Maximizing Your Marketing Spend: Want to get the most out of your budget? Get creative!

Everyone has a budget. Big, small, or in between, you have to work within those parameters. Research shows that B2B services companies, for example, spend an average of about 12% of their overall budget on marketing. It’s a wise commitment that can pay off big time.

But are you getting the most out of your marketing spend? Here’s how you can start right now.

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

In a changing climate, it’s sometimes wise to step back and take a deeper look. Maybe you’ve always marketed in a certain way, and it’s worked well, but things are different today. That’s why the most important question you can ask yourself is: “How can I best market this product or service right now, given the current needs and behaviors of our target audience?”

Once you have an updated understanding of your audience and how that aligns with your company’s value proposition, you can better assess what type of marketing approach is optimal. Will it be what you did before? Maybe… but it could also turn out that a different approach will give you way more bang for your buck.

PICK THAT LOW-HANGING FRUIT
Have you tuned up your SEO lately? Updated stale content on your website? Revamped your email templates to match your overall brand? Honed your messaging? You can give your marketing efforts a quick but meaningful boost with relatively little commitment. 

MODERNIZE YOUR TOOLKIT

Digital marketing evolves quickly, and if you’re not using up-to-date tools, you may be missing out. First, check out the basics: Is your email marketing service robust enough for your needs? Is it time to switch to a marketing automation platform to more effectively manage your interactions with your target audiences? If you are already using a marketing automation platform, are you taking full advantage of customization options to provide targeted content based on audience profiles?

And what about online advertising? Are you getting the most out of it? It might be wise to look at whether the content you are providing on your website is attracting the traffic you want. If there’s a disconnect, perhaps it’s time to start using an online content insight tool like BuzzSumo to better understand what topics are connecting with people. And once you’ve identified the right subject matter, you can decide whether to add something like an e-book or podcast to share your thought leadership with maximum impact.

Don’t Waste Money on Mediocre Marketing
Slapdash efforts are not only a waste of money, they can be actively detrimental to your brand. On the other hand: High quality marketing is worth the work. And it might cost less than you think to develop a tightly focused campaign, or a small social media spend. Or maybe you need to invest some time in your brand: build personas, understand your audience behaviors, find their pain points, and develop refined, effective messaging. It will reward you handsomely down the road.


Denise Hart is President of O2 Lab, a marketing firm focused on technology and healthcare organizations; deploying digital, print, motion, and social media campaigns that drive results.

 

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