Dear Manufacturing Leaders,
Economic downturns. Supply chain disruption. Rising costs. It feels like everything is working against you — and your instinct might be to pull back on marketing.
I get it. I’ve spent more than 30 years in manufacturing marketing and have worked alongside owners, leadership teams, and sales reps. But here’s the truth: The companies that market smart during tough times are the ones that come out ahead.
Now is not the time to disappear. Now is the time to double down on the brand reputation, customer loyalty, and lead generation you’ve worked so hard to build.
🔹 1. Stay Visible When Others Go Dark
When competitors get quiet, your voice gets louder. Staying consistent with your marketing reminds your customers — and your prospects — that you’re still here, still reliable, and still leading. Trust is built in the tough times, not the easy ones.
🔹 2. Take Market Share Without a Price War
Cutting prices isn’t the only way to compete. Smart, strategic marketing positions you as the better, more trusted option — not the cheapest. That’s how you grab market share without sacrificing margin.
🔹 3. Help Your Sales Team Shorten a Longer Buy Cycle
In an uncertain economy, buyers get slower and more cautious. They need more touchpoints, more education, and more reassurance. Marketing creates those touchpoints — from LinkedIn posts to case studies to automated email sequences — which makes it easier for your sales team to keep deals moving.
🔹 4. Show You’re Agile and Invested in Your Customers’ Success
If you’re finding new ways to solve supply chain problems, reduce lead times, or add value — you need to tell that story. Your customers aren’t just buying a product. They’re buying your ability to deliver when others can’t.
🔹 5. Set Yourself Up for the Recovery
Tough times don’t last. But companies that go dark now will have to spend time — and serious money — rebuilding later. The ones that stay visible and engaged will hit the ground running when the market turns around.
Quick Wins You Can Do Today:
✅ Tighten up your website messaging — make it about your customer, not you.
✅ Build a case study that shows how you helped a customer overcome supply chain delays.
✅ Post thought leadership content on LinkedIn that speaks directly to your customers’ current pain points.
✅ Start (or refresh) your email nurturing campaigns — even a simple monthly newsletter keeps your brand top of mind.
✅ Audit your CRM and lead generation processes so you’re ready to scale.
Bottom Line:
“If you’re not marketing when times are tough, you’re handing opportunity to your competitors.”
I don’t believe in marketing for marketing’s sake. At Barracuda B2B, I work with manufacturers to build realistic, data-driven strategies that generate leads, support sales, and protect market share — even in tough markets. Let’s make sure you’re the company your customers can count on, no matter what the economy does.
About Gina Tabasso Gina Tabasso is a Lean Six Sigma certified growth strategist with 30+ years growing brands, leads, and revenue for industrial and B2B companies. Through Barracuda B2B, Gina partners with manufacturers to craft marketing that drives real results — not vanity metrics. She also brings to the table project management, process improvement, training, sales, business development, and strategic planning expertise.
👉 Let’s connect if you want to build a marketing plan that’s tough enough for today’s economy.