This article is the fourth in the Ride Your Brand Through Economic Uncertainty series on how small- to mid-sized business (SMB) owners can best leverage their brand’s value to navigate challenging and uncertain economic times.
In the days before Teams, Slack, and instant messaging, I remember having to fly from Boston to our New York headquarters on a regular basis, not so much because I couldn’t work in Boston, but more so because I knew if I stayed out of sight on a regular basis, I would eventually be out of mind when important discussions came around. But hey, at least I scored a lot of frequent flier miles.
The same holds true for your brand, minus the first-class upgrades, especially when everyone around you is asking whether they should cut marketing in a recession.
Don’t take my word for it. Consider that in the 2026 CMO Survey, 53.1% of executives said marketing is the first thing they cut when profits miss targets. Total marketing spending grew just 1.7%, the smallest increase since 2021. So if you’re asking yourself, “Should I cut marketing in a recession?” consider this: when competitors go quiet and you don’t, your voice gets louder even without spending more.
Your marketing and brand spend isn’t just for this quarter’s numbers; it’s for the long game, too. Harvard Business Review’s (HBR) study of 4,700 companies found that the 9% that flourished after recessions kept investing in marketing while cutting costs through efficiency.
As we said in our white paper, The Uncorrelated Asset, most of your future clients aren’t buying today, but they’ll remember who stayed visible. LinkedIn’s B2B Institute found that 86% of B2B buyers start from a list of brands already in mind, and that list averages only three. So the takeaway is to get, and stay, on that list!
Staying top of mind isn’t about big splashes; it’s about maintaining a steady cadence of relevant content.
Here are five ways to do it:
Consistency, Consistency, and More Consistency. Staying top of mind isn’t about big splashes; it’s about maintaining a steady cadence of relevant content—newsletters like our Focal Point and LinkedIn articles like this one.
Add Value. The content you share should be more about solving prospect and client problems and less about sharing offers. As we said in the third installment of this five-part series, Be the Safe Choice, Edelman and LinkedIn found that B2B buyers are 46% less likely to trust thought leadership that’s overly product-focused.
Cozy Up to Your Clients. Even if you know they’re not in a position to buy, keep in touch. Check in with them for no other reason than to see how they’re doing or share something that they will find relevant.
In fact, during a recent client engagement, we interviewed a number of our client’s prospects. One of them admitted that they work more with one of our client’s competitors simply because they check in from time to time.
Be a Special Guest Star. Don’t just rely on your own channels; show up on others’. Every third person you know has a podcast these days, so offer to be a guest. Write guest posts on other people’s blogs. (Mine for example!) It’s important that you show up in unexpected places as much as the expected ones.
Trim Don’t Shave. As we also pointed out in our Uncorrelated Asset white paper, reducing costs is not the same as reducing risk. You don’t have to go to every trade show or sponsor every conference. But if you skip something pricey, be sure to replace it with something less expensive.
Businesses that kept spending above their market share during a recession later gained several times more market share than those that didn’t, according to Peter Field for LinkedIn B2B Institute. Once this economic situation improves, be the case study that proves that point.
If you have any questions about staying top of mind or any of the other topics in the series, please book a free, 30-minute discussion. I’m happy to explore your situation and options with you.
Speaking of the series, so far we’ve talked about staying focused, differentiating yourself, being the safe choice, and now staying top of mind. The final installment will bring them all together with new ways for you to ride your brand through this economic uncertainty. You can find them all here.
Claude, Opus 5.5, provided research for this blog post. All the writing is my own.
