Doesn’t it seem like every time there’s an economic downturn, marketing budgets are always the first on the chopping block? This year, with tariffs driving cuts in ad budgets, everyone is really concerned. In fact, a recent IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) survey found that 60% of business decision makers expect their ad budgets to drop by as much as 10%, with 22% expecting drops to be as much as 20%. And traditional and social media advertising are going to be the areas that suffer the most.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
The reality is that if you make the decision to continue to invest in marketing and take a strategic and targeted approach, you can continue to build your brand, see sales growth, and emerge even stronger on the other side.
Instead of slashing your budget, why not make the decision to optimize your media mix and invest in channels that perform? (Finding the right balance, if you will.) You may just find that investing your marketing dollars wisely can actually end up saving you money. It’s all about developing a marketing mix that gives you the best chance of reaching prospects with messages that are relevant to their changing needs.
Is it time to shake things up?
When you’re ready to evaluate your marketing channel mix for the rest of 2025, be sure to take a new look at your options
· Consider starting or boosting your content marketing, which is a budget-friendly way to get your message out (typically 62% less expensive than other marketing tactics) that can generate three times the leads.
· Look to influencer partnerships – By partnering with industry experts and thought leaders, you can maximize your impact with minimal spend.
· Take a new look at LinkedIn, where business networking is happening every day, and some of the new tactics that are working for businesses, including short-form social video, the Wire Program ad format, and the more robust Campaign Manager tool.
And don’t forget about direct mail.
It’s a lower-noise channel that’s getting the attention of more marketing teams. Here are just a few eye-opening facts about B2B direct mail:
· 81% of B2B marketers say they are likely to open a mail package at work
· Campaigns integrating direct mail are 27% more likely to achieve impressive metrics and sales results
· Direct mail can break through the digital clutter and reach key B2B decision makers
· AI-powered personalization drives up response rates
· Direct mail is ideal for nurturing relationships and staying top of mind throughout complex buying cycles
· High-level decision makers often filter digital communications, but direct mail often lands on their desks
Maybe that’s why more than 80% of U.S. brands plan to increase their investment in direct mail in 2025.
Every channel needs to perform.
In lean times like these, we can’t afford to waste any of our efforts. Every channel in the stack has to deliver an immediate and trackable ROI. Believe it or not, sometimes adding a channel can actually help! In fact, when you add direct mail to your digital efforts, you unlock a multiplier effect (not just an incremental bump) in results.
That phenomenon has been demonstrated over and over. Last year, for example, a study of 600 marketers found that campaigns that added even just a single, well-timed print touchpoint generated a 63% overall performance lift across the entire channel mix.
When you think about it, it makes sense. After all, a postcard will often live on top of a desk for days, while an email or a social media ad impression is swiped away in a matter of seconds. That physical staying power can help keep your message circulating inside an office (or a household), reinforcing your brand every time someone sees it.
Want to know more about how you can add direct mail to your marketing mix and start getting results? Our new ebook, The Lean Marketer’s Guide, is filled with ideas you can put to work right away. Download your free copy now.
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