Despite what figures released by various Government agencies say, the UK is still very much in the grips of the economic gloom. It is important for every business organisation to manage their finances and be prudent with their marketing costs.

Although it may seem tempting, doing away with your marketing altogether is probably the worst thing you can do in an economic downturn. Without any means to attract new customers, you are leaving the door wide open for your competitors to take advantage. Also, the general nature of a downturn means that less companies and individuals are buying products in the first place. So competition to attract those who are buying is more fierce than when times are good. This means that in many ways, it is even more important to increase your marketing activity during these quieter periods. The real trick is to make sure you are savvy in the way you go about it.

We’ve put together a few ideas for companies on a tight marketing budget, but who still need to generate sales enquiries:

1. Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most cost effective ways of marketing your business to a wide audience. You can either send out individual HTML emails, or you can have a bespoke template designed that will allow you to input your own content. Be careful that you comply with anti-spam regulations so you stay on the right side of the law, and also look out for a provider who offers simple subscriber list management and reporting so you can track the effectiveness of your efforts.

2. Targeted Mailing

Blanket mailing potential customers can be difficult, costly and time-consuming. For companies on a budget, it might seem like a good idea to hit as many people and businesses as possible, but unless you have an exceptional product or service and have a well-cleaned database, the results can be poor.

Targeted mailing on the other hand can be a much more rewarding marketing exercise for businesses on a budget. By taking the time to identify what it is you are best at and who will REALLY benefit from the services you offer, you can put together a marketing campaign that is entirely focused on winning business or sales from those customers. This not only gives you a far greater chance of generating a positive response, but it makes the whole mailing process more focused and easier to manage from your end.

3. Website SEO

Utilising the force of the internet is one of the best ways to market your business. A website requires comparatively little overheads and allows customers to find you, rather than you constantly trying to lure them in.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a phrase that is often fills the uninitiated with fear. Whilst it is true that good SEO needs specialist skills and knowledge, there are many thing that you can do yourself to improve your online presence without being a genius. Writing blogs articles, building links, submitting comments, building your online presence… all of these things will help to push your services in front of the right people and encourage them to make the call.

4. Social Media

Social networking sites like Facebook and twitter are the new powerhouses of communication and they offer a great way to market your business for free! But there’s no point doing things half-heartedly, you need to throw yourself in… Make friends, expand your network, promote special offers, invite comments … Build a relationship with your client base and it will be them who seek you out, not the other way around.

If you want to speak to someone about reducing your marketing costs while still generating sales leads, then get in touch with BML Creative today.