, discount codes and special offers. Consistency is king. Stay on message and be uniform with the branding image and logo.

In these times trust is the fuel of small business, America’s economic engine. Trust is the cornerstone of branding and marketing. Market share is the gauge of the level of trust and confidence your brand holds in comparison to the competition. This is true when considering a stylist, make of car or laundry detergent. Trust in a product or service is what drives consumers to return to the same vendor, good or — the magic word — brand.

Advertising capitalizes on branding (marketing) by suggesting the use of a particular product. If you trust General Motors you’ll consider Chevrolet, Cadillac, Pontiac, Buick or one of their other brands. The choice simply becomes one of lifestyle or image when deciding on an SUV, sedan or hybrid.

Do we all have branding and advertising budgets like GM? No. We do have local promotion vehicles available as a part of our marketing and advertising campaigns. Those vehicles include local, targeted print publications, radio and TV, direct mail or e-mail programs with an opt out feature, to current customers and potential new customers, business leads exchange groups and face-to-face networking (such as with the Arizona Small Business Association). 

Use of all these resources requires a delicate balance of branding and advertising to maximize the impact. Additionally a call to action is needed. Perhaps the call is to a sale, or to a new product rollout, or to an exclusive offer for existing customers.

The next few months will not be a picnic, but we cannot afford to be like armadillos, curled up in our shells until the danger passes. Most of us have a huge investment — in all sorts of ways — in our businesses and need to be prudent now while maintaining our branding efforts for the recovery.

Unlike the 1930s when there were no safeguards in place to prevent an economic meltdown, we have systems now that monitor worldwide activities. These safety nets have been used before to rescue tipping economies, now they are being tested more than ever. The long-term health of your business will be determined by your willingness to stay on plan with adjustments as needed, by the prudent reallocation of resources and by asking your customers to refer or promote you.

Stay in the media, continue to network, and don’t give up. If history repeats itself yours will be one of the businesses to emerges from this slowdown stronger than before.

Contact Charlie O’Dowd, senior vice president for Southern Arizona of the Arizona Small Business Association, at codowd@asba.com or (520) 327-0222.