How Do You Market When the CEO Has Frozen the Budget?

"We have to cut the marketing budget". Those are words sure to strike fear into any marketing team's hearts.

If your business needs to make some cuts, or you're a smaller business trying to get off the ground on a shoestring, it can be easy to panic.

So what do you do if there isn't much money in the marketing pot? Don't worry just yet.

With some effort and planning you can create a potentially lucrative marketing campaign on a small budget. Here's how:

Make a Plan

 The first step to marketing on a small budget is planning. When every dollar counts, you want to be certain they are being well spent.

Whether you have a small amount to spend on marketing or whether you can only spend time, you will want to be certain that any energy expended brings a decent return.

To do this, take the time to really research your target market. Go online and find out where your target market is spending their time.

Do they go for Facebook or YouTube? Are you seeing more responses to your competitor's blog posts or their tweets? Narrow your focus and know where you need to go to get the most out of your marketing.

Make the Most of Social Media

Social media is free and the time spent on it can yield positive returns for your marketing campaign.

Using social media is a fantastic way to communicate directly with your target market. Don't just talk at them; use social media to start a dialog and build a positive relationship.  Of course, social media is a busy place, which is where your marketing plan comes in.

Head to where your target market spends most of their time, and put in the effort to craft social media posts that are interesting, and relevant to the audience you want to connect with. 

Make a Video

You don't need thousands of dollars in the budget to create a dynamic and interesting marketing campaign.

If you have a camera with good quality video capability, you can create a YouTube video for little or no cost. A video which is funny, interesting, or helps connect you to your clients can work wonders for sales.

Just ask Blendtec founder Tom Dickson who came up with a creative way to make up for not having the marketing budget of his bigger competitors. Dickson's "will it blend" videos, where he attempted to blend everything from cell phones to miniature Super Bowl helmets, went viral and gave his company's sales a significant boost.

Make Yourself Useful

Here's some good news for marketers on a budget: Consumers no longer want flashy campaigns that tell them what to buy. They want useful, interesting, shareable content that will solve a problem or make their life better.

If you can answer a question, provide an idea, or give a new approach to a problem, you can build a solid reputation that will inspire confidence, and spending.

Whether your business wants to promote the fact it offers mobile payments, in-home delivery or weekly specials, creating valuable content costs nothing and can significantly increase your sales. Not to mention that when you create great content, your buyers won't just buy, they will share that content with their social media networks, reaching even more potential customers.

Make Yourself Known

You can be your brand's best advertisement if you get out there and share your passion and knowledge. Trade fairs, business breakfasts and networking events are all good ways to meet potential buyers and let them know what you do.

Do a bit of research beforehand to figure out where you're most likely to make valuable contacts. You can also raise your local profile by getting involved with charity events or doing something for your local community.

There's no doubt that marketing with little or no money takes ingenuity and planning, but the results can be astonishing.

Start with a good plan and prepare to set aside dedicated time for creating content, networking, and being active on social media channels, and you'll find you can increase your sales without depleting your coffers.