3 Methods for Getting the Most Out of Marketing Budget

Red Jun — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 14:30:41 +0000

[mashshare]

Advertising is one of the hardest, yet essential, aspects of running any local business. Depending on the industry, marketing and advertising strategies can take up huge chunks of a company's revenue. In fact, some startups spend 50% of their sales on marketing in the first year alone. Happily, there are numerous methods that can make any marketing budget go further.

Never Hesitate To Outsource

Far too many companies, both new and seasoned, spend their marketing budget on endeavors they can only hope will work. Along the way, they often spend exorbitant amounts of time getting their tactic off the ground.

This time can be better spent improving the company. This is why budding entrepreneurs should never be afraid to outsource some of their marketing and advertising tasks.

Never Get Rid Of Old Content

If you are building superb content, you will find that followers on social media get the word out for you by sharing and retweeting. One costly mistake that some organizations make, though, is thinking that they need all new content, on a regular basis.

While it is a fact that new content that provides value is crucial, don't simply forget older content that did well. If a post happened to go viral, take note of that fact and wait ninety days. After the excitement has died down, repost the blog, video, infographic or whatever the content was. Recycling old content is a great way to get value without spending extra income.

Seek Out Local Company Awards

Almost every city has yearly awards that grant distinction to the “best of the best” in the local corporate environment. As a local business owner, you can apply to be considered for these awards. A win would likely increase brand visibility, but even being nominated can go quite a distance in getting local attention for free.

Any small business would be hard-pressed to successfully market their enterprise without spending a dime. Even still, by following the previously mentioned helpful hints those dimes can go a lot further.

[mashshare]

[comment]

DIY vs. DFY – What’s the Best for Your Small Business?

Red Jun — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 13:09:02 +0000

When you're just starting out with your small business, the urge is omnipresent to try and do as much as you can yourself. This is not only from a cost standpoint, but also a sense that you can do this. While it's a smart idea to have a basic grasp on things, there are plenty of things you'll need help with, and they just don't make sense to try and learn.

For instance, coding a website from the ground up takes a skill set you probably don't possess, and would take some time to learn. Better to hire that out. This isn't always true. Some things you can and should do. Let's have a look at several of the factors that will inform your decision whether to go with DIY or DFY.

Is DIY or DFY better for your small business?

#1. Ask yourself what you really want to do in your business. Do you want to be the one doing all or most of it, or do you not want to “work” in your business much at all, wanting instead to be the executive or visionary.

#2. Really interview yourself as to whether or not you have the skills needed to do what you seek to do, or if it would be better to hire people who are well-versed in the subject.

#3. If you opt to outsource your work, try to know who you are hiring, preferably by way of a recommendation from someone you know. Also, stagger your payments to a new outsourcer, as an insurance policy that the work will actually get done.

#4. One item you might want to consider outsourcing is your sales and email copy. These are vitally important pieces, and it's easy to write bad or mediocre sales copy. This will do you incalculable harm. There is an art and science to this, so make sure whoever does it knows what they are doing.

#5. Strive to stick to an overall vision for your online presence. This is especially important if you are hiring out a lot of the work, as competing viewpoints can creep in, clouding your original vision. Stay true to your view!