How entrepreneurs can nonetheless thrive in a recession: Professional and data-backed suggestions

When life provides you lemons, make lemonade. Proper?

There’s rather a lot to glean from turbulent instances just like the 2008 recession and the newer COVID-19 pandemic. Inside these intervals are droves of case research proving that whether or not or not an organization comes out thriving is essentially depending on the energy of its advertising. It’s no coincidence that those who leaned in are those nonetheless prospering.

Take Hyundai, for instance, a model that launched the Hyundai Assurance Program in 2009 (a response to the 2008 recession), a marketing campaign permitting clients to cease funds and return their vehicles within the occasion they had been laid off. And whereas U.S. auto gross sales dropped by greater than 20% in 2009, Hyundai’s U.S. gross sales elevated by 8%.

Want additional convincing? Learn on for extra examples and knowledgeable recommendation.

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Nonetheless — and understandably — anticipation of the following recession is each pervasive and anxiety-inducing. One in three entrepreneurs assume a recession can have a fair greater affect on advertising than COVID-19. In response to HubSpot’s 2025 Advertising and marketing Report, 41% of entrepreneurs expressed destructive sentiments about financial situations impacting their advertising methods.

“I feel worry is what sits on the backside of all of this,” says Robyn MacMillan, artistic director and cofounder of The Everburn Company. “The manufacturers that may see previous the sort of hill are those that really are in a position to climate the storm.”

Is a recession imminent? In all probability (some argue we’re already at first of 1). However does that imply you need to panic? Positively not.

New 2025 HubSpot information on client spending habits backs her declare, discovering that quite than slowing down or halting purchases, buyers are reacting to a possible recession just by spending extra rigorously.

“I interpret this as shoppers being much less panicked and extra pragmatic about potential downturns due to what they realized about dealing with their monetary conditions from the financial results of COVID-19 and post-pandemic inflation,” says Tristen Taylor, who carried out the survey.

In different phrases, your clients aren’t as panicked as you may assume. So why do you have to be?

Take a breath and keep in mind: Manufacturers (you!) nonetheless want advertising — arguably much more throughout a recession than at every other time. And the manufacturers that keep adaptable and centered can nonetheless develop.

Learn on to find prime recession suggestions to keep in mind as a marketer.

When requested which advertising techniques they’d prioritize if financial uncertainty continues, 23% of respondents in a 2025 HubSpot survey pointed to social media advertising. In case you ask me, this quantity must be increased, contemplating HubSpot’s State of Shopper Developments report discovered that social media is the highest channel for product discovery for Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X.

Whereas a recession typically means tighter budgets, that doesn’t imply your social technique ought to take a again seat.

Listed here are just a few high-impact, budget-friendly focus areas to maintain your social presence sturdy with out overspending:

Consumer-Generated Content material

Consumer-Generated Content material (UGC) — something created and shared by clients — is likely one of the strongest advertising instruments. For one, it’s free. However extra importantly, it drives natural belief, real engagement, and a way of relatability.

We noticed a surge in UGC in the course of the pandemic. Why? “As a result of folks had extra time,” says MacMillan. And for a lot of in-house advertising groups, it grew to become a lifeline.

MacMillan vividly remembers one consumer, a cybersecurity firm in Gothenburg, Sweden, that thrived by tapping into the facility of UGC and leaning into relatable, on a regular basis case research. Reasonably than spotlighting advanced product options or tech-heavy stats, they centered on human tales — just like the one about an aged mother who by accident clicked a phishing hyperlink disguised as a promotion from M&S, which led to a checking account breach.

“Their scalability went off the charts as quickly as they leaned extra into that humanistic facet that individuals crave throughout a fearful time,” MacMillan provides.

New Platforms and Options

In one other latest HubSpot weblog, I wrote in regards to the social media platforms entrepreneurs must be maintaining a tally of in 2025. The identical recommendation stands on the recession-prep entrance.

Leveraging rising options and traits like reside video and audio might help your model keep related and related. In case your model is already lively on Instagram (chances are high, it’s), think about how Threads can complement your attain and engagement.

Plus, by no means underestimate the facility of content material that entertains. In demanding instances, folks crave causes to smile and interact much more. Behind-the-scenes content material can be efficient for producing belief, giving your viewers a real have a look at the folks and processes behind your model — one thing clients crave in uncertainty. Partake Meals, which coincidentally scaled massively in the course of the pandemic, does an important job with this (in addition to UGC).

3. Lean into the model loyalty you need to continue to grow your viewers.

Closely think about sharpening your technique round personalised experiences — customized and individualized curations of messages, content material, merchandise, or experiences. Whether or not you provide a reduction code to your most frequent clients or ship them a customized card thanking them for his or her loyalty, little tokens of appreciation can go a good distance.

“Actually lean into that group you’ve created — ensure that they’re engaged, that they really feel seen, heard and valued, quite than simply being service,” MacMillan. “They’ll then develop into advocates and associates.”

4. Promote low-cost or high-value merchandise.

Whether or not you’re promoting inexpensive necessities or premium items, the important thing throughout a recession is positioning: The way you body your worth makes all of the distinction.

“In case your merchandise are cheaper or present higher bang for the buck than opponents’, deal with gaining market share from clients who beforehand swore by pricier choices,” says Maxwell Iskiev, who leads analysis initiatives at HubSpot.

On the flip facet, Iskiev correctly provides: “In the meantime, luxurious manufacturers can deal with advertising the added worth clients get for buying with them. For instance, a model promoting hand-stitched leather-based wallets can place itself as a longer-lasting various to a reduction pockets.”

1. Advertising and marketing Hub

Whereas new expertise can really feel intimidating to implement at first, HubSpot’s choices are improbable instruments try to be leaning into, in the event you’re not already.

HubSpot’s Advertising and marketing Hub comes geared up with AI and automation baked in, streamlining every thing from onboarding to day-to-day use, even for groups that aren’t extremely technical.

In my expertise, the automated workflows, information assortment for every lead, and prompts on the way to join with every prospect make Advertising and marketing Hub a useful asset for entrepreneurs. In response to our analysis, automating fundamental duties can save entrepreneurs as much as 2.5 hours day by day — that means they’ve extra time to spend money on high-level duties.

I additionally need to spotlight a brand new characteristic that comes with the Skilled and Enterprise plans: Breeze social media agent. It helps you from starting to finish along with your social media technique. It creates and automates a multichannel social media technique to your model by creating belongings and posting them at supreme instances. Breeze additionally retains monitor of efficiency metrics so you may see engagement and success ranges. It additional analyzes viewers information to broaden your attain.

As I discussed above, natural social media is a cost-effective and extremely efficient type of advertising, so including AI that can assist you maximize its potential is a should in my view.

Core Options

• Automation of guide duties to avoid wasting entrepreneurs time.
• AI brokers to help with social media administration and help guests to your web site.
• Lead scoring instruments based mostly on buyer information for focused outreach.
• Automated personalised electronic mail campaigns to achieve your viewers at scale.
• Knowledge assortment and evaluation offered in clear dashboards so you may perceive your clients and tweak your technique accordingly.

Pricing: Free, Starter – $15 per seat/month, Skilled – $890/month for 3 seats, and Enterprise – $3,600/month for five seats.

2. Buffer

If you wish to zero in on social media advertising, one other inexpensive automation instrument for social media I like is Buffer.

All the things you want for a profitable social media marketing campaign is included on this single software program instrument with an easy interface. I can merely toggle the tabs on the prime to Create, Publish, Analyze, and Interact for every bit of content material. Buffer connects with all main social platforms, so you may design and format your content material based on the necessities of every, plus schedule issues to put up at one of the best instances.

I additionally like that I can see how my content material is doing throughout all social platforms in a single easy-to-use dashboard. Lastly, Buffer retains monitor of all of your posts and viewers feedback so you may reply with out something slipping by the cracks. It makes the overwhelming process of staying on prime of all social engagement manageable.

Core Options

• Create your campaigns with their design instruments.
• Publish and monitor your social posts from a single platform.
• AI assistants enable you at each step of the method.
• Content material collaboration for a number of teammates to work collectively seamlessly.
• Social channels: Bluesky, Google Enterprise Profile, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Fb, Instagram, Threads, Mastodon, and X.

Pricing: Free – one person account and three channels; Necessities – $5/month for one person and one channel, however extra options; Group – $10/month for limitless customers and one channel with all their options.

3. Hootsuite

One other all-in-one social media administration platform, Hootsuite helps you create, handle, and sharpen your social media technique.

I feel its social listening characteristic is admittedly useful for locating and evaluating traits, hashtags, subjects, and occasions throughout social platforms. Staying on prime of this stuff will enable you monitor model sentiment, monitor efficiency, and predict traits. One other benefit of their social listening instrument is that yow will discover UGC and influencers who will work effectively along with your model and providing.

Not solely does Hootsuite enable you with natural social media, however you can too handle paid adverts by your Hootsuite account. Your natural and paid methods can work collectively seamlessly by watching what performs effectively and what doesn’t, and monitoring your adverts throughout all platforms.

Core Options

• Publish and schedule all of your social posts from one platform.
• Monitor and report on put up, marketing campaign, and advert efficiency.
• Inbox to gather all feedback and DMs throughout your social belongings so you may reply in a well timed method and by no means lose monitor.
• OwlyWriter AI helps write copy to your social posts, whether or not it’s captions, hashtags, or long-form posts. It additionally generates concepts so that you by no means get caught.

Pricing: Commonplace – $99 per person/month; Superior – $249 per person/month; Enterprise – customized pricing.

4. Canva

In search of a instrument to help with design? Canva stays a go-to artistic powerhouse that each marketer ought to have of their again pocket.

You’ll be able to design something with Canva. It options hundreds of templates and a drag-and-drop editor that allows you to rapidly personalize something to your model. I take advantage of it on a regular basis, and I like the flexibility it provides as a result of I can create social posts with the fitting format for every platform, design net pages, and create displays to share with my clients.

I particularly respect that I can rapidly create social posts that look skilled and match my branding with Canva. I can create a constant aesthetic throughout all social channels utilizing the identical fundamental template from Canva.

Core Options

• The photograph editor permits you to do fundamental photograph enhancing all inside Canva.
• The brand new AI assistant, whereas nonetheless in improvement, is a enjoyable instrument since you simply must enter a immediate along with your thought and Canva will rapidly generate a number of designs. You’ll be able to then additional immediate it to change one you want however aren’t fairly glad with.
• There are over 400,000 professionally designed templates in Canva’s template library. In case you don’t need to begin with a clean web page, one in every of these templates is certain to provide the basis to begin designing.
• The drag-and-drop editor allows you to visually design your artistic belongings with none coding.

Pricing: Canva Free; Canva Professional – $120/yr for one particular person; Canva Groups – $100 per particular person/yr; Canva Enterprise – customized pricing.