Marketing activities you can do on a budget
When it comes to marketing many people think that you need to spend ENORMOUS amounts of money.
And let’s face it – not all of us (especially smaller businesses) have enormous amounts of money to spend.
However, there are plenty of marketing activities you can do on a budget.
Here’s a few:
Starting at the end
Start your marketing at the end. What does success look like for you?
In other words, what are your goals? Work that out and then write that $h!t down.
It’s really important to make sure you have your marketing goals documented.
There are two reasons for this. Yep 2!
- Documenting your goals helps you identify the marketing activities you need to do to get you the best return on your investment.
- According go Coschedule – you’re 375% more likely to report success in achieving your goals if you document them. Yep, you read that right. 375% more successful!
So, go forth and identify (and document) your marketing goals.
Once you’ve done that – then it’s time to work out all the marketing options available to you that you can do within your marketing budget.
Even if you only have a teeny tiny budget.
All the wishes
Start with a wish list of all the marketing activities you would like to do that will reach, connect, and engage your ideals clients (your target market).
AND that will help you achieve your marketing goals.
Your marketing wish list can be as long or as short as you like.
This is because you don’t actually have to do all the things on the list. You are simply listing all the possibilities!
And there are oh so many possibilities.
While you’re creating your marketing wish list, look into how much you will need to invest into each marketing thing on your list. Yep, we’re talking the $$$.
Don’t be scared by the total figure, because remember…
You’re only going to choose those marketing activities you can do on a budget – your budget.
Lists, lists, and more lists
If you’re not sure what to add to your marketing wish list, try this.
Write down…
To achieve my marketing goals I need to…
And then start your list. Here's some ideas to get you started:
- Have a website
- Email my database regularly
- Build a digital/social presence on Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn / TikTok / ClubHouse / Pinterest / …
- Advertisie – digital or traditional?
- Network more
- Hold events
- Update the signage of my store/office
- Blog
- Start a podcast
- Learn Google Analytics
- Create YouTube videos
- Win industry / business awards
- Sponsors local organisations
- Develop lead generation tools
- Implement marketing automation
Cha ching!
Now, don’t forget to put down how much you will need to invest into each marketing thing on your list.
So, now you’ve got your list. The total you need to invest to do all of them is probably a bit scary. Actually, it’s probably a lot scary.
That’s okay – you’re not going to do all of them.
Choose one marketing activity to start with. And focus on getting that marketing activity absolutely nailing it when it comes to helping you achieve your goals.
“Oh, but which one to choose” I hear you ask.
Well, it really depends on your individual business, but generally speaking
Email is da bomb!
Email marketing is the king of the marketing kingdom with a 4400% ROI and $44 for every $1 spent.
That's according to Campaign Monitor
That makes email marketing one of the most cost-effective marketing tools out there.
How cool is that!!!
Email marketing a great way to let people know about your products and services, get your brand out there, and stay front of mind with your customers and target market.
You can use email marketing to send:
- Product offers to generate sales
- Regular newsletters to stay front of mind
- Surveys and competitions to create engagement and get insights
- Big announcements to build a sense of ownership and connection with your business
- Tips and tools to help your potential customers and demonstrate your expertise
- And more… so much more
Ticking all the marketing activities you can do on a budget boxes
With specialised email platforms you to segment your database so you can send emails to specific target markets.
For example, you might send an exclusive special offer only to your best customers as a thank you for their business.
These email platforms will give you information on how many of your database opened your email, clicked on any links, etc.
So you know what emails give you the best return on investment.
Basically, email is awesome!
And it’s really budget friendly – especially when you’re a smaller business and don’t have thousands upon thousands of customers to email.
Most email platforms charge based on the number of contacts you are emailing to.
And quite a few offer a “free” version to start out with. Free being no initial financial investment required.
You will still need to make the time to create your email communications.
If you’re not sure how to get people into your email list, check out my blog on 3 simple ways to grow your email list.
And if you need help working out how to market on a budget or implement email marketing – get in touch to have a coffee and a cookie. I'd love the opportunity to help you.
