There's no easy way to put this: Uncertainty sucks. It's also an unavoidable part of life and business.
While there's nothing that any of us can do to avoid uncertainty completely, there are definitely ways for marketers to build a good foundation that has the best possible shot at weathering the storms that come from time to time.
Below are some concrete actions you can take now to prepare for any situation: economic uncertainty, tariffs and trade wars, a global pandemic, or any other force out of your control. To be honest, they're good things to do at any time — but they're critical in times like we find ourselves in now.
There’s a saying in business: “Being early is as bad as being late.”
If you panic respond to uncertainty before its full impact is understood, you’ll close doors. You may experience pressure from stakeholders or your team to do that.
Advertising moves fast, which can encourage us to cancel brand awareness campaigns, freeze experimentation on new channels, and pour everything into channels with trackable ROI when times get tough — even if it’s a weak long-term strategy.
When the COVD-19 pandemic hit, reactionary e-commerce businesses would’ve lost out on a big opportunity if they pulled the plug on advertising. The hunger for online shopping grew, and so did sales. Advertisers that kept their pipeline full with full-funnel techniques won out.
If you need more evidence, resilient companies that kept growth levers on through the 2008 crisis outperformed peers by 150 percentage points in total shareholder return over the following decade.
Yes, business uncertainty can be scary, but it’s important to remember that there’s a whole world of people out there who are also dealing with the same thing. So, what can you give back to your community? Note: You don’t have to be a large corporation with a budget in the millions to make a significant impact.
Our Senior Director of Brand Marketing & PR Courtney Herb put it this way:
"You don’t stop planting seeds just because there’s a storm coming. You double down and tend the roots."
She reminds us that economic fear slashes brand awareness budgets, but this predictable pattern is short-sighted. Companies with strong brand loyalty grow revenue 2.5 times faster than their peers and deliver 2–5 times the returns to shareholders.
Hard times usually require us to emphasize the bottom of the pipeline and bring leads in. But if hard times persist, no one will filter down from the top of the funnel if it’s been ignored.
For shoppers approaching the decision phase, double down on retargeting efforts.
This approach ensures all your channels work together to reach customers with high intent to buy. Retargeted users are 70% more likely to convert compared to cold audiences, making them an ideal audience for targeting when your budget is tight.
Since 97% of first-time site visitors don’t convert, it’s important to use a cross-channel retargeting strategy that catches potential customers on other platforms they visit.
The right marketing tools are the tech equivalent of upgrading from riding horseback to flying down the interstate in a sports car. However, having tools that don't provide their weight in ROI is like hooking a sports car up to a trailer full of non-essentials. Spare some time to take stock of your tools, figure out what you really need (and don’t), and look for options that consolidate your needs into one platform.
Trouble impacts industries differently. See if your customers are even worried before you course correct.
When for instance, when tariff talk hit, these could be questions to ask customers:
It’s not about the bottom line and links and news stories. The brands that survive tough times are the ones that weave themselves into the fabric of their customers’ lives so that they become more than just the products or services that they sell. If you can provide help, in any shape or form, during these distressing times, it’s a surefire way for your company to be utterly indispensable in the hearts and minds of customers.
Last updated on May 8th, 2025.