| Probably the hardest task that every senior marketing | | | | the long run it's the budgets that invest in brand building |
| manager regularly faces is planning to maximise | | | | that win but there's no point in worrying about that |
| budget efficiency. Nowhere is this more challenging | | | | when your budget is small. |
| than when deciding on where to spend the marketing | | | | 5 Direct Mail and e-shots are the starting point for |
| communications budget. | | | | most small businesses |
| The exponential growth of new media covers every | | | | You can directly compare costs with return. |
| aspect of life from the second your (digital of course) | | | | 6 No more than 50% of your budget online |
| radio alarm goes off in the morning through all the | | | | OK that's not really a golden rule as some businesses |
| traditional offline media you're exposed to over the | | | | can prosper never appearing outside the virtual world. |
| course of the day. Once we go online and explore the | | | | But it's rare to find a target market that is not |
| huge demands on the budget related to email | | | | responsive to offline communications and on average |
| marketing, search engine optimisation, pay per click, | | | | over 50% of 'commercial' web visits are driven by |
| web design and a plethora of other online marketing | | | | traditional media. |
| opportunities, the budget dilemma seems to become | | | | 7 Information Is Power |
| impossible. Various studies indicate the average person | | | | Quite simply the more you understand your target |
| living in a developed country is exposed to anywhere | | | | market and their media consumption the better you |
| between 3000 and 7000 differing advertising | | | | can plan campaigns that connect with them. Also if |
| messages per day. If you're targeting that person, then | | | | something has worked before it will probably work |
| how do you choose the one or two messages that | | | | again, but not in quite the same way. So learn from |
| are going to grab their attention and generate the right | | | | your successes as well as your mistakes. |
| response? Even for highly experienced marketers | | | | 8 Don't swim with the big fish |
| these are not easy decisions. Some will claim to take | | | | If you're a small fish then swim upstream or |
| a highly scientific approach but in this article we will | | | | downstream of the big ones Taken from Adam |
| treat the budgeting exercise as a combination of art | | | | Morgan's book 'Eating the Big Fish' this rule simply says |
| and science. | | | | that challenger brands need to do things differently to |
| The answers can be found in a few key areas: The | | | | the competition |
| size of your brand and business, the nature of your | | | | 9 Sponsorship is for laughs |
| target market, the relative size of your competitors, the | | | | If you have many millions of pounds or dollars to spend |
| level of experience you have gained from previous | | | | then sponsor a premiership football club. If your budget |
| marketing activity and your personal predisposition to | | | | is smaller avoid spending too much money on simple |
| believe in a particular approach. I've packaged that into | | | | brand awareness and make sure your brand values, |
| Ten golden rules for planning an integrated advertising | | | | unique selling points and call to action are built into your |
| campaign: | | | | marketing communications |
| 1 Repetition builds awareness builds response | | | | 10 Integrated communications are impressive |
| Don't spread your budget too thin. It's better to repeat | | | | Even better than repeating your message to one |
| your message three or four times to the same person | | | | person in the same medium is getting that message |
| in the same media than to spread your message to a | | | | across to that person through different marketing |
| wider audience that may only see it once or twice | | | | communications. A direct mail piece, an e-shot, a press |
| 2 Online marketing is fashionable but that doesn't make | | | | ad combined with a PR article come together to make |
| it right for your business | | | | your budget look much bigger than it is |
| If you know you can build your business by increasing | | | | Finally, there's an 11th rule too! If you can't afford it then |
| your web visits then online expenditure makes sense. | | | | that rules it out. It seems obvious but a lot of highly |
| But if your business model is not dependent on your | | | | experienced marketers make the mistake of wanting |
| website be careful about throwing all your money | | | | to try media they perceive to be prestigious such as |
| online | | | | National TV that soak up more than 50% of their |
| 3 The smaller your budget the more benefit Public | | | | budget and leave a lot of the more hard working, cost |
| Relations can provide | | | | effective, demand driving media unaffordable. |
| Public Relations takes time and effort but the results | | | | To summarise, it's art and science coming together, |
| can be amazing and the monthly fee often equates to | | | | there are no definite right answers but there are a lot |
| just one advertisement | | | | of obviously bad ones. If in doubt get an integrated |
| 4 The bigger your business the more important brand | | | | marketing agencyto help you decide. Specialist |
| building | | | | agencies will always try to get as much of your |
| As a massive generalisation, small businesses need to | | | | budget as they can. An integrated agency might want |
| focus on building response and every penny they | | | | almost your entire budget but it will work with you to |
| spend on marketing is looking for a short-term return. In | | | | maximise its effectiveness! |