how to make the most of your small marketing budget

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST

OF YOUR

SMALLMARKETING

BUDGET

WEBINAR

PRESENTERSCathrin Bradbury is the Executive Director of Star Content Studios, an ambitious start-up at agency at Star Media Group. Cathrin leads a group of 13 content experts with experience in everything from social, digital, newspaper, magazine and video storytelling. Star Content Studios helps businesses of every size get their message out, whether it’s through cause marketing, content creation or brand building. “It’s not enough to know what your story is, you have to be able to motivate people to act on it,” says Bradbury.

Meg Button is the Digital Lead and Operations Manager at Star Content Studios. Throughout her career, Meg has created new and innovative ways for companies to connect with consumers. Meg is also the founder of PartyPeopleTO, an event planning and social media company known for throwing buzz-worthy branded and sponsored events. With a (very) small marketing budget, Meg built this side venture by leveraging online influencers to build hype and increase awareness.

Marc Rutherford is the Director of Business Development at Star Content Studios. He is a results driven leader with a fifteen year career of achievement and visionary leadership in competitive markets. Marc has a solid track record of securing key clients, maintaining customer loyalty and has built a reputation of producing results with the world’s most prestigious brands including; NBC Universal, Fairmont Hotels, Air Canada, Samsung, L’Oreal, and Louis Vuitton.

“Small businesses bet bigger on content marketing ... three in four plan to

increase content marketing efforts”- eMarketer, February 2013

AGENDA• Why it’s important to market your business • Key challenges• Where to start• Where to focus your time, money and resources• Case studies: Star Business Club submissions for review

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS

BENEFITS• Generate awareness • Build relationships with current and

potential customers• Provide information about your

product or service

3 KEY CHALLENGES FACINGSMALL BUSINESSES

TimeBudget

Resources

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SMALL MARKETING BUDGET

Manage your TIME

TIME• Start small• Set actionable goals & objectives• Determine your target market and

where to reach them • Be consistent with your branding

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SMALL MARKETING BUDGET

Manage your BUDGET

BUDGETHow can a small business determine how much should be spent on marketing?• Use a formula• Follow industry standard• Spend what you can afford• Determine your goals and set budget accordingly

BUDGETA typical formula for businesses is to spend anywhere from 2-20% of sales on marketing. For small businesses with revenue of less than a million dollars, 8% is a common percentage to follow.

EXAMPLE:• 8% of sales• 1 million dollars of revenue• $80,000 in marketing

BUDGETSet budget accordingly by differentiating types of marketing:

1) brand development (logo, website, brochures, etc) 2) promotion and advertising

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SMALL MARKETING BUDGET

Manage your RESOURCES

RESOURCESWith limited resources, it’s crucial to ensure your budget is being spent in the right place. Measure your efforts to determine what is working and what isn’t.

LEVERAGE FREE TOOLS/DIY • Add your business to local online business directories• Publish your own content: Wordpress, Blogger• Create a Linkedin Group• Use Hootesuite, Tweetdeck to manage social media• Plan meet ups using existing platforms like meetup.com

When possible (and appropriate) it’s a great idea to leverage free tools. But just because you can do it yourself, doesn’t always mean you should. As you know, time is money and often hiring a professional can save you both in the end.

CASE STUDIES:STAR BUSINESS CLUB SUBMISSIONS FOR REVIEW

IMAGE CONSULTANT

ISSUE: Been in business for 29 years, but need advice on new methods for sourcing our target market (women 35-55).

MOM & POP ICE CREAM SHOP

ISSUE: Situated in a developing area, how can they differentiate themselves amongst bigger brand name competitors (Diary Queen, Baskin Robins), build loyalty and drive sales?

LAW FIRM

ISSUE: Wrong clientele (they are constantly unable to meet payments), want to move up in the rankings and attract customers that are willing and able to pay their fees.

RECORD STORE

ISSUE: Declining industry, how can they keep themselves and their product relevant in today’s exceedingly digital environment?

SELF PUBLISHER

ISSUE: New book but no support and doesn’t know where to start to beginning pushing/selling the book.

QUESTIONS?

CATHRIN BRADBURYcbradbury@starcontentstudios.com

MEG BUTTONmbutton@starcontentstudios.com@megbutton

MARC RUTHERFORDmrutherford@starcontentstudios.com

LET’S TALK!

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