Social media offers one of the best ways for a firm to market itself during a recession, an expert has asserted.

Dave Evans, co-founder of marketing technology firm Digital VooDoo, made his comments in an article on the ClickZ Network, noting that during an economic downturn, both marketers and consumers cannot spend much.

This means that highly-targeted but less expensive platforms, such as email and social media, are the best tools open to promoters, he continued.

"Viewed from a consumer’s perspective, a recession means that both value and absolute cost take on a new sense of importance … Social media can be very effective in this situation," Mr Evans added.

Earlier this month, industry commentator Josh Bernoff wrote an article for Social Media Today, in which he suggested social applications are useful for spreading word of mouth hype rather than awareness advertising.

When people have less free cash they may not be so willing to respond to an advert but they could still be swayed by feedback from their friends’ blogs and social networks, he noted.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.