More bang for your budget
Often people equate an effective marketing campaign with a boardroom of super-cool marketing geniuses and a massive budget. While some businesses can afford this kind of thing, the fundamental principles for a great campaign are the same, whatever the budget. Organisations with any sized budget, large or small, can take advantage of great opportunities to put their business in the limelight.
So, how do you get more bang for your budget?
When I began my previous job as Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator at Carer Support (www.carersupport.org.au), I was presented with a blank slate and a relatively small budget. The organisation had very little branding and a profile that was ready for a boost, so I put my thinking cap on to make that budget stretch as far as possible.
The key to the whole campaign was grasping the organisation’s unique service style and the needs of its clients: in basic terms, the product and the customer. Once I understood these fundamentals, I looked for ways to provide all of the basic tools they would need, such as a revitalised logo, website and collaterals, with enough money left over to provide them with extra elements, including posters, displays and even a reception refit! 
A little auditing revealed ways they could cut their current spend, which gave me more money to play with. I also used as many free or low cost opportunities as possible, such as saving on advertising by pitching for editorial in council publications, industry newsletters or the local Messenger Newspaper – a great low cost strategy for community groups or charities.
The final result was a campaign that clearly defined the organisation, its services and its ethos. People felt like they were seeing Carer Support everywhere. They also felt they understood the services better and felt comfortable about approaching the organisation, and this resulted in a significant increase in new clients.
So it begs the question - what makes a great marketing strategy great? When the target audience is influenced by your message. There are plenty of examples of marketing strategies that have fallen flat with customers because the message was not suitably tailored for them (think Vegemite’s isnack 2.0 http://ozsoapbox.com/rest-of-australia/isnack-2-0-kraft-have-lost-the-plot/, or check out this link http://www.sublimited.net/skateboard-business/dickies-clothing-loses-customers-due-to-bad-advertising-campaign.html). Conversely, there are some fantastic examples of simple, imaginative ideas that have enjoyed success.
So, it’s not the massive boardroom think tanks or the six figure budgets that count the most, it’s striking a chord with people who may buy your product or be interested in your service. Simple!
Here are some tips to help you get more bang for your budget:
• Know your product, organisation or service and understand its unique selling point
• Know your customer
• Spend on fundamental things that will last, such as on your logo or website and cut back in other areas. Don’t scrimp on a designer, select someone you can partner with who listens and can interpret your brief
• Save on materials by getting competitive quotes
• Be open minded, use all communications disciplines to your advantage
• Be creative
- Jayne-Anne Power, Consultant
The material on this web page comprises the personal views of the author and does not represent the view or opinion of communikate et al. communikate et al accepts no liability for the content of this web page.
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