Best use of a small marketing budget...

I have a very small marketing budget, and am wondering what the best use of it would be?

I am thinking paying for printing of some leaflets and local distribution in the newspaper might be a sensible use of spend.

Does anyone have any ideas for possible uses of a small marketing budget and what might bring the best return?

Thanks!

Lianne

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

I think your suggestion of leaflet distribution sounds sensible. Particularly at first you want to make sure that your budget is used wisely and blowing it all on one advert that may not be seen is risky.

Therefore having lots of leaflets distributed increases the chances that at least some people will see your ad and hopefully act on it, fingers crossed!

Sasha

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

This is something that interests me too.

Of course some elements of advertising can be procured for free - for instance a basic listing in things like yellow pages.

Mind you I have heard this tends to lead to more nuisance calls than actual business, though I imagine it depends on the industry that you are in!

Business cards are another form of marketing on a small budget - obviously distribution is the main challenge, but nevertheless this can still be an effective method. I'm trying a few things at the moment and will try to monitor which method works best...

Lianne

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Do you have a website Lianne?

Binh Zientek

Company website
http://www.qualitylondonapartments.co.uk
http://www.qualitypragueapartments.co.uk

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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi Liane

Are you aiming your services at end users or business?.

Jonathan
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

A bit of both - some individuals and some (small) businesses. Obviously large businesses would be good! No website... yet... 2007 goal

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

A few more ideas to do marketing on a shoestring:
- identify the secretaries for the medium business in your geo area and organise a taster session so they can convince themselves that the food is good for the meetings they are organising which need food
- write a blog about what you do, the food from where you buy, etc
- identify areas where you can leave your leaflets for free as you would be surprised how many public places allow leaflets such as leisure centres, library, etc
- do a referral scheme whereby you offer freebies for the return of names, eg 25% discount per name which means that if any of your clients provide you with 4 names who each buy from you, they have a freebee
- set up a loyalty card
- collect email addresses to develop a database so you can communicate about news such as new sandwiches, where your ingredients are coming from, etc. However, when you email, please make sure you put all the addresses in BCC and CC

Good luck.

-

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi Ingrid,
Thanks for the tips it has helped me to as I need to thinking about marketing my business too.

Dikisa
www.eliteaccounts.co.uk
Elite Accountancy Service
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi Dikisa

Do you have any tips or info you could share on what has worked well for you?

Tim

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi there

I am a copywriter and marketing consultant. If you would like to have some tips about what might work for your business, please email me on fionamocatta@hotmail.com and I would be happy to help.

Thanks,

Fiona

http://www.mocatta.org
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Lianne,

Some great advice here already, but a couple of things come to mind.

I'd concentrate on Networking. Join some network groups and look at your local chamber of commerce as they have events. Best of all you can normally attend for free first time!

If you've not done it before, I'd look out for a course on networking, your chamber or business link probably run something for about £50.

Other top tips:

Ask for 3 referals from everyone you meet.
- Make sure you measure your marketing so you'll know what works then stop doing what doesn't work and concentrate on what works best.
- Don't be affraid to make mistakes, just make sure that they don't cost too much! Oh and don't do them more than once!
- Be very clear what you expect to get back from whatever your doing and how your going to get it. i.e. don't just buy something unless you know exactly where the pay back comes and it's measurable!

It's funny, I should really take my own advice!!

Good luck!

Jamie

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Thanks for that Jamie, useful tips there

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi Lianne,

One Option May be Free Business Listings on sites so that you have more chance of people finding your site.

I do think that the idea of small leaflets is a good one and have tried this myself.

You may also want to look into Search Engine Optimisation so when people seach on google or Yahoo for example, you will come out at the top. Have a look at www.thevirtualworkforce.co.uk for more information.

If you are interested in free listings you could try www.inuklocal.co.uk.

Hope this was of some help.

Amy Buckley.

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi Lianne,

Adam Hawas here.

I was interested in your post.

The only thing I can suggest to do with a small marketing budget (if your targeting b2b) is to put together a quality mailshot. (but dont focus on what our company does, focus on how it benefits them directly) you have to Get yourself a nice little targeted mailing list from a good supplier. Get everything together ready for the release and do it. Then waste no time and get following up with calls to the companies. "The longer you leave the mailouts out there, the better te chance the prospect with forget about what your offereing".

By following up every mailout you increase your hit rate and conversion by up to 45% from a pitiful average 2% by mailing alone.

Whether you arranging appointments or selling over the phone you need to be carefull about what data you use. Dont get caught up in the TPS trap that sources like YELL.COM offer for illegal marketers to swallow nasty fines.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest Regards

Adam Hawas
Special Projects
01656 679354
07852943283 (direct line)
Website: www.marketsafeuk.com
Email:me @ adam.hawas@marketsafeuk.com
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Kindest Regards Adam Hawas Business Development Executive 01656 679275 Switchboard: 0870 850 8566 | Fax: 0870 850 8599 E-mail: adam.hawas@marketsafeuk.com | Website: www.marketsafe.com 'The essential toolkit for sales and marketing experts'

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Thanks for all the useful tips. We are looking at email marketing at the moment, which is proving quite expensive and noone appears to sell data in relatively small quantities (less than say 2000 addresses).

Anyone know of any reputable email companies that sell email data, who will send and manage them also?

Many thanks

Sue
Weald Business Solutions
email: sue@weald-business-solutions.co.uk
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www.weald-business-solutions.co.uk sue@weald-business-solutions.co.uk

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi Sue,

Adam Hawas here. Personaly I wouldnt go near email marketing or trust it as far as I could throw it. Here's the reason...

Just think of the times you have opended your email inbox and it has een full of emails from people of companies you do not know.

If the "Web marshal" that you have in place didnt fish out the dodgy ones, then you do not even have to look at the email and its contents to delete them.

"waste of effort"

Also so many dodgy emails come loaded with nasty suprises like viruses.

However, If you send out quality mailshots, getting directly to the point very quickly.-Then the prospect has to physicaly open the letter, read it, then discard if not interested or respond with interest.

When you follow up you mail out with a warm phone call, It is proven to increase conversion rate by up to 45% depending on what it is that your selling.

The one thing I can say is that a simple list of emails is actually quite cheap. But cheap is not what you want for your marketing campaigne. You need quality at a cost effective rate. We know that direct mail can be expensive, but just think, if you can reach the right person with the right information, calling them a day after they have read you mail out, so its still fresh in theyre mind. You will be laughing!!

Hope this has helped.
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Kindest Regards Adam Hawas Business Development Executive 01656 679275 Switchboard: 0870 850 8566 | Fax: 0870 850 8599 E-mail: adam.hawas@marketsafeuk.com | Website: www.marketsafe.com 'The essential toolkit for sales and marketing experts'

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi Adam,

Thanks for your remarks.

I have to say I have not heard anyone so far telling us that email marketting is 'dodgy'. It is as you say a lot cheaper than sending out direct mail, but the email addresses are from a reputable source so they are from companies who have 'opted in' to their info being 'sold'.

We did try one session of dm marketing with no replies at all, although this involved only a mail out of around 250. The email campaign will be sent out in batches of probably 1,000 at a time.

We do not sell a 'product' as such as we offer business advice so we're not expecting a huge response. But any response would be nice! The whole idea is to drive potential customers to our website and take it from there.

Will let you know the outcome.

Thanks for your ideas.

Sue
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www.weald-business-solutions.co.uk sue@weald-business-solutions.co.uk

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Getting yourself a website is the very first thing you should be concentrating on.

Joe
http://www.figurewizard.com
Free Online Business Forecasting and Planning
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Take a look at Guerrilla Marketing and Jay Conrad Levinson - see my blog http://businesscoaching.typepad.com

There used to be 100 low cost, high impact marketing weapons but recently with new technology and new ideas the list has gone up to 200.

Try something, design it to appeal to the best interests of your prospects, include a call to action and measure your results.
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Thanks spinone - I've heard of guerilla marketing before but never had the time to look into it - will do now though!

Lianne

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Well i can guarantee responses to you. how many do you want 1000-2500-5000 it all depends on what your budget is and if i fail to get the responses i will give you a full refund. Have a look at www.medtech.co.uk

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi come Feb 28th onwards check out http://ola.buildingnoabudget.com
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

We can email our database for free for you with any of your promotional messages if you'd do likewise with your database?

It's an easy way to generate business and promote your services.

Email me at colin@wininvesting.com

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Pay for some good quality keyword research and improve your onsite optimisation
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

If you are looking at things like press releases, there is a company I used recently that do them for £220 to write it and send it to the editors. They were www.lowcostpr.co.uk and seemed like nice people.

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Here's how to build your business even if you are on a budget.These free videos will show you how! http://www.lifesaverbiz.info
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Press Dispensary could help you with ideas for low-cost press releases or - perhaps - on the use of social networking media, such as Twitter, to promote your business. Please see http://www.pressdispensary.co.uk

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Just been reading through this - some very good ideas here, many of them are pertinent to me in the process of setting up!

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi,

First things i know about that which types of marketing business which you start and what is your budgets. when u start a business then make sure planning of the which area you mostly covers and mostly important thing is how to promote your brands.

Sushil Kumar
http://www.jazdchemicals.com/chemyellowpages/

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget. Update

Having a small budget is not the main problem, having enough time is what matters. There are so many resources available which a free and worth doing. If you have 15 mins, you should create yourself a number of virtual Flyers. They are free, just need text, any images and your time.

I have created a guide on how to do this at http://www.squidoo.com/creating-lenses.

Another free method is to have a Blog, I have a small Blog at http://uk-marketing.blogspot.com/ which you can use for ideas.

Good luck

Drachsi
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Hi,

Try www.cardsmadeeasy.com - they print business cards, flyers, leaflets, bookmarks, letterheads etc. They offer a free design and proofing service too so you don't have to worry about creating the artwork!

Prices are great in comparison to others. I have been using this discount code PRINT7467E for a while now - it gives me 5% off. My collegues have been able to use it in their accounts too.

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

I'm nearly 70 and have been using the Internet since 1996. (Built one of the first City Guides). If your marketing budget is for online marketing, why not consider using older people with Internet experience, you nearly always get more ideas. support than you pay for.
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

Good to see this post is still going strong 3.5 years later!!

Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

We got a load of branded pens, and left them all over the place, worked a treat !
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

One of the problems with leaflets is, people throw them away as soon as you give them a leaflet if you are on the street, the other problem is, people are fed up of having leaflets pushed through their door so they will not read them.

If you have a small budget, you could try free press releases, or you could try sending a press release to your local media and on top of this you can arrange open days and also find out when your local newspaper or magazine deadline is for advertising, and on the last day give them a call and see if they have any special deals on.
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Re : Best use of a small marketing budget

I like the last idea there - sometimes at deadline times any publication just wants to fill any remaining slots so will offer them at cheaper prices than they would at other times - a good tip and a simple one