From my column this week in the Tennessean:
One of the expenses that entrepreneurs are tempted to cut back on is marketing. However, a weak economy is not the time to cut back on communicating with your existing and potential customers.
Now that the economy has slowed, consumers are thinking twice about spending money. Employment is less secure and inflation is eating up more of the family budget on necessities such as food and gasoline. This creates a much more competitive environment as consumers are more careful about spending and much less willing to take on additional debt.