I am privileged to work with several excellent Yakima area businesses. As I talk with the owners of those businesses, they all have a positive outlook. Many of them had their best year ever in 2008 and they’re expecting even better things this year.

As an advertising agency director, I work together with these business owners to plan their advertising strategy. I’m very happy that all of them want to keep advertising despite the economic downturn. They’re committed to look for new ways to stay in front of their customers and to continue building top of mind awareness, which is so important — especially during uncertain times.

Think of demand for your product as a pie. You and each of your competitors have a slice of the pie. When the economy slows down, the pie gets smaller. But if you’re the only one advertising, or you’re advertising more effectively than your competitors, your slice of that pie — your market share — will get bigger. When people think of where to go for your product, they’ll think of you because you’re in front of them!

Then, when demand turns around and the pie gets bigger, you’ll have a bigger share of the market and a really BIG piece of the pie! Bottom line? Now is a great time to advertise!

In case you haven’t noticed, with the rapid advancement in technology we have several new ways to communicate a message. Whether it’s a personal message or a promotional appeal, social networking websites, Twitter, and YouTube have gained popularity that has elevated them to the level that we can dub them the new media.

Has someone recently emailed you their favorite video from YouTube? In our WiFi world we have become conditioned to sending and receiving messages that were authored by others but have meaning to us and to our friends, family, and coworkers. We like to share! It helps us feel connected.

One very popular type of video on YouTube is how-to videos. I especially enjoy this one. I saw a story about it on the evening news. A lady in her 90’s named Clara shows us how they cooked during the depression, actually demonstrating how to make each dish and sharing from her experience as a child. These videos are very well done. My kudos to the producer/editor, as I know how difficult that job can be. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zXqkHvs0po

Can YouTube help your business? It certainly could. If you have a message that you can present in a way that is entertaining or instructional and easy to follow, there is a chance it can go “viral” via the internet. It may not be a traditional task for an advertising agency, but those of us that are passionate about communicating important messages in creative ways will always jump at the chance. If you have a great idea that you want to put in video form, contact us today!