You're probably familiar with the adage, "When times are good, you should advertise; when times are bad, you must advertise." But how do you convince the powers that be that now is the time to spend strapped budgets on marketing?

Check out the following resources for practical tips and case studies on getting the most impact from your marketing during uncertain economic times:

• When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Ramp Up
• Cost-Effective Marketing in an Uncertain Economy

Marilyn Smit, M45 Co-founder

The recession isn't over—quick, cut the marketing budget!

How many of us—or our organizations—view marketing as a discretionary expense that can (or even should) be sized according to the way the economy "is?" Well, to put it in perspective, let's paraphrase a politico and take a look at what "is is...."

First of all, it's pretty apparent to most folks that while economists declared an end to the recession last year, the business world isn't exactly in agreement with that pronouncement! Most data we've seen indicate that while we may have hit bottom, it will be mid-2004 before the tide really turns.

Secondly, if you're into facts, you should know that businesses that do not reduce their marketing budgets come out of a recession ahead, and those businesses that increase their marketing budgets come out way ahead. The reason lies in one of those factoids from Marketing 101 that we all seem to forget once we enter the real world: during a recession you should work to build market share, and during the upturn/good times you should work to improve profitability. Here's why.

During a recession, many of your competitors may be pulling their funding, so that is the absolute best time to get ahead of the curve and get yourself in front of their customers—who of course should be your customers!

When marketing dollars are down, it's easier for your message to get through. When everyone is marketing, the clutter factor makes it easier for you to get lost in the shuffle. Plus, in times like these you may find great deals on printing and advertising rates.

When the economy springs back, you should have a larger base of existing customers if you've taken the opportunity to grab market share. Once you have those customers, as everyone knows, it's easier—and less expensive—to keep them than to recruit new ones. You can also keep your marketing investments more level over time because you won't need to "catch-up."

And, it's not just advertising that we're talking about—it's marketing overall. Whether you're looking at increasing your sales force or probing into a new market segment, now may be the best time in years to give it a shot. What a recession "is" is an opportunity dressed like a challenge. So, call the marketing team at M45—it's a great time for Stellar Ideas and Down-to-Earth Solutions!