How can you prioritize your marketing efforts on a limited budget?

The first thing we did was write a press sheet--before we had any press! It spoke to the interesting topics that we had a unique point of view on. And we attached it to every email we sent. Then, as press started writing about us, we built out the page even more and links in our signature. I still include it in everything I send. It builds a buzz and gets everyone excited--employees, customers, investors, and the world at large! To date we have spent barely anything in PR, marketing, or advertising while achieving 100s of millions of positive impressions globally. You got this!

Any effective marketing strategy starts with well-defined and measurable objectives. It gives you direction and makes it possible to assess your work better. Whether the objective is to generate leads, optimize conversion strategies for more sales, or create interesting content to raise brand awareness, having a clear aim helps to customize the marketing approach. Maintaining continual development and making well-informed modifications require regular recording and analysis of metrics.

Another great question! Prioritizing your marketing efforts on a limited budget is not impossible if you think outside the box, get creative, and are willing to try new things. Here are some ways you can achieve big things on a limited budget: 🔥 Collaborate with another business that has the same target audience. You could co-host an event or webinar for example, and share the promotional costs. 🔥 Shoot low budget smartphone behind the scenes footage that is human-centered and has an emotional hook. 🔥 Repurpose all evergreen content previously created. Turn blogs into videos, videos into short clips, podcasts into blog articles and so on!

I have boot strapped quite a few successful businesses and the key is simplicity! Focus on Google free listing, nurture that more than anything then show up consistently online on socials that are relevant based on where your ideal client is. Overdeliver and have a robust referral program.

Adding . . . ask your clients for their feedback, priorities, attributes they value most in attorney/client relationships. Serve them up in an extraordinary way to each client's delight. What you do to add value will be different for each client, depending upon their needs, priorities and articulated goals. Remember, "a client is a friend with a problem." Do your clients think of you as their friend who has their back and is always on the lookout for their brand, reputation and stakeholders?

If you are on a limited budget or even if your not - prioritizing marketing to current customers through good work and communication is a viable way to build a sustainable company. In 2024, word of mouth is still incredibly powerful.

Frequently communicating with clients is paramount. I always look to understand their immediate needs but also listen for clues that help me understand where I can be of service in the future. I also believe my marketing dollars are well spent taking care of the clients I have as their positive word of mouth and referrals produce the most valuable returns. I find that too often companies focus to much effort on new client acquisition and not enough on existing client retention. I try to balance both knowing that when I do get a new client I have a loyal base of existing clients willing to speak highly about the value and service I provide.

With a small budget, honestly the best way to understand your customers is to actually talk to them. We have made it our mission on several occasions across the years to actually call real life customers and ask them what made them buy, how they feel, what else they need. Pays enormous dividends. Costs nothing.

Knowing your client, and who you are marketing to is most important. With my business, I have learned over the last 12 years that my marketing messages need to come from a point of emotion. What are our parents going through? What are they feeling? What are their pain points that we can touch upon and alleviate their stress? Parents need help with their kids, kids need help with not only academics but skill building and learning important habits We need to talk to our leads and customers authentically, to develop trust and open communication. I have learned that being out in the community, being present with people not only builds a dedicated “tribe” who support your marketing efforts, but also builds the best referrals as well!

I'm a fan of niche, customer-centric marketing. Know your audience and create products and services that specifically serve them. When you know who they are, what they need, any why they need it, the rest falls into place: what to say to them and where to find them

#1 Learn where your customers "live" and drive your focus there. Pick 1-3 channels they're most likely to interact with and focus on those (shut out all the noise of other channels and the 1000+ other ideas of ways you can market). Your job is to create a brand and value proposition on which your sales team can capitalize. #2 Work closely with your sales team. They are your most important marketers.

How can you prioritize your marketing efforts on a limited budget? Don't waste time commenting on stupid AI articles. (Do as I say, not as I do.)

Having been in business for 3 decades, I remember when every advertising effort had expense attached to it! Not any more. The best channels are free. And, you can use them just as much, and as well (if not better) than the bigger players. The internet is a level playing field. BUT. You must spend your energy wisely. Choose the channels your ideal customers choose. That's where you'll get the most visibility. Don't be tempted to spread yourself too thin early on. Get good at one channel and develop a method for landing business there. Fan that spark into a flame and then, add another channel. If you spread yourself too thin too early on, you won't get traction. Be deliberate about finding your ideal audience, and forget everyone else!

Every marketing channel CAN work. The challenge is finding out the best one for where your business currently is. The big online advertising platforms such as Facebook and Google have huge learning curves which will usually ensure that you make a loss long before you make a profit! So... start small and focus on ONE platform only. Social is here to stay... and even though you are promoting your business, YOU have to be visible! Linkedin is great for B2B. Facebook works for B2C. Twitter can work for both. Instagram/TikTok if you love creating videos. At the beginning, ignore everyone who says that you need to cover all of the social channels. Just focus on the ONE that fits YOU and what you enjoy creating best.

This answer will hopefully shed light on both questions “know your customers” and this one. WHERE is your largest audience? Where you “want them to be” is a different topic. That’s a goal to work towards. But where are they NOW? This is knowing your audience. And this is how you choose your channels. There r people who THRIVE on Pinterest, believe it or not. I’ve never used it myself. But THAT is their channel. Because that’s where their audience is. Prioritize limited resources to the fanbase you KNOW you already have NOW. There’s a proven track record of them spending with/on YOU. Then reach for your “most desired” channel. We’ll discuss how to do that in another post. Best of luck & success! Ambassador

You don't need a budget to market. You just need work. In the old days, if you were a blacksmith and made awesome swords, the way to market your services would be to go talk to people, word of mouth and if your sword got chosen by the King! (That's some great advertising!) If takes some effort to tell strangers about your product/service but that is what separates the successful. Work. You just have to find creative ways of telling people Now imagine you live in our time, with technology, videos and now you have a budget (Small or big). Apply the same principles and you'll be successful.

Once you've identified your ideal target audience, make a plan to connect with them on a regular frequency. The best way to stick to the plan is to book it into your calendar. What doesn't get booked, often doesn't get done. Especially if it's work on your business (as opposed to client work). Once you start treating your marketing as a serious, every day (or at least every week) effort, you'll start to see traction. Consistency rules when it comes to marketing. And, you need to monitor your plan, and optimize your efforts, but start with being concrete and clear about what you'll get done when you sit down during your marketing time. Take advantage of the tech and create content in advance -- avoid last minute mode!

I feel crafting a detailed plan that encompasses marketing activities, budget, and timeline is crucial for success. Whether using a calendar or specialized tools, scheduling campaigns, posts, emails, and tasks ensures organizational efficiency. Assigning roles and responsibilities to team members or external partners, if any, fosters collaboration and accountability. A well-structured plan keeps your marketing efforts organized, consistent, and efficient, maximizing the impact of your strategy.

I've found that, especially for social media marketing, consistency is key to a successful page as well as being authentic. Honestly, I think it is more important than actually paying for ads. Your customers feel like they know you, before they actually meet you. It gives them a chance to see you in real time and that is better than anything money can buy. Especially if you are looking for repeat customers.

Any marketing plan is built on economics. If you spend $20 per day on advertising and make back $20 per day, do you really have a limited budget? Don't let a limited budget mean limited thinking. Focus on acquiring clients at speed because you may not be able to afford to wait 6 months to see a return, but you can probably afford to wait 7 days to cover your cashflow.

Once you've figured out your best marketing moves, you must study the metrics to see what's working, and how well. Digital tech allows you to track almost every move and every click someone makes. That allows you to see at which exact point the marketing works, and doesn't and you can adjust your efforts accordingly. And, sometimes marketing just stops working and needs to be refreshed. There isn't always a logical explanation. Follow the numbers, they never lie!

Key is connecting with your community. Limited marketing resources can be challenging, but finding ways to present your value via comments, service and honest interaction is incredibly valuable.

In prioritizing marketing on a tight budget, the key that has helped me the most is constant evaluation. I like to regularly monitor my marketing results and compare them with my business goals. The best way I found to do that is to create a dashboard that blends my marketing and sales data. This allows me to set KPIs, and then see how all of my most important metrics are performing on a weekly and monthly basis. The mistake I used to make was spending a lot of time looking at these dashboards but not actually doing anything or changing anything based on the data. Taking action and making adjustments to your marketing strategy is the most critical piece.

Also consider which new markets you want to enter and how to balance existing customers and markets versus expansion into new customers and markets. In general expanding into new segments requires a lot more investment and understanding how much of your revenue is from your run rate and how much needs to come from new customer acquisition can help break down the allocation.

If you’re not doing some sort of PR. Paid or free you could be missing the best part of marketing . Learning how to do your own public relations is critical ….Nancy Friedman. FOUNDER & CEO - Telephone Doctor Customer service training ~

I agree with Nancy Friedman above. Learn how to handle your own PR. There are so many benefits: 1. It’s free - you just need to understand how to craft your story/advice to make it newsworthy ( you don’t pay for placement) 2. It builds trust fast - someone else is promoting you (ie the media outlet) and so it has more integrity 3. It positions you as a leader in your field 4. Once you build relationships with journalists and they understand your expertise (and how you write), you will get repeated requests for comments and articles. 5. It’s the gift that keeps on giving - There is so much you can do with a TV interview or magazine or newspaper coverage once it’s been published.

One very smart thing to do right away is small-batch sales. First, sell the product one-on-one, in person, on the phone, or by Zoom. Second, try minimal marketing online, with a simple web page and ads. Talk to all your customers. Get a strong sense of why they bought, who they are, what they like about the product and what they're going to use it for. This will be the most valuable information going forward to build your sales, your marketing, and your brand. Don't go for a participation trophy for doing all the things someone else prescribed. The market really doesn't care. Instead, get to know your customers and your product really well before you scale. By actually behaving as though you were a business.

I agree with Nancy Friedman’s post. Public relations is often an overlooked element in terms of the promotional mix. Public relations provide the opportunity to tell a story. Everyone has a story!

I try to keep in mind that Storys Sell and Facts tell! Make the story engaging. I like to try and hit these three points I call them the 3 E's. Entertaining, Educational, and Engaging.