Small Business Marketing Kit For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Budgeting to Reach Your Goals

Small business marketing budgets include two variables: time and money. You can reach customers with paid advertising and marketing communications or you can reach them through personal contacts, which requires time but little if any cash outlay.

Networking and sales calls have long served as an alternative to costly advertising outreach. But in today’s marketplace, those who can devote time to marketing have powerful additional tools in their arsenal: social media and digital communications.

Turn to Part III for three chapters that cover connecting with customers online. If your customers are online, and if you’re willing to commit the time to meet and interact with them through your website, social media channels, and other sites, then your need for marketing dollars can be offset by your investment of time. This section helps you weigh the balance.

Realistic talk about small business marketing budgets

The most important commitment you can make to your marketing program is to establish and stick to a budget. Whether you’re budgeting time, money, or both, cover these four points:

Establish a marketing budget.

Spend the allocated time or funds on a planned ...