The top 5 budget marketing priorities to maximise your impact with minimal spend

Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of 2024! I hope you have had a great festive season and are recharged for this year. I have big plans, so come along for the ride.

In this first episode I discuss the top 5 marketing priorities to maximise your impact with minimal spend. 

We all know marketing can be overwhelming, time consuming and sometimes expensive, so what are some of the marketing tactics to consider when you’re first starting out (or maybe you’re reconsidering some of the marketing tactics you’re currently using). 

Let’s dive in to what I see as the most important priorities in marketing (regardless of where you’re at in your business). 

Tune in 🎧

Connect with me

Website: www.newschoolofmarketing.com
Facebook: @newschoolofmarketing
Facebook group: @newschoolofmarketing
Instagram: @bianca_mckenzie

 

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Transcript

Episode 155

Hey, welcome back to the new School of Marketing podcast. I am so grateful to you for tuning in. Before we dive in, I would love to pay respect and acknowledgement to the Palawa people of Lutruwita, who are the traditional owners of the land on which my business operates.

And I pay my respect to the elders past, present and emerging.

Wow, it is a new year. How are you? How was your break? If you got one, I hope you got a little bit of time off.

How was your Christmas? I don’t know, I feel like I’m feeling all these new Year vibes.

So that’s probably where my like mega excitement is coming from right now.

Yeah. How is, how are things? How is everything going?

Feel free to connect with me on Instagram and I don’t know, I’m.

I don’t really want this to be like a one way conversation even though I can’t get direct feedback right now. So anyway, we went on a little bit of a holiday which is great.

It was also challenging as, you know, challenging as it can be with a five year old and my son’s now 22 months old so it’s close to two.

Yeah, it was challenging but it was also so nice to see a little bit more of our new home states. So yeah, a few years ago we moved to Tasmania and we haven’t actually seen that much yet of the state and it is so beautiful.

And I’m saying we haven’t seen much. We haven’t seen much as a family. My husband and I did travel to Tasmania a few times before we had children.

But yeah, as a family we haven’t really done that much travel and this time we actually did a little bit of the northwest coast, which is where we live as well.

But you know, even though Tasmania is not that big, it’s still a little bit big. So we never actually saw the northwest coast before we moved here. That’s a story for a different time.

But yeah, we went close to Launceston first. I know it sounds a bit silly to go towards the city, but we were about an hour away from Launceston near the beach.

It was beautiful.

We just enjoyed camping.

And then we went up to Stanley after that, which was also stunning, my daughter loved seeing the penguins come in every night. So we had a really, really good time.

So I feel quite refreshed and revived as I sit back at my desk to. Yeah. Record these podcast episodes for you. Anyway, let’s get to the topic because, you know, nobody wants to talk, nobody wants to listen to me talk about my holiday.

I want to talk about marketing and that’s what this year is going to be about again, because, you know, that’s my thing.

But I want to talk about budget marketing. So if you’re on a budget, what are some of the things that you can focus on? I was going to say should focus on, but I don’t really like that word, even though I do have my opinions about what you should be doing first.

So, yeah, like it’s all these things, right? Like, do you build a cool website? Do you get that amazing logo created? Are you going to dive into social media? Is it better to start networking in person?

There’s all these, so many things that you can do.

So in this episode, I actually want to really talk about when you’re first starting out. And even if you’re not first starting out, this is always good to revisit. And I do this.

Most of most years I revisit this and I’m at that stage right now.

So when you’re first starting out and you’re marketing your business on a budget, where do you start?

Well, my first piece of really, really, really big advice, sit down for this.

Don’t do all the things.

And I mean it because I know there are so many things you can do, but I know that if you do all the things you know and build that website and create that logo and go on social media and, and, and you’re going to feel exhausted, for starters.

You’re also going to be overwhelmed and you’re going to be spreading yourself really thin and not really getting your results because there is just so much. So don’t do all of the things.

And I might be a little bit controversial saying this, but when you’re just starting out, you don’t actually need a logo, you don’t actually need a business card. And as much as I always harp on about that, you need your, you know, business home, AKA a website.

You don’t actually need a website to start off with.

It’s kind of like the busy work, like all this behind the scenes stuff. It’s great, but it actually doesn’t help you get to like the business end and income in your bank account.

It’s great. And I do think that you need it at some point, but not necessarily when you’re first starting out.

So let’s talk about, and I’m going to say should, let’s talk about what you should be doing instead. Or here’s what I would be doing if I was starting out.

I would identify my audience.

So sit down and think about who it is that you help best, who is it that you are creating either your products for your services for.

And like, we can talk about courses as well, but I wouldn’t start off with courses if I was going to be a course creator. I would probably start off with services before I offered courses.

But what I want you to do is go really deep with finding out who this person is, because it will help you find the right people.

And long term, it will help you find the right people more easily. It will help you craft a message that really resonates with your ideal audience so that once you start talking to people, either on social media or at like networking events or in real time, it will help you really clearly define who it is that you help and what you do for them.

So that’s what I would do first. I would identify my audience and look at who it is that I help best.

And this is something that I go back to regularly. I look at, okay, who is my ideal client? Because, you know, throughout the year you sometimes, you know, go off track a little bit.

I have in the past also taken on clients that in hindsight were not really my ideal clients. So sometimes I need to go back to this exercise as well and sit down and look, look at who is it that I help best, who do I might do, I do my absolute best work for.

And this is not necessarily something that’s easy when you’re first starting out. And it might take working with a few people before you actually go, okay, well, that person that I just worked with, I want to work with more of those kind of people.

So think about who your agile client is, but also know that it can change. Like you’re not, it’s not a tattoo. Like you can change who you are working with, but you do need to think about it upfront.

Because simply saying I help all business owners, that is like super mega vague. And you’ll actually struggle to get anyone to come and work with you.

So, yeah, think about who is it that you help best identify your ideal audience.

The next thing that I would sit down and do is find out where they actually spend their time. So before you jump onto social Media and invest your time in it.

Are they actually spending time there? So are they more likely to read their emails or are they more likely to be on Instagram?

Or do they prefer consuming content through podcasts or blogs? Or maybe they’re on LinkedIn. You need to find out where they actually hang out. Like most of us hang out in multiple places.

Like I listen to podcasts, but I’m also on Instagram.

But like I said, I don’t want you to do all of the things. So find out where they hang out and then choose a platform that you are going to put your at least first three months into.

Like pick one and only focus on that.

Then once you’ve mastered that, then you can layer in another platform.

Personally, I would probably pick one that will grow with you, like email marketing. But I do realize that if you do email marketing, you probably want to use two platforms like, so that you can drive traffic to one of them.

But yeah, you need to find out where they spend their time. But don’t try to do LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, all of the things. You will very quickly feel that you’re going to be burnt out.

So pick one, maybe two. If you’re picking email marketing, pick one platform and spend your time there.

Okay, then the next step. So now that you find out where they spent their time, I would pick one. Like I said, one or two of those places only and I would start connecting with the audience.

So again, why do I suggest picking one channel only? Because again, if you’re trying to be everywhere, it will just be overwhelming, but it’ll also dilute your message and it will dilute your focus.

So start reaching out to people and not in an annoying way like sliding into people’s DMS unannounced. And I don’t know, we all know what we’re talking about, right? Those ew, yucky messages.

But start putting yourself out there on one platform. So if it is Instagram, start putting yourself out there on Instagram, Start talking about your topic and not in a salesy way, start offering value.

Talk about, you know, your skills and what you know, sharing tips and things like that.

So yes, start putting yourself out there on a social media platform or if it is a podcast, a podcast or if it’s a blog, a blog. I always do recommend building an email marketing list as well.

So like I said, you might be focusing on two channels, but your social media presence or blog or podcast presence will support that list building. So, so focus on personal connection rather than one too many conversations.

So once you’ve picked your one channel, start focusing on making connections rather than speaking like you don’t want to broadcast and try to appeal to everyone. Again, you’re like speaking to your ideal client.

So start commenting on ideal clients posts. Like if you find people that you think are ideal clients, start commenting on them on their post. Not in a hey I can help you kind of way, but just like social.

Like I said, it’s a social media platform.

So yeah, don’t be spammy and don’t keep saying I, I can help you with blah blah blah. Be conversational, be helpful. Build relationships and if you get sales out of those relationships, it’s a bonus.

If you don’t, people will start to notice you. People will start to recommend you. Like if you get known for something.

So you really want to let people know what you do and how you can help them. But it shouldn’t be the first thing you connect with unless it is something that your audience is asking for.

Get known for something, get visible for something so that others will recommend you as well.

Another thing that I would do if I was starting out again, I would focus on income generation first. So always keep in mind why you are running a business and don’t forget that one of the reasons generally is to make an income.

Because a business that doesn’t make any money is not a business, it’s a hobby.

So while I suggest that you really don’t want to come off as spammy and you don’t want to come off as desperate, I do want you to make offers, I do want you to tell people what you do and I do want you to tell them how you help your audience because someone will be listening and you just never know where your message end up.

Once you are clear on who you want to work with, once you are clear on what your message is, people will start noticing. Like that clarity is kind of like gold.

People will listen, they will start to notice.

And really my business would not be where it is right now if I hadn’t spoken about what I do to so many people who are not even my ideal customers.

But they listened and they talked to others about my business.

Most of my work actually comes through referrals. Finally, yeah, I have a podcast and I have an email list and I have social media. But a lot of my done for you work comes from referrals.

So the power of word of mouth is so strong.

And really marketing doesn’t need to cost much. It is really just important to start with the right things and Having that right message, like being super clear about I work with and fill in the blank.

I help people and then you tell them what, what you do for them.

So really all you need essentially is an audience and an offer.

So once you’ve figured out who your audience is, what your message is, where your audience hangs out and how you can connect with them, it really, it rolls from there.

So start doing the work and then think about all the other parts later. Until you’re making an income, you’re actually not in business. So don’t focus on the busy work like a fancy website, a designer logo, business card or whatever card stock you want to use for your business card.

Start focusing on creating a business first. Start focusing on creating connections and being known for something and that way you can start working with people straight away. Others will start to notice what you do, they can refer you on and then you can think about some of the other fancy things.

And look, I do think that having a website is incredibly important and I definitely think email marketing is incredibly important.

But when you first start out and you start a business to make money, to generate an income, I wouldn’t worry about all those things. I would literally start making connections.

And this is what I did with my second business. So I run another business here in Tasmania that’s only for Tasmanian businesses.

I literally started going to networking events and stuck, like literally put my hand up. I went to a local networking event for businesses in our local area, like in our council and I saw someone speak on stage about a government supported mentoring program and I thought, how do I get involved in that?

I literally went up to them after, after the event and I said, how can I be a mentor? And yes, I was scared, but if you don’t reach out and if you don’t just stick your hand up for things, it’s not going to happen.

So now I am a mentor for that project, for that program here in Tasmania.

So if you are firstly, like if you’re first starting out and you’re starting a business to generate an income, start being visible, but not, I want to say not on social media.

I do think it’s important, but it’s not where your first clients are going to come from. So, you know, put your bra on, get dressed, go to some events, start speaking to people and that’s how you will get the ball rolling on getting clients.

Anyway, before I ramble on too much, I think we should wrap up there, get out there, market your business. Don’t necessarily rely on being behind your screen or behind your phone.

Yes, you can build a business from there as well, but definitely, definitely in the early stages.

Don’t discount personal face to face connections.

I think it is a quicker way to get business when you either get on the phone or get out there and actually face to face talk to people. I would love to hear what you think about this, so feel free to connect with me on Instagram and let me know what you think.

Otherwise, thank you so much for joining me on this first episode of the year. I’m very, very excited. I hope it was helpful and as always, I can’t wait to share more marketing tips with you next week.

So if you’re ready to take your business to the next level with Facebook and Instagram advertising, make sure you visit the new school of marketing.com to download practical free resources.

Plus subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode.

I absolutely can’t wait to go on this journey with you. It’s going to be another spectacular year and until next time, take care and market your business every day.