Tag : marketing budget

Budgeting for Social Media

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24May

We’ve finally reached a point where big companies are recognizing social media and as such, a big question is raised. Just how much of a marketing budget should go towards social media prospects? For the casual social media user, cost is never usually an issue. However, businesses need to take cost into consideration, whether it pertains to social media managers, Facebook advertising, or boosted posts. Turns out social media success can cost a bit. According to The Next Web, a study from Duke University found that businesses spend an average of 9.4% of their marketing budget on social media and it’s predicted to only rise from there. The article projects that, at this time, 10% is the best amount to spend on social media campaigns. It might not seem like much, but it can be just enough to utilize the premium tools the popular platforms offer.

You might be wondering to yourself what exactly is there to pay for? After all, Facebook proudly proclaims that it’s free, as is Twitter, LinkedIn and even Google +. However, as we see with many online services, while the base is free, businesses can really shine when investing into things like Facebook advertising and boosted posts. We’ve seen these kind of tools make or break a social media campaign. These features allow you to maximize your “reachability”, which means you can be on more people’s screens and in their line of sight.  You’ll have an advantage to those who don’t want to fork out the funding. It can require an investment, however it can be worth every penny if done correctly. You’ll find that when you really enter the professional side of social media, it might not be free. However, your money will not be wasted. Instead, it’ll be used toward this progressive marketing method.

For more info, check out The Next Web’s article here: http://ow.ly/9UoJ300pB6h

Does your business have room in the budget for social media? Should it be more or less? Share your thoughts!

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Can’t Catch Up? Maybe a Daily Marketing Schedule is in Order

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2Jan

There is nothing worse than getting into the office and immediately feeling two days behind.  Go on, admit it…you have felt like this more often than not.

Is it because you are ineffective at your job?  Nope.

Is it because you have no time to get anything done?  Nope.

Is it because you don’t have a daily marketing plan?  Bingo!

Whenever I speak about marketing plans (either online, to potential clients, or while speaking at events) eyes begin to glaze over.  So please stick with me on this.  I’m not going to talk to you about building the perfect marketing plan – I’m going to talk about how to build your perfect daily attack plan.

I’m going to assume here that you are currently using various marketing tools, and that your goals are crystal clear as to what your company’s goals are.

So, let’s move on to the plan.

First, grab a piece of paper and write down the days of the week that you work (if you are closed/don’t work Sat/Sun, leave these out).  We want to focus on the “active” days of your week.

On another sheet of paper, write down everything that you are currently doing to market your business.  For example, your list could look like this:

  • Facebook Marketing
  • Twitter Marketing
  • LinkedIn Marketing
  • Email Blasts
  • Trade Advertising
  • Google AdWords
  • Link Building
  • Blog Writing
  • Press Release Writing

Now, we step it up.  Decide which needs to happen for each of these activities on a daily or weekly basis.  If you are doing link building, this is something that happens everyday.  So it needs to be listed every day of the week – but also with the EXACT actions that you need to take.  Maybe your link building strategy is 100% built around blog comments.  If so, then your daily activity would be “Link Building: comment on 5 relevant industry blogs”.  Simple as that!

Then add the rest.  If you are on Facebook, maybe you have to post an update, reply to comments, and engage with 3 new pages.  Add this to the list.  And so on.

My top tip is to pin point exactly what you want to do for each item that you have listed –  per day or per week.  This will help you get through these tasks quickly without having to constantly remember what you have to get done on a given day.  This way, if your day goes south as soon as you turn on your computer, you can motor through this list later in the day when you finish putting out fires.

And it works!  I have instituted this for my staff (as well as myself) and it does save lots of time AND it can grow organically.  For example, Pinterest is a new site that just popped up and now it has been added to our daily marketing schedule with tasks associated with it each day.

I say give it a try!  There is no risk when it comes to getting organized and saving precious time.

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