So I guess it takes an international business celebrity to make the point, and hit home a little harder. Maybe I ought to write a book or dozen (ahem) too…

I was reading the latest copy of Entrepreneur Magazine today, and I flipped it open to see one my heroes, Robert Kiyosaki, talking about the virtues of marketing and not being cheap. Can I tell you? I got chills.

In an article entitled “Go Big or Go Home,” Kiyosaki states that “even in a bad economy, one truth about marketing stands: you have to spend more to make more.” So true.

He goes on to explain further that “promotion is a six-week cycle. That means if I promote today, business increases six weeks later. Many businesses violate the six-week cycle. They promote for, say, four weeks, and because nothing happens, they stop. Two weeks later, there’s a sudden increase in business. For four weeks, business remains strong. Then, just as suddenly, business drops off, because six weeks earlier, the entrepreneur had stopped promoting.”

My rich dad’s lesson was to never stop promoting: Promote whether the economy is strong or weak; promote even when you may not have the money. If you have no money, stand on a street corner at lunchtime with a sign hanging around your neck promoting your product or service.

What I want to add to Kiyosaki’s article is some ideas on how to market in a crummy economy – because let’s face it – we’re in one. Notice he uses the words “promote” and “market” – not “advertise.” His lesson (and mine) – promote no matter what, constantly.

Given that, what do you have more of to invest into promotions right now? Time or money?

Use this table I created to help give you some visual ideas on where you might be, and in turn, what you can do in that situation to market yourself:

Like a garden without water, a business without marketing cannot succeed.