With news of record inflation and mass layoffs dominating the headlines, it’s no surprise that B2B marketers are now asked to produce more results with fewer resources. In fact, despite the fact that costs are on the rise, more than half of marketers say their budget was the same or less than 2021 allotments. Costs are on the rise and staffing is on the decline, yet marketers are expected to achieve the same or better results each year.
Four Cost-Saving Marketing Plan Essentials
Savvy marketers know it is critical to make every dollar count, especially when operating on a shoestring budget. Here are four ways to maximize your budget with tactics that deliver maximum results and a healthy bottom line.
1. Repurpose Your Best Content
Repurposing content is a necessity regardless of your budget. One long-form content piece such as a white paper or eBook can be segmented and used in organic social media, email newsletters, infographics, website copy, short articles and blogs—the possibilities are endless. Updating older content is another strategy to refresh existing content without costing money. Even something as simple as a new headline or updated statistics can transform an outdated blog into a fresh lead-generation piece. Use website analytics and a strategic eye to determine your best content, and you might be surprised how a few minor adjustments can fuel your content strategy across a variety of channels.
2. Prioritize Email Marketing
Americans spend five hours a day checking email, and marketers can take advantage of this valuable facetime with target audiences. Email marketing is a low-cost yet effective way to connect with prospects, customers and other stakeholders. Build targeted email lists and take time to keep them updated and free of bounces and bots. Follow email marketing best practices by sharing engaging and relevant content with your audience, and always include links to your website and a clear call to action. Whether it’s a weekly newsletter, monthly blog post or quarterly report, it’s helpful to introduce a regular cadence to your email strategy so your audience can anticipate when they’ll hear from you.
3. Don’t Forget About Organic Social Media
Because organic social media doesn’t involve the hard costs of paid digital strategies, B2B marketers may not make it a priority. Don’t make this mistake! Organic social media is a low-cost method to increase online presence, grow brand awareness and enhance visibility in the marketplace. It’s also a (free) way to genuinely connect with target audiences. Don’t post randomly, though. Take the time to develop a comprehensive organic social media strategy, identifying and documenting goals for each platform. Every organic post should have a purpose and communicate with distinct messaging appropriate for each channel. Copy that works for LinkedIn won’t have the same effect on Twitter or Facebook.
4. Optimize Your Website
Your company’s website is the first impression many prospects have of your business—make it a good one! Research shows 70 percent of web traffic originates from mobile phones, so it is essential for your website to be mobile-friendly. It’s also crucial that your website is easy-to-navigate and delivers a frustration-free user experience for visitors. Keep your website clean by regularly performing a “check-up,” looking for typos, broken links, past events or outdated content. For an outsider’s perspective, consider having a friend or colleague test your website and share honest feedback. By performing a usability test and making any necessary adjustments, marketers can be confident that each visitor will have a positive, user-friendly experience.
The Nice-to-Haves
Once low-cost options are in place and proving successful, it may be possible to add additional tactics to your marketing strategy. If you have some wiggle room in your budget, consider investing in video marketing, sponsored social media advertising or PR. The addition of these paid media channels can enhance lower-cost activities.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
When times get tough, businesses often cut marketing budgets, working under the misconception that it is a non-essential expense. But consider this: when a company’s marketing endeavors decline or stop, so does the communication between the business and its target audiences. This leaves prospects and customers wondering about the stability of the company and customers concerned about how much it values their business. Eventually, audiences will forget about a brand altogether. By building a business case for a static or increased budget, marketers can demonstrate its necessity for attracting and keeping customers.
To learn more about how Trade Press Services can help you stretch your marketing resources with cost-effective marketing solutions, call us at (805) 496-8850 or schedule a call with one of our experts.
