Thanks Bo, but what are we supposed to do in the mean time; Besides eat beans and Kraft dinner and hope for the best? A little dose of old fashioned creativity helps, combined with the right marketing tools.

So, what’s the right marketing mix when you’re low on cash? The following are a few Web 2.0 technologies that will give you decent results without eating a hole in your wallet:

1. Social Networking Platforms
We’re always ranting about the value of social networking sites. Social networking is extremely cost effective, and delivers decent results without draining your budget. Create a fan page or group on Facebook, set up a Twitter account, or create your own social network at Ning.

3. Gadgets & Widgets
Almost any content or application can be made into a gadget or widget. This is a simple distribution mechanism because it can be hosted on any web site. Try adding a poll to your website for increased interactivity and customer insight. Check out Widgetbox, where you can easily make your own widgets.

4. RSS Syndication
Syndicate your blog or web site with an RSS Feed. Making your content available via RSS will allow your followers to receive an email every time you update your blog. Most blog tools include an RSS creation tool.

5. Sharing Tools
Sharing tools, like ShareThis, make it easy for you to syndicate any content you want to your various networks simultaneously. This is much more effective than email because it delivers your content to numerous places, like email lists or your Facebook page, with only a few clicks.

One last thing…
Waiting for the larger economic picture to improve isn’t going to make the bumpy path ahead any less difficult. Drastically scaling back on all marketing efforts isn’t going to help either. Yah, we get it, staying focused on expansion is hard. If you forge ahead, though, you’ll emerge at the other end of these turbulent economic waters stronger and more adept that your competition.