Marketing on a Shoestring Budget Alicia Carter 15 tips for

PLAN 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget Set aside some “thinking” time so you can Plan your day Plan your month Plan your year Idea #1

Idea #2 Make your website a workhorse Be more than pretty - be interactive Most important info goes at the top When you have something cool to share, put it on your website! “Contact Us” should be a form they can submit Use testimonials Think A.I.D.A. Attention, Interest, Desire, Action 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #3 SEO Search Engine Optimization Use a meaningful title – not just “welcome” or “home” Link important bits of text Get other sites to link to yours Learn what keywords customers use to “Google” you Put those words in your text frequently 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #4 Some of the best marketing ideas are first written on a cocktail napkin! 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #5 All the world’s a-”twitter” Social networks are great, but how do they fit in with your strategy? Are you going to have someone assigned to update the social networking site? How is the social networking site going to help you reach your objectives? Use good judgment… Master the basics before you jump on the latest fad 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Social Media is more than a fad Facebook: 1 billion+ registered; 800 million active users Twitter: 6 million registered; about 2 million active users YouTube: June 2007:6 hours of video every minute January 2009:15 hours/minute November 2010:35 hours/minute May 2011:48 hours/minute January 2012:60 hours/minute 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #6 Take advantage of the freebies! Word of Mouth Community Calendars Area Convention & Visitors Bureaus Voic greetings Local television and radio shows Press Releases to local media Social Media including Blogs Networking 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #7 Target (it’s more than just a great store!) Who needs to know about your product or service? Why should they care? Where are they? How can you reach them directly and cost effectively? 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #8 Think ROI – it’s more important than just looking at the cost of your marketing The goal of every organization is survival, and survival depends on your ROI Revenue – Expenses Expenses x ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #9 Learn from your mistakes (and yes – there will be mistakes!) Remember this one? 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget And more recently this one?

Idea #10 Leverage Relationships The ultimate goal of marketing is to create positive, long-term relationships with patrons, employees (customers, clients, etc). Every employee is a marketer (whether they know it or not) and should be helping you cultivate those relationships. 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #11 Use , but use it wisely Free or very low cost & track-able Can help strengthen relationships if done well Can do the opposite if not done well Check, double-check, and re-check before you hit “Send” 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Example of an OOPS! 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #12 Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should Exhibit A: 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #13 Put a CTA on everything If your materials are pretty but they don’t encourage someone to take action, what’s the point? Make it easy to find your contact information, website address, or a person to talk to. What am I supposed to do with this? Make the answer clear to the customer!! 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #14 Be a tracker Measure what you’re doing to see what’s working Track your campaigns to see what’s not working If you’re not sure if it works, it probably doesn’t Tracking is one of the most difficult tasks for a marketer 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Idea #15 Get all your ducks in a row before you launch a campaign! Is everyone who might be answering questions aware that there is a campaign going on? Are they prepared to answer customers’ questions without having to ask someone else? Do you have systems in place to handle additional traffic? 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

Quick Recap Plan – build your marketing “playbook” Make your website a workhorse Search Engine Optimization Use your Cocktail Napkin Ideas Use Social Networks wisely Take advantage of the freebies Target your $$ to your audience Focus on ROI Learn from your mistakes Leverage Relationships Utilize marketing Just because you can doesn’t mean you should Include a clear CTA on everything Be a Tracker Get all your ducks in a row 15 ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget

What are your ideas? Alicia Carter ideas for marketing on a shoestring budget