What Will 10k Buy Today?
With the upcoming new year looming right around the corner, savvy small business owners and entrepreneurs are starting to plan for 2013 with marketing and advertising related goals leading the pack. One of the most common questions is how much bang can you get for your money? As a social media management firm we work with business entities of all sizes so we are in a good position to answer that question. Why 10k? No particular reason other than the fact that it’s a sizable chunk of change able to make a big difference if used properly but still small enough to be within the realm of reasonable. What would you do with 10k and how would it measure up in terms of outcome? That is the topic for today’s article. Keep reading to discover how far 10k can take your business…or how fast it can go right out the window if not properly planned and implemented!
What Would You Do With 10k?
It’s a simple enough question but do you have a good answer…and more importantly…would it actually work out as planned? Perhaps you are a new start-up with a pre-defined budget for marketing and advertising with the need to make a big splash. Maybe you are an existing establishment with a bit of spare funds available to help launch your next major initiative. Whatever the situation, 10k is either enough to launch a great campaign or put a major hurting on the bottom line…contingent upon outcome. Unfortunately, if you are like the majority of small business owners, knowing how and where to put that money to best use isn’t as simple as it may sound. Opinion alone doesn’t suffice; especially when it comes to plunking down hard earned money on a marketing campaign. No, what is really needed is hard facts and reliable statistics. Of course, that is exactly what we provide!
Options & Alternatives
Now, as a social media management firm, you might think that the only thing we would recommend is social media but you would be wrong. You see, social media is one portion of a full range of advertising, marketing and relationship related tools that should be used in a cohesive and properly planned manner. That leaves a lot of other options and alternatives to sort through so without further ado…
Pay for Professional Bloggers, Reviews and Testimonials – This option is as good as the blogger. If the blogger has a large, high quality following that is of direct interest to your own clientele then it may generate a lot of interest. On the other hand, the number of subscribers and active participants varies from blogger to blogger, time of the day, topic and so forth. Determining the exact value can be tricky without a strong understanding of how to maximize the entire effort in cohesion with social media efforts. In general, this option is typically more successful for established enterprises seeking very specific outcomes with a known audience.
Custom Content Creation – One of the strongest possible options for long-term viability. Custom content creation has the advantage of cultivating a long term asset able to help the business for years to come – assuming you have the right content creator. Evergreen content is the type of information that remains viable for years. Once posted, evergreen content actually becomes an asset able to be repurposed for social media usage, enhance SEO and of course, communicate with clients. However, content creation must be done wisely or can rapidly drain a bank account with few real results.
YouTube Video’s – YouTube video’s are easily overlooked in the realm of social media but that is often a major oversight because video’s are one of the fastest growing…and most widely accepted…forms of social media marketing. Of course, there is a caveat; video’s must be done right to get maximum impact and the idea of ‘right’ doesn’t have a one-sized fits all approach. Instead, what is right for one business may be entirely wrong for another. For example, short sassy video segments might be just the ticket for one local vendor while another may benefit from extended instructional sessions instead. Unsure how to integrate video into your social media marketing efforts? Take time to speak with your social media manager to learn more.
SEO – Initially 10k might sound like a lot to spend on SEO but it all depends upon the industry. Some areas are so highly competitive that 10k will barely put your business on the first page much less take that all important top 3 distinction. On the other hand, by using Google+ local social search in combination with a highly targeted social media marketing campaign, it’s often possible to bypass many of the more expensive SEO options while still getting top billing for only a fraction of the cost. Not sure how to get started? Ask about our Google+ local social search…we think you will be excited by the results and opportunities!
Automation & Outsourcing – Last but not least, 10k is a great way to invest in automation and outsourcing of social media marketing. Not only does it provide potential tax advantages but the increased productivity, decreased long term staffing solutions and other enhancements allow business owners and entrepreneurs to focus on the core of their business in order to maximize profits and minimize other expenditures.
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