Marketing on a limited budget

By Nigel Temple

If you don't have huge bundles of cash to spend on marketing, here are some ideas to make the money go further.

1. Happy customers provide the best foundation for any marketing campaign. Do whatever it takes to make sure that they love you to bits. In turn, this will of course generate repeat business, referrals, goodwill and a warm comfortable feeling in your bank manager's tummy.
   
   
2. Spread awareness through strong Word of Mouth marketing. Systemise WOM (my article tells you how to do this).
   
   
3. Network like crazy. After all, if this system works for leading politicians, bankers, entrepreneurs and scientists, it will work for you. Check out my article on Networking, to find out more.
   
   
4. Use Press Relations to generate wider awareness for your enterprise. The smallest business (or business unit) can do this - if you focus on News Value, niche media and a few journalistic contacts. If you don't have PR experience, sign up for a seminar (for example - one of mine!), read a few books and / or hire a PR consultant to get you started. There are zillions of self employed PR consultants out there who offer a great service.  Let me know if you would like a recommendation (however - please bear in mind that I am based in the Thames Valley, in the UK).
   
   
5. A smart strategy is not to try to sell to everybody; even Coke™ doesn't do this (they don't sell to infants). Everybody has head of segmentation: very few companies and organisations follow this idea through. However - those that segment, steam ahead. This is worth really thinking about: why not have a half day brainstorming session focused on Who Are We Really Selling To?
   
   
6. If you do it right - the internet is a fantastic, low cost, way of reaching people. Check out my Internet Marketing article.

Other smart moves include TESTING (make this part of your philosophy). Don't bet the farm on any strategy, until you have proof of what the market thinks of it. You may be the smartest person on the planet, offering a fantastic product / service. However, what matters in marketing is the individuals who comprise your marketplace. If they like your proposition, product, price, distribution and promotion - they will buy your stuff.  This is why you've got to keep going back to them and finding out what they think.

At the end of the day, however, it is PERSISTENCE which counts. You've got to have the patience to build your business a step at a time; wait for your consistent marketing to sink into people's minds and to find out what works and what doesn't work. 

I wish you every success with your marketing. I'm about a quarter of a century into my marketing career and - believe me - I am still learning. 

Written by Nigel Temple, the UK based marketing consultant, trainer, speaker and author. Visit: www.nigeltemple.com