David ArmanoVP | Critical MassLogic + Emotion | darmano.typepad.comTwitter: @armano

criticalmass.com

10 Ways Digital Can Help You

Thrive In A Recession

The question isn’t if we’re heading into a recession. It’show bad will it be—and what we learn from it? Asmarketing budgets feel the squeeze of the housing crisisand a slowing U.S. Economy, now is a good time to thinkabout opportunities.

That’s right. Opportunities. It just happens that the digitalmedium could be your best friend in a time when beltstighten. Here’s a few though starters for how digital canhelp your business or brand thrive in a recession:

Photo Uploaded to Flickr By: Photogrammaton

1 Live by the rules of The Beta EconomyNo other medium allows you to launch, test, re-launch, test,measure, tweak, re-tweak, evolve, re-launch, quite like theWeb. Folks like Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin preachabout this all the time. Guy launched his Truemors serviceon a shoestring budget and uses Twitter topromote it. When budgets get cut—look to digital for new

ways of testing out ideas vs. big bang andbig budget initiatives (think Bud.TV)

2 Leverage Existing PlatformsWhy build from scratch when you can useWordpress as a CMS, Basecamp as a collaboration tooland Concept Share as a way to co-create. Now is a great

time to dig into the already existing platforms(in addition to existing social networks). While building fromscratch has its place, there are more options than ever to

tap into a service that just might do the job.

3 Switch TubesConsider skipping mass TV all together.It worked for BMW films and with YouTube firmly inplace—it can even work with less production values andhigh priced talent. Consider ways to make the participantthe star.

4 Don’t Just Entertain, EngageWhen we turned on our “Always in Beta” cam for the firsttime—we noticed something immediately. People who

were using it on either side were engaged. In fact, they

were captivated. The simple act of live video and livechat using free 2.0 tools ended up being a practical way toengage users. The next time you think about addingspecial effects worthy of Lucas Arts to your program—thinkup alternatives as well.

5 Orchestrate Infinite Touch PointsDon’t put all your digital eggs in one basket like a site orbanner campaign—look at smart ways to distribute theexperience across as many touch points as possible.Be smart about it. Think about how your user thinks andacts digitally and meet them on their turf. Of course thisdoesn’t have to be digital—but in a recession, you mightget more bang for your buck.

6 Prototype OftenDigital tools allow us to prototype rapidly. Sure we canstart with paper—but why? Digital does not equal highfidelity—use the tools available to use bring new ideas tolife which can help sell ideas during a time when everyone

thinks about the bottom line. Embrace speed.Break a few rules. Make your digital ideas tangible assoon as possible.

7 Trade Focus Groups For Digital EthnographyResearch doesn’t have to go out the window as budgetsget squeezed. Look to the internet for insights.Social Networks and search engines can be richethnography tools. I’m not advocating to abandon fieldresearch—but before you slash that discovery phase, thinkabout how digital can be used to find things about the

behavior of your target.

8 Think Outside The BannerThe recession presents a great opportunity to think abouttraditional media buys such as banners differently. Onlinebanners are usually the first line of offense in a digitalinitiative—but there are ways to think about themdifferently. Quality may replace quantity—Apple’s recententry into the online banner space taught us that bannerscan still work—but the ROI improves with creativity. Ifyou’re going to go with online banners, less could be moreand creativity may be the best tool in your box.

9 Embrace Delight By FunctionalityListen to Jared Spool when he talks about delight byfunctionality. When tempted to cut budgets in digitalproduct functionality—think again. Adding or improvingexisting functionality may lead to product preferencewhich increases revenue, sales and even saves money. Allgood things in a recession.

Photo Uploaded to Flickr By: rodcorp

10 ListenDigital gives you many ways to listen to customers –from direct engagement like Dell’s IdeaStorm to simplesurveys or even A:B testing. All are excellent examples ofusing digital to turn up the volume on customer desires.Those brands that do the best job listening will weather anydownturn. Listening doesn’t always mean doing exactlywhat the customer tells you—but it can make what you

decide to do that much better.

Photo Uploaded to Flickr By: Bluepeony

David ArmanoVP | Critical MassLogic + Emotion | darmano.typepad.comTwitter: @armano

criticalmass.com

10 Ways Digital Can Help You

Thrive In A Recession