Review your Marketing Plan
Sometimes the easiest way to keep your small business alive during tough economic times is to step back and evaluate your marketing techniques. What's working and what's not? What can you do to help improve saving money on overhead and making more money? Time is money, so if you don't have the time then you might want to consider hiring someone else to look into it for you.

Cut costs in the office if you work from home
There are several things you can do to cut costs if you work from home.

• Use less electricity by turning your computer off at night or when you're going to be away from it for more than three hours at a time.


• Turn the heat or air conditioning down while you go out. Or better yet try not to use it if that's at all possible.


• Buy your office supplies in bulk and when they're on sale.

Network
Have you ever heard the saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know?" Getting to know other people that are in the same line of business as you can really give you an advantage over the competition. Go to conferences, meetings; participate in blogs and other media conversations. By becoming an expert in your field of work can help you build credibility and give you a better chance of surviving the economy.

Free or low cost advertising
Small business owners are a special breed of people who know how to attain conventional goals in unconventional ways. Most small business owners also know how to find and advertise for their business with a lack of cash flow. You definitely don't want to cut your marketing because that can totally kill your business, but you can try and find free or lost cost ways to advertise and market your product or service. Here are a few ideas on how you can do that:

• Advertising specials. Sometimes local newspapers or publication places will offer a "two for one" deal for something like it. That's what we call free advertising and you should jump at the chance to do it.


• Trading. Some businesses will trade products or services for ad space. If you are offering something that a publisher, newspaper, or web sit owner needs then you may be able to make a deal and trade straight across.


• Use Press releases. Magazines, newspapers, and online news sites are always looking for news and stories to use in their publications. If yours is worthy you may just get it printed for free.

Keep the cash flowing?
No matter how bad the economy gets you always need to keep the cash flowing. You can offer discounted items or services or pick up extra work with other business owners that aren't struggling as much. Whatever it takes to keep the cash coming into the business is what you will have to do to keep your business alive.

Small business owners are creative and can usually think "outside the box" when it comes to different ways to keep their business running. Hopefully these ideas will help you figure out how to keep your small business alive during an economic crisis.