Working within a budget, especially if you’re a business owner, can be hard when you’ve got so many things to pay for. So, if you’re looking to get more out of your advertising budget, we’ve compiled a list of the best way to do this.
Use your adverts for more than just advertising
The truth is, there are many ways of getting your message across to your audience at a fraction of the cost of space advertising. One of the least expensive ways to do this is by getting a large number of reprints and distributing these to customers wherever and whenever possible. Additionally, if you respond to a business inquiry, include a copy of these ads in the package. You should be making sure your salespeople receive an extra amount of reprints and are heavily encouraged to include these whenever they write to your customers. Advertisement reprints are also useful as direct-mail pieces. You can mail the reprints along with a reply and a sales letter. Whereas the original advert is pretty much cast in concrete and cannot be easily redistributed to save on cost.
Stick with what works!
If you experiment with new advertising techniques and you find they work well, stick to these methods. Many marketers get rid of old ads and create new ones because they get bored with the current campaign. However, this is a complete waste. If something works really well, you should be running these ads for as long as your customers continue to read and react to them.
Avoid over-presenting
Many companies see extravagant advertising assets from competitors and believe this is what their business should be doing. Wrong. The look, tone and imagery of your promotions should only be dictated by your products and your specific target market, copying what other businesses are doing does not set you apart from the crowd and doesn’t benefit your business.
Discover inexpensive lead generation alternatives
As it happens, many smaller businesses are not interested in building an image or achieving recognition, they simply count enquiries instead. If this is your businesses approach to advertising, this needs to change. New product launches lead as the most economical method of generating leads.
Don’t overbook
If you’re going to hire freelancers and consultants, you should hire those with credentials and fees that fit the job and your budget. Rather than opting for the best photographer you can find, there are plenty of competent professionals that charge a fraction of the price, so keep this in mind before committing to something very over-priced.
Do as much as you can yourself
Routine tasks like mailing releases, duplicating slides or retyping schedules, can all be done in-house rather than spending your budget outsourcing these tasks. Any expensive agency tasks can then fit within your budget nicely.
Sign up for our event ‘Expert Sessions: Why You Need to Double Down on Marketing’ with Sam Evans, Founder and Managing Director of Social Media Marketing Agency, Gather Social, today! If you require extra help with stretching your advertising budget, speak to ActionCOACH today!
