Dear Clients and Friends,

Given the current economic uncertainty, and the budget pressure it will create, we need to be very clear thinking as we approach 2009 marketing planning. It is critical to make sure that we do everything we can to grow our market share and improve the strength of our marketing programs – even if we have to hold or reduce spending. We can not afford to stand still. We are in the midst of a significant shift in how marketing budgets need to be allocated. It would be a mistake to stop developing our marketing programs and simply try to maintain your position with an identical strategy and a weakened budget.

Remember, your buyers are also feeling pressure. They will buy more cautiously and evaluate purchases more thoroughly. This increases the importance of your opportunity to connect with customer and prospects that are conducting research online.

Strong online marketing and PR must be core to the 2009 plan. PR gives you the ability to extend your reach and deepen your story. It also provides a continuous flow of content that should be leveraged directly – on your website, through your sales channel and to your customer base.

Search engine marketing gives you the greatest opportunity to connect with buyers when they are researching a purchase. When your customers are looking, you must be there to help them solve their problem and win the sale. This requires a two prong strategy. You need to optimize your site for organic search, and you need a paid search program that tests various landing pages and sell through strategies. You need a strategy that enables you to measure your ability to drive both clicks and more importantly conversions.

Lastly, 2009 budgets need support for website development. Your website is the anchor point for your brand – now and in the future. The world has moved past the time when you could “refresh the site” every few years. Your website needs to be central to your marketing strategy and constantly evolving.

We will see boom years and bust years. Smart businesses take advantage of the lean years to get ahead of their competition – not by out spending them, but by outsmarting them. There is a significant opportunity to do this right now. Go forward with caution and confidence – this uncertainty will pass.

Scott LoSasso is President of LoSasso Advertising Inc., a Chicago based interactive agency specializing in content marketing strategies and customer acquisition for leading B2B and consumer brands. (See more posts by Scott)