During a recession or economic slump, companies which continue to promote themselves through tactics such as email marketing could find they "pull away" from their competition, an expert has claimed.

President of marketing agency Profit-Tell International David Hearld said there is a tendency, particularly among smaller firms, to downsize their advertising during times of economic trouble.

However, this can damage their business opportunities more generally, he continued.

Marketing tactics such as email messaging are direct and for many firms have become their main platform, Mr Hearld explained.

"Email marketing is one of the most time and cost-efficient ways to assist in cutting expenses of printing and mailing, increase sales, drive traffic to your site and – best of all – acquire measurable results," he added.

Recently, Richard Sedley, director of agency cScape, commented that if firms focus their marketing efforts into digital media, then no matter what the state of the economy, they stand to win.

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.