All businesses are fighting for market share especially during a downturn. The companies that can maintain or even grow their market share will be better placed than their competitors. So beware of reducing your advertising spend for more than a few months, otherwise the consequences can be damaging in the long term.

Rather than looking to cut the marketing/advertising budget during a downturn in the expectation that revenues will fall, it is in fact preferable to view your marketing as a revenue generator and that cutting would be illogical. Instead look to reposition your marketing efforts and get better value from your budget by negotiating deals with your suppliers.

Acknowledge in your marketing to your customers and non-customers that you are fully aware of the current economic situation. In fact you can present yourself as being ahead of the curve. Point out that you have priced your goods and services accordingly, and that the downturn is an opportunity to overhaul and improve all aspects of your business, whilst focusing on delivering increased value to your customers.

Times are tough! But most businesses are in the same boat. So when pressure mounts, it maybe that your business could benefit from being able to pool resources with others. It is definitely easier to sell the idea of a joint marketing initiative during a downturn; the potential attractions are that you and another business can share the costs and the work involved, as well as the benefits. What imaginative pairings can you dream up for your business?

Everyone loves an authentic story. Have you got one that brings your business alive in the eyes of your customers? This is the direction marketing is nowadays taking, and it makes a great deal of sense in this era of shrinking attention spans. To take your marketing in this direction requires some lateral thinking and some kinds of business lend themselves to this better than others. Word of mouth is a very powerful force and people love to talk, so give them a story to repeat, embellish and share. Look for what is unique, special or worthy about your business and incorporate it into your marketing.

This is not about your risk as a trader but the risk that customers run when buying services and products during an economic downturn. Deposits lost, goods not delivered, guarantees not honoured, all caused by businesses going bust. Of course this is not going to happen to your business, and you can reassure customers of this by making it clear that you are going to be around for the long haul. The best way to do this is to project a confident can-do attitude; in person, on the phone and in all marketing and advertising material – relentlessly. Often a small business is perceived as more risky than a big chain, but you have the advantage of being able to react more quickly to market conditions, and most importantly, the advantage of having a personal relationship with your customers.

An integrated and co-ordinated cross-platform marketing plan is essential in order to tie together various activity strands within a strategic time frame. For instance, you may be planning a seasonal promotion, to start it with a bang you schedule an in-store event, but first it would be wise to send out some customer-profiled invitations. Firstly, is your database of existing customers up to date? In an ideal world you would post an invitation 2 to 3 weeks before the event, follow up with an email a week before and maybe send an SMS text reminder on the day. Additionally you need general interest-building advertising – posters, advert in the local paper, maybe a door drop and definitely an online plug on your website.

In fact an informative and accessible website should be the hub of any marketing campaign. All marketing material should contain your web address, and the emails you send out, to publicise your in-store event, can simply be a link that sends people to the page of your site containing current event details. If you want people to book in advance for your event you could offer an online booking/payment facility. Finally put some pictures and text about the event on your website.

When the cumulative effect of the diverse promotional activities you employ becomes greater than the sum of the parts, it indicates that you are achieving critical mass in your marketing. However, as the benefits from the various strands of your marketing feed into other areas, it becomes more difficult to gauge which parts are working well, and which areas may need strengthening. So strive to maintain a balance across the spectrum by communicating your core message clearly and directly in all areas.