Does the Economy Suck or What?

Sept. 1, 2009 - PRLog -- A friend of mine Tony Woodall with Coffee News starts his 60 second presentation at the Monday morning Jackson County Chamber Power Hour with the question, "Does the economy suck or what?"  We all get a chuckle every week when he starts.  But it's a good question.  For many small businesses the answer is a resounding "Yes!".

But, in Jackson County, GA many of these same small businesses are digging in and refusing to become victims of this temporary pull back in what will again be a robust economy.  They are looking for ways to stimulate business.   They are creating new products and programs and pricing packages to not only stay in business, but to help their customers survive as well.  It's that entrepreneurial spirit that has made and will continue to make this country great.

Murphy Consulting, Inc. (MURCON) is one of those businesses.  As the economy contracts businesses tend to contract their promotional efforts as well.  Marketing budgets are cut.  In a small business with a small marketing budget, that could spell the end of the company.  And, even though every business needs to be marketing on the internet these days, spending in that area has been reduced greatly in the downturn.

So we asked ourselves what we could put together to help companies promote themselves cost effectively on the internet when "the economy sucks" and, at the same time, allow us to make a reasonable profit.  How can we help drive retail in northeast Georgia?  We came up with three ideas.  These are not new ideas just an old concept with a different focus, a new face.

We started last year evolving the concept and talking to people about it.  The whole concept revolves around a series of inter-connected websites that offer retailers a whole web page to promote their business with space for related but non-competing businesses to advertise on the same page.  

The first release of this concept, released September 1, is "Around Town Antiques" at AroundTownAntiques.com, a joint venture between MURCON and another avid antiquer.  

Northeast Georgia is speckled with lots of antique shops, secondhand shops, and auctioneers.  But, there is really nothing available to tie them together so that when antiquers go out to do their antiquing they can go to a group of shops in a given area.  

AroundTownAntiques.com ties together northeast Georgia antique shops, displays their locations on a map,  and puts them in front of antique seekers everywhere there is an internet connection.  The website is being built out starting with Jackson County, GA.    

And, since antiquing makes you hungry, restaurants that are located near the antique shops can advertise on the same page as a local shop and be displayed on the local map.  Other businesses that cater to women can advertise as well, and, looking for an auction?  And, look for the list of auctioneers.

So take a look at AroundTownAntiques.com, go antiqueing, have something to eat, and have some fun!

Perhaps in the not too distant future we will again hear, "Is the economy booming, or what!"

# # #

Murphy Consulting, Inc. (MURCON) is an Internet Marketing company. We offer a comprehensive set of internet marketing tools and services to create/update your website, draw traffic to our website, reach out and touch your customers and prospects.