This month it is all about your BUDGET! Whether or not you just ended your fiscal year or you are approaching the end of the calendar year; it is the time to be thinking about your marketing dollars for the future.

I am consistently hearing that the majority of my clients are seeing an increase in their business. Many are feeling the effects of properly marketing to their clients on a regular basis. Many are seeing the results of advertising to gain new clients.

A special thanks to T. Wright with Wright Marketing Works for sharing her opinion on how to begin a marketing budget.
As with any strategies for a successful end result, marketing efforts can only achieve the goals set by researching, planning and implementing to the planned schedule. A well-planned budget for each phase will enable you to market your company and maintain flexibility for changes in the marketplace.

• Research where your customers come from or how they find you.
• Determine the avenue of how you receive those inquiries
• Research advertising in that venue.  
• Now, narrow down to the top 3 methods and you have WHERE to advertise and market and the INVESTMENT it will take for that advertising. 
• Request a media calendar from your selected top 3 methods of advertising and marketing.
• Review to understand if and when they have scheduled focus issues for your industry.  
• Create your own company schedule for the upcoming year and pinpoint any significant events that will occur.  

• Anniversary of the company?
• Product launches?
• Attendance at a trade show?  
• Specialty pricing you will offer?  
• New product lines or products you will carry?  
• Movement of company to new facility or improvements where you are?  
• Anything that you know will be coming up in the next year that you can count on happening.  
• Using the media calendar start filling in your significant dates and then plan your advertising.
• Repetitive marketing efforts work the best so go for the month prior, during and after your event.

The hardest part is attaching dollar figures to your plan, but make sure you invest in a comprehensive campaign -- start with 3% of your annual sales and then break down to a monthly figure. Build that into your company expenditure budget as you would your electric bill, phone bill or internet access. You do not see a physical product from these expenses, but you know they are essential to your business. Advertising and Marketing is essential to your business and is the only one of the 3 that can GROW your business for you.

Distribute the monthly advertising budget among your choices for the best investment and utilize your media calendar for when to advertise. Maintain a consistent image for almost each advertisement, but utilize the significant event in that advertisement. This would give your advertisement fresh news but with a consistent impression. 

~T. Wright, Wright Marketing Works