How Entrepreneurs Can Outsmart an Economic Downturn with Smarter Marketing and Business Moves

When the economy takes a downturn, it’s easy to feel like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Everyone talks about slashing costs to survive, and the loudest advice often says “cut your marketing budget now.” But here’s the harsh truth: if you cut your marketing during a slowdown, you’re essentially throwing away your lifeline.

Why? Because when customers tighten their belts, the loudest brands win. The ones who stay visible, build trust, and show clear value scoop up the limited dollars available. The rest get left behind. Dang squeaky wheels! Don’t be the business that fades into silence and disappears.

Instead, work smarter with your marketing — sharpen your strategy, tighten your focus, and own your space. This isn’t just theory. I’ve seen entrepreneurs who invest strategically during downturns grow stronger and faster than competitors who panic and retreat.

If you haven’t already, start with why you absolutely need a solid marketing strategy before the economy slows and why cutting marketing budgets during a recession is not the answer. These posts set the foundation for the smart moves you’ll make here.

Why Cutting Your Marketing Budget is the Biggest Mistake You Can Make

Cutting Marketing Dollars Is a Dangerous Mistake

It might feel like an obvious place to save money, but pulling back on marketing during a downturn can actually accelerate your business’s decline.

Loss of visibility:

When you stop marketing, your customers stop seeing you. This makes it easier for competitors to swoop in and steal market share while you’re silent.

Damaged brand perception:

Customers may interpret your reduced presence as a sign you’re struggling or less trustworthy.

Longer recovery times:

Once your marketing goes quiet, rebuilding brand awareness and customer trust after the downturn is a costly, uphill battle.

Think of your marketing like oxygen for your business. Without it, your business suffocates.

Every week you delay optimizing your marketing, your competitors are stealing the attention and dollars you desperately need to survive.

What to Do Instead: Work Smarter, Not Necessarily “Cheaper”

The solution isn’t cutting, it’s smart auditing and prioritizing to make sure your marketing is integrated, holistic, and efficient.

• Audit your current marketing: Identify where you’re wasting spend and cut those areas, but keep what’s actually driving leads and conversions.
• Review how you’re showing up online: especially with how much everything online has changed just in the past year, you need to review how, where and when your business is being found.
• Focus on high-ROI channels: SEO, email marketing, and well-targeted social media often deliver better returns at lower costs.
• Leverage your existing content: Repurpose blog posts, emails, and social to maintain presence without heavy investment.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. My free SEO audit and website audit are excellent starting points to identify gaps and opportunities.

If budget or time is tight, consider The Unscrewed Room for strategic support that empowers you to do this right without paying full agency fees. I designed this room specifically for entrepreneurs who need to do smarter DIY marketing.

The DIY Shift: Why Entrepreneurs Are Taking Control and How to Do It Right

Why More Entrepreneurs Are Going DIY, and the Risks of Flying Blind

In tough economic times, it’s natural to want to save money by doing your own marketing. More entrepreneurs than ever are taking control of their marketing to reduce costs. This is smart, but only if done strategically.

The problem? Many DIY marketers end up wasting precious time and energy on the wrong tactics, spinning their wheels without clear direction. Without a focused strategy and proven framework, DIY marketing can lead to burnout and lost opportunities.

How to DIY Smarter and Avoid Common Pitfalls

To truly benefit from doing your own marketing, you need tools and training tailored to entrepreneurs who don’t have big agency budgets but want expert guidance.

• My Brand Voice Workshop helps you create a consistent, authentic voice that resonates deeply with your audience—a must-have when every message counts.
• The Niche & Differentiation Workshop teaches you how to carve out a space where your business stands apart, especially crucial when everyone is fighting for fewer dollars.

With these resources, you avoid costly trial-and-error and build marketing momentum that actually moves the needle. Otherwise, the risk is burning time and energy without returns, and falling behind competitors who adapt faster.

Customer Retention is Your Toughest Battle—Here’s How to Win It Without Slashing Prices

Why Customer Retention Gets Tougher in Downturns

When money gets tight, customers don’t disappear, but they become pickier and more cautious. You’ll notice repeat buyers cutting back or shopping around more. For many businesses, retaining these customers can be the hardest challenge during a slowdown.

The instinct is to slash prices to keep revenue. But deep discounting erodes your brand’s value and profits, making it harder to recover later and creating expectations your business can’t sustain.

How to Keep Customers Engaged and Loyal Without Cutting Margins

Instead of discounts, focus on real value and relationship building:

• Personalize your communication. Show customers you understand their challenges and offer solutions tailored to them.
• Lean into your brand’s unique story and voice. When customers feel emotionally connected, they’re more loyal even under pressure.
• Offer creative packaging or flexible payment options that meet customers’ current needs without eroding price integrity.

Your brand voice and clear differentiation are your best tools here. These skills are exactly what I teach in the Brand Voice and Niche workshops, helping entrepreneurs hold onto customers and keep margins intact.

Pivot Your Offers: Innovate to Stay Relevant Without Undercutting Yourself

Why Price Cuts Are a Race to the Bottom

Cutting prices feels like an immediate fix, but it often backfires—starting a downward spiral where competitors respond in kind, profits disappear, and your brand’s perceived value drops.

How to Pivot Offers Creatively and Protect Your Brand

Instead of price cuts, innovate with your offers:

• Bundle products or services to create higher perceived value without reducing price
• Introduce subscriptions or payment plans that smooth cash flow for customers and revenue for you
• Shift messaging from features to outcomes—focus on the problems you solve, not just what you sell
• Experiment with new audience segments or sales channels that may be less price sensitive

For inspiration, check out the case study on How One Business Pivoted to Win at a time their entire industry faced a drastic change.

This approach lets you stay competitive and profitable without compromising your brand’s long-term strength.

The Mindset That Separates Surviving from Thriving

Why Mindset Matters More Than Ever

An economic downturn is not just a financial test — it’s a mental one. Your mindset directly shapes your decisions, your leadership, and your business’s trajectory.

Entrepreneurs who succeed amid uncertainty:

• Focus on their Zone of Genius, delegating tasks that drain energy and focus.
• Embrace a growth mindset, seeing disruption as an opportunity for innovation.
• Lead transparently and empathetically, building trust with teams and customers.
• Prioritize self-care to maintain clarity, energy, and resilience.

Without this mindset, you risk burnout, indecision, and missed opportunities just when you need strength most.

Audit Your Marketing Now, Especially With AI Changing the Game

Why Marketing Audits Are Critical in This Moment

The marketing landscape is shifting fast. AI-powered search tools are changing how customers discover and evaluate businesses. Combined with economic downturns, this creates a high-risk moment for entrepreneurs.

Without a comprehensive marketing audit, you risk:

• Losing visibility in emerging AI-driven search results
• Messaging that doesn’t clearly communicate what makes you different and valuable
• Continuing to spend money on tactics that no longer deliver results
• Missing crucial gaps in customer engagement and retention strategies

What a Marketing Audit Should Do for You

A comprehensive marketing audit evaluates your entire marketing ecosystem—website, SEO, messaging, customer touchpoints—to identify weaknesses and uncover growth opportunities.

My 360° Marketing Assessment is an initial, expert diagnostic call designed to help entrepreneurs uncover their biggest marketing challenges and determine whether a full audit or tailored strategy makes sense next. This isn’t a sales call; it’s direct advice geared for your next step.

Delaying this first step risks your competitors gaining ground while you’re stuck unsure about where to focus your efforts.

Your Detailed Checklist to Outsmart the Downturn

1. Conduct a full marketing audit: Use tools like my free SEO audit and website audit to find leaks and gaps.
2. Refocus your marketing spend: Prioritize SEO, email marketing, and targeted social media—your highest ROI channels.
3. Sharpen your brand voice: Join the Brand Voice Workshop to connect authentically and consistently.
4. Clarify your niche and differentiation: Stand out and compete smart with the Niche Workshop.
5. Pivot your offers: Package creatively and avoid destructive discounting.
6. Engage your existing customers: Build loyalty through personalized communication and true value.
7. Maintain a resilient mindset: Focus on your strengths, lead with empathy, and take care of yourself.
8. Get strategic support: Consider joining The Unscrewed Room for expert DIY marketing guidance without high agency costs.

By embracing these smart, strategic steps, you’re not just defending your business; you’re building a foundation for growth that will outlast any economic storm.