Affordable Marketing

After several years of working with small business owners, and developing strategies to enhance their advertising portfolios, I have found a few common truths behind successful marketing that won't put small business out of their budgets. 

1. The most successful strategies begins with the owner’s knowledge of their own business
2. Followed by top notch presentations
3. Enriched by additional advertising mediums
4. Then completed by trial & error in the market place.

None of this has to be funded by over-the-top budgets that exceed year-end profits.  In reality, if done step-by-step, small businesses can create strategies that are effective and within their means. 

Knowledge of the business, market place, competitors and customers is the first place to begin strategizing a marketing plan.  No one knows this better than the owner’s themselves!  They have lived, breathed and dreamed the business.  Once these ideas are out on the table, the next step can begin. This is where those with the marketing skills of presentation, and other advertising knowledge come into play.  For simplicity sake, I will refer to this group as the “marketing pros”.

These marketing pros can use a whole plethora of skills to put together a plan that suites the small business’s needs.  Many businesses contract out to a marketing firm to take care of all these needs.  This is only a luxury to business with enough overhead to support such costs, as firms generally charge over $100 per hour for services. In fact, many large businesses have resorted to developing their own marketing departments, as the costs of firms versus their own in-house marketing have proven to be a better value.  That’s all good and well if you are a large business, however, what about the little guys? Back to the skills involved in presentation and additional mediums.  Identity development such as logos, headings, catch phrases etc. and presentation mediums like web sites, brochures, sign, advertisements etc. all require special skills, and not too many marketing pros can do all.  Your option is to find someone who does as many as possible or contract each need to a different business.  The latter is not recommended as each new contractor you use will have no former knowledge of your business and its needs.  This is where Design Renovations, Inc. has filled it's niche.  No, we don’t do everything.  But we offer the broadest range of advertising/marketing services available to small businesses at a low hourly rate that no other business in the area can come close to. 

Once you’ve created a business presentation that suites your needs you’ll need to follow it up with additional advertising mediums.  This is where you will consider an online marketing campaign through Google, Yahoo or a company similar.  Design Renovations, Inc. offers this service, but I always let our clients know that this is a service they can utilize without us.  We have a lot of experience in this field and may have a better idea of what keywords and online strategies to use.  However, a business on a budget may need to keep this service in-house to better afford it.  If you choose a marketing company that is truly working for your needs, they will inform you of such ways to cut corners and save as well. 

Other follow up mediums include print advertisements, mailers and tailored approaches that are specific to your business.  For instance, one of our clients is a restaurant owner who found that printing out tiny folded to-go menus and placing them in motels boosted their sales a great deal over holidays, as they had a presence with out-of-town customers.

In advertising, businesses never avoid trial and error procedures.  Every strategy that you put out to potential customer’s has to be tried and proven.  Luckily, when you choose to work with a company with experience, the error is lowered considerably.  Always try one strategy at a time and never take for granted the marketing research that larger companies have already undergone and proven.  For instance, many national companies have discovered that red and yellow is the choice of color to attract attention.  If you need to catch a customer’s eye with a large banner don’t use blue, opt for something with lots of red & yellow. 

So after you have taken your own knowledge about your business to heart, added a little help from an affordable professional who has the knowledge in additional advertising mediums and will take your needs into consideration, then tried them in the market place, you will be off and running with effective strategies to bring you the most for your money. 

Melynnda Pedersen
President
Design Renovations, Inc.

“One small business working for the success of other small businesses”