Working With A Minimum Marketing Budget

Ignatius 3 August 2010 at 5:27 pm

Your online business take on a similar approach to face to face except that the relationship and loyalty is built online. Equally your online business will require a more sophisticated approach to the steps and ordering guide. Online will also benefit from an ongoing SEO campaign and web site maintenance.

Your Name 27 July 2010 at 3:24 pm

Thanks for the interesting input for novices like myself….your comments have provided valuable insight that usually only comes with many years experience – so once again thanks

Sol Pandiella-McLeod 29 April 2010 at 10:20 am

As a graphic designer who has met more than her fair share of start-ups with limited budgets. I recently decided to come up with some affordable solutions to help small businesses start the marketing of their business on the right foot. First up we’ve created a logo store that sells professional logos for a very small price, next up we are working on creating simple cms websites for under $2,000 that can at least help them get started online. We have also written an article to help people come up with effective business names. Hopefully these things and the other things that we have in the pipeline will help those with limited marketing budgets to get started in a professional manner.

Matthew White 26 April 2010 at 5:56 pm

Great to see DM being promoted as a marketing tool once again.

Geoff Snowden from NSW 28 January 2010 at 2:09 am

Thanks Tony, Some great suggestions. I have recently started my business, with less than $5000 capital! I decided to spend $2500 on my brand/logo. The design I developed looked good, especially if I was running a nightclub! So I have had a designer polish my work, and they have come up with some brilliant designs.

I’ve also been developing a social media presence, Wordpress, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. These sites are all FREE to use, and I have full control over content. I’ve found Wordpress (blog site) to be a really easy to use medium, and so far I have had a good number of hits since the first blog (yesterday!).

I am waiting on my business finances to be made available, however in the mean time I am working on slowly building some awareness. Early days yet.

Elizabeth Ball from Sydney, NSW 16 October 2009 at 5:31 pm

Re the direct marketing offer, I found a study recently which discovered that people take action only if there’s a deadline. 31% of respondents used a gift voucher when it had only three weeks to go, while only 6% used it when it had two months to go. See http://gifts-by-the-stars-online.com/2009/10/11/recipients-more-likely-to-use-gift-cards-with-short-expiry-dates/
For the same reason, don’t be generous with your expiry dates as people just don’t get around to using your special offer!

Douglas Gregory 5 October 2009 at 8:09 pm

Postal marketing is a surprisingly inexpensive method of spreading your marketing message far and wide, but also has dismal ROI. This is why it is so important to make sure your mailings are eye-catching and very specific in message, as most of your mailings will be seen for seconds, maybe even less, by consumers rifling through their mail. One method I favor is (if a little more expensive) sending a refrigerator magnet with your brand, message and call to action. It\’s something almost everyone will use, will continue to make impressions day after day, and (perhaps most importantly) adds heft and solidity to your mailing envelope, increasing chances the consumer will open it.

Amanda 27 September 2009 at 2:38 am

Another time-tested and relatively inexpensive approach is to go back through your customer database and refresh your contacts. In this economic downturn some former customers may have turned elsewhere looking for bargains or are hesitant to approach your company looking for a discount. Something as quick and as cheap as a simple phone call, ‘to update the client contact info’ can easily be turned into a friendly inquiry into the former client’s future plans. Handled in a friendly manner, the business relationship can be re-kindled, and not always to the tune of a bargain. Perhaps the client has a project coming up but hadn’t yet thought ahead to including your service. Getting in on the ground floor of your clients future plans means you are also part of the initial budget stages, instead of an afterthought.

Besides, keeping your contact info up to date and your relationships fresh and friendly is a good idea, no matter the economic climate.

Mark Bubner 20 April 2009 at 6:00 pm

Another suggestion I would make is to ensure you’ve maximised all available sales channels.

One option available to consultants and professional service providers that you may not be aware of is expertmagnet.com.

Register free on this site, then whenever an organisation posts a request that matches your expertise, you’ll be notified and can pitch for the work.

While it doesn’t replace the proactive approach, it does provide another sales channel at a very low cost.

Regards,
Mark

http://www.expertmagnet.com

Andy Otes 6 March 2009 at 2:49 pm

I agree totally with Anthony Thompson (first comment); have always found letters the way to go.

Keep ‘em down to a single page, cross-refer reader to my website for more info, offer a free communications manual and a comprehensive folio on CD.

I used to run ads in trade magazines and, though I got a lot of response, most of it consisted of tyre-kickers and other non-serious respondents.

I send out letters, about a hundred a batch, using only industry directories and the Yellow pages website.

The level of dead letters, even from the quite poorly updated Yellow Pages website is seldom over 5% and useful responses, on average about 5-10%, rather better than the DM industry average.

This is largely due to the fact that each letter is 100% targeted to the prospect by job title; found almost zero difference when I addressed the letters by name…just a lot more effort with no noticeable extra response.

Obviously the letters talk one way to agencies, another way to graphic designers, another to website designers, another to direct clients and so on. Simple, direct, copy; clear benefits, crisply expressed, respecting the reader’s time..

Have found my website far more useful as a support medium, rather than a primary business seeker, although the occasional enquirer finds it; fits in perfectly with the way I prospect for clients.

Letters…good enough for Reader’s Digest (masters of targeting), good enough for me!

Try it and see! If your letters are correctly targeted and properly written, they are a very cost-effective way to go.

Anthony Thomson 5 March 2009 at 6:20 pm

I think if you’re starting business, postal advertising is the way to go. It is more personal and more sincere than the mass marketing approach. One hint I have learned is to include a guarantee and make your advertising in a personal letter approach.

It really works I sent out 50 letters last Sunday, today I have received $50000 dollars worth of work and a client who is ecstatic that she received a letter of what she was looking for, she cried she was so happy that my letter is going to give her business a solution that she was really looking for but couldn’t find anywhere.

She is passing on my letter to her associates, so one letter is going to grow my business exponentially. I think it is what you are offering and how you can word it

Sunil Jacob 3 March 2009 at 8:37 am

There is a fierce competition out there for getting customers through the doors. Many consumers do tend to research services or products before actually entering a store.

With our portal, Businesses can advertise their services on their own profile page, upload logos & add their discount vouchers.

Suzanne Lineham 24 February 2009 at 5:33 am

hi, i have found this information so helpfull, as i have just reinvented a product for all people who have not been able to wear a ring. It has been a struggle to get it out there.