Who are you?

Everyone is talking about the economy. People who never cared what the DOW did each day and who don't even own stock have been glued to CNBC to see what is happening minute by minute in the markets. Stress is rampant which could make for an even tenser holiday season - no not the shopping but the visits to Grandma's with crazy Uncle Fred.

For organizations, whether for profit or non, the stress is real too. Staffs are being cut, plans put on hold, orders reduced. Nonprofits realize their traditional public funding sources are drying up and individual donors may not be able to fill the gap. So they too are assessing their programs and looking for ways to cut costs. Unfortunately, many times, marketing is the first thing to be trimmed from the budget.

You might expect me to say - NO! Don't cut your marketing! It's important to stay out there so that when the market rebounds you're the first one to reap the benefits. But right now that may not be true.

Instead, now is the time to refocus your marketing. Who are you? What is your brand message? In difficult economic times it is even more critical that you can answer these questions easily and clearly.

You've heard me say - A brand is a promise wrapped in an experience. That is true no matter what the DOW or funding sources do. To survive, to grow, you must be sure your brand promise is being delivered consistently. You must be certain that every experience someone has with your brand carries the message.

Take this time of uncertainty to be introspective AND innovative. Revisit your media channels. Are they be best ones to reach your audience or has your audience changed? Are your products and services fulfilling customer needs or are there new/different needs that you may have missed? Ask What If questions. Ask Why Not questions.

Prepare to take advantage of the changes that are coming and the best way to do that is to be bold.