Recession is defined in economics as the general slowdown of economic activities over a continuous period of time, or a business cycle reduction. In the course of a recession, several macroeconomic factors vary in a comparable way. A country’s economic health is measured by a number of fundamental factors ranging from: Employment, inflation, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), per capita incomes, and business profits, all of which fall during recessions.

Most national economies usually respond to recessions by implementing expansionary economic policies such as increased government spending, money supply and reduced taxation. Recessions tend to have many traits that can arise concurrently and this could include reduction in synchronized measures of economic activities such as investment, corporate profits and employment.

Various recessions have been predicted through stock market decline, an example is the real estate market which usually tends to weaken prior to a recession. If you’re considering share trading in a recession, then it’s well advice that you consider a few measures; especially if you work for someone else. This could include putting cash into a reserve fund. The logic behind this move is that recessions usually result to layoffs, and a reserve fund comes in handy to cushion you from the adverse effect of a salary loss.

The next step should be to focus on your portfolio, prior to making investment decisions; you should take your time and answer the following questions:

a)    Will the economy improve sometime during my life?
b)    Is HP, Microsoft or any other company important to the economy; survive to be in business in the next 20 years or more?

When you answer the above 2 questions, then the best investment strategy should be clear to you. Many investors know that the economy will ultimately improve in the long haul and that massive stock price declines are only short-term, however they’re often too fearful to do anything about it!

The funny side of this is that at exactly the time when it’s best and wise to invest, most folks are often too cowardy to invest either due to lack of cash or just fear itself. Share trading in a recession and recessions overall are sometimes a blessing in disguise and most often harbor plenty of investment opportunities to those that keep an open mind.

Love life, not just the weekends. You only have one life, Live It! @ www.NicciAndLee.com

Shares can only be purchased through a stockbroker and that means that the first thing you need to do is prior to investing in shares is to decide on the type of broker you want. You may also have to figure out a style of dealing, this could be through the phone or via the internet as most investors currently do.

If you’re the busy type with no time to trade, then you can decide to go for stockbroking service offering full advisory services. With stockbroking service, a broker will analyze your individual situation and develop a plan to march your investment needs.

The broker will also watch over your investments and offer suggestions on how and where to buy shares and selling too. There is a variation of this, commonly referred to as “discretionary service” here your stockbroker may purchase and sell shares on your behalf without your consent. It’s a highly customized service and sometimes very costly.

If you decide to buy shares on your own, then an online stockbroker account could be a convenient option. Share trading over the internet is often quick and cheaper than phone dealing, besides involving less paperwork. If you decide to trade shares over the internet, selecting the right account is a matter of utmost importance. Trading with the right account could save you hundreds of dollars on trading costs. Active traders making regular trades will often require different accounts from small infrequent traders. Below is an example to illustrate the above points.

If you’re an irregular trader, dealing in small amounts of stocks, then buying shares in batches is highly advised; in this case your online broker will collect your order and purchase the shares at specified time rather than buy them in real time. The drawback with this method is that the fluctuating nature of share prices may affect the price you get, it’s probably the most affordable method.

If you’re a frequent trader dealing large amounts, then pay attention to your stockbroker’s fine print to stay informed about the fees charged. Frequent traders are better off looking for companies with lower, flat fees. Note that larger transactions could be expensive since they involve takeovers and mergers levy in addition to the stamp duty.

Love life, not just the weekends. You only have one life, Live It! @ www.NicciAndLee.com

Some say we are in a recession. Others say we haven’t had any negative growth yet through the 2nd quarter of 2008 and you need 2 consecutive quarters of negative GDP for a textbook recession. The financial and credit markets are predictors of the future and they are telling us that, any way you want to measure it, 2009 will be a year of recession

Does this mean to go and hideout in a bunker until the weather clears? If you do, this will be a mistake which you will regret for a very long time. Tough times call for action, not passivity. It calls for greater precision and targeting for the most efficient and ROI-driven strategies to maintain and improve your sales and profits. Yes, I said improve … even in a recession.

The following from Emarketer was just released showing the estimates of online advertising spending growth:

The doom and gloom crowd don’t believe these numbers and therefore won’t share them with you as we are here. However, according to a June McKinsey & Co. survey of 340 senior marketing executives worldwide, 91% are using online advertising, and over one-half indicate that their companies plan to maintain or exceed current levels where possible. Even more telling, 55% of marketers said they’re cutting expenditures on traditional media, precisely in order to increase funding for online efforts.

Why is this? Why do marketing experts believe that shifting precious marketing dollars online and taking away from the traditional media is the way to go? It all comes down to results.

Here are the key reasons for the phenomenon:

1. The buyer is finding your website as a result of their personal initiative; all at a time and place of their choosing. Traditional media reach less than .05% of their target market at enormous cost; this is the quintessential example of inefficiency and waste and cannot be tolerated by all those on a tight marketing budget.
2. The web is, more than anything else, an instrument of measurement. Therefore it is vastly more measurable and accountable than traditional methods.
3. The web is clearly more targeted and provides us much granularity as the buyer or the seller desires. The information is all there and always available.
4. The web is just simply gaining viewer time. Traditional media commercials are ignored or “fast-forwarded” using new technology. When online, viewers are in buyer mode when searching for a product or service; they have the confidence that the web / Google et al will lead them to the right information and the right purchase.
5. Traditional media provide you only the information they want you to know in the time or space they are allowed. The web provides no barrier; buyers can check out products, prices, terms and conditions. They can use the social media and other supportive tools to gain the confidence and peace of mind they need before making a buying decision.

So here is what you need to do to overcome the challenge of recession:

1. Improve your Internet Marketing Strategy. This includes many factors:

a. Hire an Internet Marketing Company
b. Generate a game plan to generate targeted traffic through SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Sponsored Search or PPC (Pay per Click).
c. Make a major commitment to content with the company you select. Content is life-blood of quality SEO results.
d. Improve your website to optimize conversions as well. The right SEO Company will actually include this service as an integral part of Search Engine Marketing and Website Design.

2. Start e-publishing a monthly newsletter for your existing clientèle. Keep your name in front of your customers and new prospects that sign up through the sign-up on your website.

3. Consider Affiliate Marketing - depending on your business, you can take advantage of thousands of online sales agents that only earn a commission after the sale is made or the lead is generated … a true meritocracy.

Do all of these things and more and you will be found by precisely those people who are seeking your products and services.

Love life, not just the weekends. You only have one life, Live It! @ www.NicciAndLee.com