Using the results of a survey of 407 marketing professionals, MarketingSherpa has published a series of reports around one theme – Marketing During an Economic Downturn. Most of these reports include simple charts on media usage and marketing intentions, but 24 real-life Strategies Marketers are Using to Handle the Slump (PDF) gives especially concrete and inspiring advice.
In the above-mentioned report, eBags SVP and Cofounder Peter Cobb speaks practically about conducting contests to increase customer databases and offering coupons through partners. He also highlights how many brick-and-mortar stores cut inventory during a recession These cuts can stimulate online shopping where a larger range of brands or models is available. This is in addition to the price of gas, which also encourages some customers to shop from home. Think that free delivery also helps!
SEO is really important to all but Ritz-Carlton Director of E-commerce Marketing emphasizes how much responding to every lead can help. She also shares how posting short films on both their website and video-sharing site work to heighten brand awareness.
You can download all the reports (PDF) free for a week.
