Last week, I saw a post in a Facebook group that someone was looking for recommendations for some marketing support; they gave a description of their business and said they had a very small budget but know they needed to start with something.
There is so much in that post that I really liked! Stating your budget boundaries up-front, sharing some information about your business needs and knowing that, as a business owner, you need some kind of marketing in the plan.
There is a massive misconception that working with a freelancer or consultant will be expensive and you won’t have the budget for it. Granted, that depends on what you are asking for! But being realistic about your budget and expectations means that you will be able to get some marketing support for your money.
Some marketing support is definitely better than no marketing whatsoever!
So, how can you work with a marketeer on a small budget?
Firstly, ask them. Have that conversation, I know I would find a way to work with you and I know many in my network would do the same. Not because we take any budget, but because every business is at a different stage of their marketing needs and sometimes just an hour once a month will be enough for a business to kickstart their marketing plans.
The same conversation might result in me saying your spend is better elsewhere and with someone else and I will make that introduction. This is still a win for you and worth your time asking.
Life after the conversation.
Don’t get me wrong, an hour a month will not buy you someone to do it for you; but your time working on a strategy or content plan and running your marketing channels will be better spent and more productive. This means you can still concentrate on running your business and delivering to your customers.
Consider a training session, member organisation or power hour.
There are some great workshops and training courses available at the moment! Some are online and in your own time, others are a session at an venue. Membership organisations can also provide brilliant resources and a community. Some resources are even free and available to download. A conversation might even help you find some of these! A quick google search or hunt on social media would help too.
A power hour or 1-2-1 session might be the best solution for your business and budget – this is a session where you can to ask all the questions, get all the top tips and enough to get you started on a planned and constructive path.
I do 1-2-1 sessions on a monthly basis and they look like this. People walk away feeling like this:
“a great learning experience that provided clarity in a strategic and empowering way.”
What about social media support?
You might have noticed that I haven’t mentioned social media up until now – not because I don’t value it (erm, do you guys even know me?!), but because social media is a form of marketing and should be part of your marketing strategy from the start. There is so much value to be had from the platforms, particular for a small business, charity, community project or start-up!
Allocating budget to a freelancer or consultant to help you set-up your channels, write a strategy, define your audience and create a content plan will save you time in the long run and help you measure, test and rate that bottom line ROI piece.
What next then?
Don’t be afraid to have that conversation and get a feel for budget requirements, your business is not insignificant and you can’t make business decisions without the facts.
In my own business I have met with website developers, graphic designers, copy writers, photographers and videographers and more – I know what I am trying to build and I need to be smart and strategic with my own budget to get there. From these conversations I can make a plan. Decide what I need to do now to grow my business, then decide what the next phase looks like and what budget can go there instead.
All from a conversation.
P.S and disclaimer, having the budget conversation doesn’t mean you choose someone to work with on price alone, please do your due diligence checks and work with an experienced marketeer. This goes for any area of expertise and outsourcing.
Bird and Emmy services are listed here or get in touch to have that conversation here. #BirdandEmmy
