Just because you want to take your business to the top of the charts as soon as possible doesn’t mean you need to spend a small fortune to do so. But as is the case in most situations, saving money may require some forethought and preparation. Here are a few tips for keeping your marketing efforts affordable while still getting a big ROI:
1. Know your needs. Marketers are traditionally creative-minded, so the sky’s the limit with the ideas that might be pitched your way if you have no idea what you want before you seek an advertising team. Naturally, any strong marketing team (ahem, ahem) is happy to help you figure out what those needs are before any kind of proposal is drafted. But having an idea of what you’re looking for before you begin shopping around can help you conserve time and energy – as well as costs – in the consultation phase of a campaign. Do you want to advertise on the radio or TV, and what are the reasons for that? Or are you looking to target online crowds to drive your message home? Maybe your needs are a little more specific to a time frame or locale. Consider what will make you happy in order to help marketers deliver it to you – trust us, we want to!
2. Assign a budget. This one might go without saying, but having even a loose idea of what you’re willing to spend on marketing can be helpful during preliminary meetings. Any trustworthy marketing firm will be extremely transparent about the costs involved in any strategies that are pitched. Ultimately, it’s up to you to know how much you want to invest. No matter the amount, we can help you figure out how to put that money to best use.
3. Identify your expectations. Sometimes you need to spend money to make money; but then again, sometimes you can throw good money after bad. From the outset, you should have an idea about the kind of return on investment that you’re expecting. Obviously, a great (and sometimes higher priced) marketing campaign can pay for itself, so you may want to consider that dollar conservation for the sake of it can hurt your business in the long run. Ideally you should create a timeline and expense sheet to figure out where you want to draw lines with profit margins before you kick off any new marketing endeavor. Don’t hesitate to ask your marketing agents about the best ways to track and measure viewership, perception and overall outcomes.
Ask Mad 4 Marketing how we can help you spread the word about your business without breaking the bank; as a small business ourselves, we take pride in working with companies of all sizes with every level of marketing need.