Now's not the time to trim marketing budgets

Resist the urge! Don't trim the marketing budget. 

That's the advice of strategists specializing in small- to mid-sized companies as we head into an increasingly tight economy and competition for business gets tougher. 
 

While it's temping to view marketing dollars as discretionary -  they don't go toward payroll, overhead or production - experts say now is the time smaller companies need promotional efforts most to stand out from the crowd and solidify their brands in the mind of customers who themselves are feeling the pinch of shrinking budgets.
 

Already there are clear signs of a knee-jerk reaction. According trade publication Advertising Age, in October, the most recent month for which data is available, U.S. ad spending fell 2.5 percent from the year-earlier period.
 

Instead of hacking, it's better to first ensure that your existing budget - whether spent on traditional outlays like print and television advertising, public relations and special events or newer forms of digital media and so-called guerilla marketing - is deployed as efficiently as possible.

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