Marketing Reality: 17 Reasons Why The Economy Is Not Getting Better

The economy is not improving.

I’m not a “gloom and doom” person.  I’m the consummate optimist who sees the glass as half full, not half empty.  However, realism comes before optimism.  Optimism that ignores the facts is denial.  In fact, I would advocate that pure optimism is realism because it faces reality head on and still moves forward.

Denial is not my bag, although I’m human and sometimes don’t like to face reality anymore than you do.  Facing the facts head on is healthy.  Good marketing strategy is based on bold reality, not wishful fantasy.  Good information equals good decisions.  Spun information blended with denial leads to bad decisions and surprises.

The facts.  Just the facts.

Recovery is impossible without job growth–private sector job growth.  Government job growth only absorbs capital and taxes–it does not create wealth.

The issue becomes “reported” versus real unemployment.  Reported unemployment is what we often hear in the news media.  It paints the brightest possible picture, yet skews the data due to a lack of data.  Real unemployment includes those working part-time (underemployed), plus those who have given up and left the labor pool.  This figure is usually roughly double that of “reported” unemployment (Now roughly 15 to 16% real unemployment vs. the 8.3% “reported” range).

If you left the labor pool, you are off the “reported” radar and not even counted, thus the reason for our current unemployment “drop.”  The whole picture is key.  The top of the ice berg looks small.  Below the surface is danger.  U3 data is the ice berg tip; U6 is the ice berg base.  The Titanic saw the tip; it’s the base underneath that sank the ship.

If you think the economy is getting better, think again.  The following 17, sourced facts and trends show why it’s not.  The are all verified from outside sources, and quoted, verbatim, as listed on the blog, The Economic Collapse.  This is by no means an endorsement of all opinions on the Economic Collapse blog, however, I can’t argue with the listed facts.  Facts are not opinions and opinions are not facts.  Opinions we can challenge, facts, well-we must face or ignore them.

Just click on each link for the actual source.  But first, read through the list.

Seventeen reasons why the economy is not getting better:

• “If the economy is getting better, then why did new home sales in the United States hit a brand new all-time record low during 2011?
• If the economy is getting better, then why are there 6 million less jobs in America today than there were before the recession started?
• If the economy is getting better, then why is the average duration of unemployment in this country close to an all-time record high?
• If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of homeless female veterans more than doubled?
• If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans on food stamps increased by 3 million since this time last year and by more than 14 million since January, 2009?
• If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of children living in poverty in America risen for four years in a row?
• If the economy is getting better, then why is the percentage of Americans living in “extreme poverty” at an all-time high?
• If the economy is getting better, then why is the Federal Housing Administration on the verge of a financial collapse?
• If the economy is getting better, then why do only 23 percent of American companies plan to hire more employees in 2012?
• If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of self-employed Americans fallen by more than 2 million since 2006?
• If the economy is getting better, then why did an all-time record low percentage of U.S. teens have a job last summer?
• If the economy is getting better, then why does median household income keep declining?  Overall, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% since December 2007 once you account for inflation.
• If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans living below the poverty line increased by 10 million since 2006?
• If the economy is getting better, then why is the average age of a vehicle in America now sitting at an all-time high?
• If the economy is getting better, then why are 18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida currently sitting vacant?
• If the economy is getting better, then why are 19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 living with their parents?
• If the economy is getting better, then why does the number of “long-term unemployed workers” stay so high?  In January 2009, the number of “long-term unemployed workers” in the United States was approximately 2.6 million.  Today, that number is sitting at 5.6 million.” **

With knowledge there is wisdom.  Plan your marketing strategy wisely, since the economy will get worse before it gets better.  If you are a small business, you’re the key to private sector growth.  Artificial, government stimulation only goes so far.  Taking water from the shallow end and putting into the deep end of the pool makes no change in the water level.  Don’t let your business sink.

Target your customers, revise your website, follow-up with existing customers, use E-mail marketing, good content and web design, and make full use of social media as it leads back to your website.  Focus on your strengths and don’t waste time on weaknesses.  Make sure you know your marketing story and truly differentiate your product or service.  And, be aggressive and don’t hide in the corner of fear waiting for this recession to end.  It won’t for many years.  We are in new territory so be wise but realistic.

Just because the economy is not getting better does not mean your business will get worse.

Plan, think, be smart and realistic.

Your thoughts?

By Stuart Atkins

** www.theeconomiccollapseblog.com