by Jonathan Marshall

The state of our economy has had so many negative effects on Americans today. Our families, homes, jobs, spending habits and just about every other aspect of life has changed. However, one of the few things that seems to hold strong is our infatuation with social media, in all arenas. By nature we are social creatures, and it simply doesn’t surprise me that in the last year Twitter has exploded, Facebook has surpassed MySpace in popularity, and companies are looking to use social media more and more by the day.

Occasionally I hear San Diego internet marketing professionals discuss the fact that they need to focus more on customer service and figure out new ways to better interact with their target markets in today’s climate. They know that consumers are interacting with each other rather than relying on companies to get their product information, but they still don’t know where all these discussions are taking place. These people don’t realize that the BEST way to understand the motivations that drive consumers to purchase are constantly discussed in social networks these days.

Today people want their information faster, and they get tired of waiting for businesses to supply it. This is probably the most drastic change in purchasing behavior ever, but as a business, if you begin to think like a consumer, you will begin to understand them. The feedback, suggestions, compliments and “product chatter” that a business can receive directly from their customers in real-time is priceless.

According to experts, the social media industry has shown significant growth in users and popularity since the economic downturn began. I don’t think anyone could have predicted that social media would not only remain a priority, but also become even more important during a time when people are losing their homes.
However, a premiere San Diego marketing agency that understand the true business value of social media have made serious growth during this time, and have a head-start on others who are still trying to find the conversation. The cultural shift in priorities is very interesting to watch.

by Jonathan Marshall

There’s no doubt about it, times are tough. The economy is in the gutter. People are talking about it every day. It’s in the papers, on the news, online and even at the jobs many longer have. Frankly, I am sick of hearing about it. How can companies expect to become better and turn things around when everyone is miserable and terrified of what’s going to happen next? Sometimes we can’t control all of the circumstances we find ourselves in, and letting it ruin every day of our lives certainly isn’t going to help anything- so why not laugh about it? Optimism is the most important thing. It takes more muscles to frown than smile, this too shall pass, yada yada yada, although mockery has always been one of America’s greatest defenses, I think it holds true in this case as well. Some businesses have considered re-branding and are attempting to take on new identities that are tailored to the current economic climate. San Diego Identity Design agencies have been creating new identities for many businesses that are struggling to survive today. In the spirit of smiling not to cry, check out some of these very funny and very fake post-recession logos of some of the most recognizable global brands:

A Graphic Design business owner and friend of mine sent me this video, obviously because he saw the relevance of the vendor/client relationship that we deal with literally EVERY DAY! I think this is really well done and particularly, the couple in the restaurant resonates best with me. While we have phenomenal relationships with our clients, there are always just a few that want it ALL for nothing. We call it… “Champagne taste on a beer budget”. Check out the video…it’s pretty funny.

I also wrote a similar blog about this called “Fast, Good, or Cheap. Pick 2.” Check it out.