A recent post by Apryl Duncan at About.com: Advertising discusses an interesting, yet to-be-released study conducted by The Future of Advertising Project, a collaborative effort between The Wharton School and the Advertising Research Foundation. The study found, among other things, the rise in popularity of DVRs has not adversely affected successful television advertising as was previously assumed. The study ultimately found television advertising can actually harm a company's bottom line. The two most profitable advertising mediums are currently online advertising and print media. Although stories and rumors of different newspapers and magazines closing are rampant and persistent, print media is still hanging in there. It is unlikely the only tangible form of advertising will be obsolete any time soon.

What does this mean for the business owner? It can mean a world of difference when advertising affects the bottom line, all the way around. Consider the cost of television advertising-still the most expensive form of advertising today. Then there is the revenue from the business brought in by commercials on television. Does the revenue from business gained from television advertising business offset the overhead?

Consider as well your level of exposure to the consumer. Television ads run at a certain time of day, on certain channels, a certain number of times a day, targeted for specific groups of consumers. If the consumer is not sitting in front of the television at the exact moment the commercial plays, the sale is lost. Every single person who did not see that customer is a lost sale. On the other hand, online print advertising is essentially "parked", meaning, ad copy on and for your site. The ad does not ruin chances at being seen if will definitely be seen, if not consciously noted by every consumer that "drive" past your parked ad.

In the current economic crisis, it is more important than ever to maintain a strong, consistent web presence. When the good times eventually start rolling again, consumers will be spending money. The big boys are not going to go away or be forgotten. You have to keep yourself on your clients' minds. You want to give prospective clientele a reason to come around and see you when hey confident enough to start spending again.

How is it possible for the small business owner to ever gain a foot-hold in the capitalist market, much less hold on to it, when everyone is pinching pennies? It is possible to downsize your advertising overhead without sacrificing professionalism, service and quality. Freelance writers are emerging as a popular alternative to expensive, impersonal corporate advertising firms. Freelancers are often more willing to negotiate on fees than large firms may be.

Another point to consider is what the freelancer has invested in your business, besides their time and effort. Remember that a freelancer writer's business is usually associated with their own name. It stands to reason anyone trying to build a professional reputation is going to carefully guard that reputation. A freelancer has to protect their name, because it is ultimately their brand. A person's name is not like an email address or user name that can be changed or deleted on a whim. It is not quite so easy to go to court to have your name changed. Therefore a freelancer is more likely to be careful with their reputation because they stake their livelihood on it.

When your name is your brand, it is ever more so important to build quality professional relationships. Good freelancers will prove their worth to the client time and again, and the business owner will reap the benefits of lower cost, and a personal touch to their writing that is sometimes missing from the standard fodder of the commissioned corporate account executives. To a freelancer, the client is not just a paycheck, or just another account easily replaced by another. Each and every client is a separate and distinct business relationship.