The issue of big dreams, little budget is a timeless tale in the media industry (ok, maybe all industries). Often times brands think they need huge budgets to be able to advertise but that is not the case. The truth is that a little scrappiness and creative thinking, pretty much any budget can work. See below for a few tips and tricks…
Clearly define your objectives. Is your goal to drive awareness of your brand? Traffic to site? Sales? Being very specific will help you to hone in on the media types and tactics that are most suited to achieve this goal.
Focus, focus, focus! You do not need to be present on all media channels al all times, so revisit your objective and consider the top one or two channels that will help you reach your goal and won’t break the bank. Paid social, search and programmatic are usually going to be the channels with lowest barriers to entry, so start there. There are lots of tactics and targeting options within those vehicles that will allow you to reach objectives across the funnel.
Decide whether it is more important for you to be on all the time at lower levels or on iteratively at higher levels. For example, if you are launching a new product, it might make more sense for you to focus for investment a few weeks leading up to during, and after launch rather than thinly spreading your dollars over several months. In doing this, you will make a bigger splash in the marketplace when you are “on.”
Don’t try to do it all on your own. When your day job is running a company, you have enough on your plate without adding on “Media Planner” to your list. It can be tempting to cut costs by taking on the media responsibilities, but you are going to save money and be better off in the long run if you enlist a professional to do it right the first time. There are different payment structures to allow you to get the service you want with a payment option that you are comfortable with.
Be patient. While you may see some immediate results in sales or traffic, you want to make sure that you are always keeping the long game in mind. Make sure you are not just putting out a message and then forgetting about it. For best results you should continue to foster than conversation between your brand and potential customers.