Small businesses owners have the challenging task of creating a budget that encompasses all the costs they will incur operating their business. In addition to the basic costs like rent, payroll, and supplies, they must decide how much will go toward marketing.

By Marlene Bauer Pissott

“Marketing is such an essential aspect of running a business,” says Marlene Bauer Pissott, Founder and President of InGroup, Inc and WebSwagger.com. “For small businesses, getting the most out of their marketing dollars – no matter how much they are spending – is vital.”

Ask a sample of small business owners how they determine how much of their budget is allocated to marketing, you’re likely to get many different answers. Most however, fall within one of three categories.

Some small business owners are very aggressive and use a large portion of their budget for marketing. “This group tends to spend a lot of money on many different marketing campaigns,” explained Pissott. “While they are actively marketing, they can fine tune their efforts to get a better return on investment.”

Pissott offers the following suggestions for this type of marketer:

• Measure the success of the strategies currently being used to see what is working and what's not. Concentrate on those efforts that had favorable results and consider pumping them up.
• Try something new and unexpected. It can be surprising what attracts and motivates people to purchase something or use one service provider over another.
• Evaluate the type of customers they want to attract and focus efforts on getting the message to that group. Targeted, purchased lists can be very effective tools.

Then there are the middle-of-the-road marketers. They distribute a fixed amount for marketing, equally dividing it between tried and true methods including the yellow pages and standard ads. “This is a conservative group,” said Pissott. “They decide how much they will spend and then use cookie-cutter efforts. They will get results, but they could be doing much better.”

Pissott recommends these adjustments to help get more out of their spending:

• Break out of the mold and think outside of the box. Look at the current strategies and replace tired, old efforts with fresh new ideas.    
• Ensure a portion of the budget goes toward having a presence on the Web. Be sure to have the Web address on all print ads, brochures, business cards, etc.
• Zero-in on the type of customer they want to target. Create a campaign that focuses on attracting that type of person.

There are also a number of small business owners who do not budget any money for marketing endeavors. “A business cannot grow without any type of marketing,” said Pissott. “These businesses will not survive if money or time is not put into promoting themselves.”

To get their marketing efforts off the ground, Pissott proposes these ideas:

• Get going and go grassroots. With no money in the budget for marketing, start off by focusing on free marketing. Send out press releases, begin a referral program for existing customers, and make sure your business listings are completely up-to-date.
• Try industry specific or niche marketing. Use what little money you do have and focus on a very small target group or stick to advertising within your specific industry.

Whatever your budget, you can improve your marketing efforts. Start by revaluating your current strategies and go from there. And, don’t be afraid to reach out to experts for ideas. Marketing agencies are not just for big companies.

 Marlene Bauer Pissot is the founder and President of InGroup Inc, and WebSwagger.com. Serving the needs of small businesses and professional service firms around the nation, WebSwagger.com offers unique, professional and affordable Web sites and co-branded marketing materials. Web services include creative development, hosting, e-mail, basic site optimization, e-commerce and more.  Print materials include brochures, folders, announcement cards and other collateral to assist with sales and marketing efforts.

WebSwagger.com is managed by InGroup Inc.— full-service creative agency, in Bergen County, N.J., providing innovative marketing and communications services since 1995.  For more information visit www.WebSwagger.com or call, (888) 772-6400.