Advertising and Marketing; It’s Not An Expense. It’s An Investment.
So many small and medium sized businesses make the mistake of treating the advertising and marketing of a business like an expense.
Published: 03/23/2016 by Brandon Price
Fact is, advertising and marketing your business is an investment into yourself, your ideas, and your goals. Most small businesses postpone advertising due to costs and live under the motto of “I don’t have any work, I can’t afford to advertise” and “I’m too busy, I don’t have time to advertise.”
In the end, business owners are their own worst enemy. They become their own bottle neck when it comes to growth and success.
- Create a Budget: Develop an advertising and marketing budget and stick to it. Consistent advertising will lead to greater success. Your advertising budget doesn’t have to be massive to be effective. Consistent with frequent advertising that works within your budget. Whether that is well placed and affordable print advertising or off hours radio spots, affordable solutions exist for nearly any budget.
- Mobile Accessible Website: Make sure your website is working for you. A responsive website is a must-have in today’s mobile market. A responsive website make your website more effective for mobile users.
- Email and Database marketing: Email marketing to target existing customers. Your customer’s email address is more valuable than their home address. If you aren’t collecting email addresses of all of your customers, this needs to be corrected immediately.
- Content Marketing: Content marketing and social media advertising go hand in hand and can be very affordable. Larger businesses are allocating large portions of their advertising budgets to social media advertising and small business should do the same. Social media advertising when paired with content marketing can be one of the more effective, and affordable, options of advertising. Content marketing is creating a message that specifically speaks to your market and bring traffic to your website and strengthens your brand.
- Create a budget for your time: Out of everything we have mentioned, this one is easier said than done. The day to day schedule for a small business owner can be hectic and never ending. Allocating time every day to dedicate to advertising and marketing your business is the most important thing you can do when it comes growing your business.
If budgeting time to advertising your business seems to always take a back seat to everything else when it comes to running your business, we suggest finding a good group of consultants that will aid you in marketing your business. Even if your budget is small, there are solutions and plans available for you. If you feel like you have no time left in your day, then the best plan is to put your advertising and marketing needs in the hands of others.