The Marketing Budget Nightmare
Budgeting for marketing, business development, and sales is a dilemma for start-ups, and small businesses, cash poor, and idea-rich Marketing is essential to your success. From SEO that gets your site seen to blogs and thought leadership articles, you need to budget time or money to outsource your marketing.
"A website without SEO is like a billboard on a deserted dirt road." - Cheri Lucking
Marketing Opportunities - Content and Materials
From Marketing, Business Development (BD) to Sales, nothing will happen if you do not schedule the time and allocate a budget. Do not skimp; it is your lifeblood and will generate income.
Identify Your Marketing
- Identify FREE opportunities and take them.
Opportunities.
- Lunch and learns: Many professional firms have a continuing education component that is supported if you qualify. The issue is, FREE lunches can get expensive, they are time-consuming, and the decision-makers are often not in the room.
- The Better Business Bureau we see more and more small firms moving away from this bastion of Business. The issue false reviews, favored categories, and the BBB does not carry the power of Angie's list or Dave Logan
- Online Lists: Wow! Everyone has a list there are lists of architects to lawyers if you don't use social media and can't be bothered to create your niche these are for you.
- Magazines and local News media: Think about submitting articles, you will be asked to take out an add these can range in cost from $1,200 t0 $5,000.
- Do not advertise in a Magazine List of the best "Dentists Magazine." That is promoting to your competition. It is only used by the dentist's offices and sits in the lobby! The goal, advertise to your target market.
- Identify Where your Target Audience Gathers
- Become a Keynote Speaker: Proposals identify when, where, and who will attend and submit the proposals in time to be included.
- Identify Keynote Speaking Opportunities, the proposal due dates, and conference locations. Chose conferences where you are already in the market, then branch out
- Research Guest Post Opportunities and Make Contact
- Become a Keynote Speaker: Proposals identify when, where, and who will attend and submit the proposals in time to be included.
Content Asset Creation and Budgeting
Yes, you can write a blog (500 words or more), create some unique images and SEO it. But is it worth your time? Is your time more valuable?
If you value your time at say $175, and it takes you 4 hours to write a blog, and create a "licensed image" then upload it and SEO, describe it with alt text, etc., it that is $700 if you blog twice per month that becomes $1,400, now blog it out across social media. Update all the website plugins, and you can afford a monthly content marketing plan. Our Silver Plan starts at $1,100.
Why not pay someone else to ghostwrite it for you? What are the costs of asset creation, and how might a content creator help you with your start-up or small business.
- Content Asset Creation. Someone must write the copy and content. Do you have the time or should you outsource it, should you use a ghostwriter or expert niche writer and editorial services? Decide on your Content Assets then develop a plan for delivery - In-house or outsourced:
- Marketing Overview. You should now be ready to create your yearly and quarterly content marketing schedule and outlining your distribution, timing, and mix. Don’t overstretch your team. Consider a Partner.
Check out our Monthly Content Marketing Plans
⬇ Scroll Down ⬇ They are Very cost-effective
- Sales Materials Branding and Messaging. You should take a cursory look at your sales materials, from cut sheets to team organization charts, to check that your messaging follows your marketing goals. Also, identify pieces that would help in the creation of your Content Assets.
Budget
Setting a realistic budget that matches your marketing goals, promotion strategy, marketing content, and materials assets creation costs is key to success.
What Should Your Firm Budget? Ballpark Numbers
Website Monthly Content Marketing Plans:
We recommend that you choose a plan as it will save you substantial dollars in the future. You will get a discount for a yearly contract.
- Small Practice $1,100
- Medium Practice $2,200 (recommended for growth) this has all the bells and whistles most firms need, from white papers to SEO, and LinkedIn
- Large Practice $4,800 up. Three (3) partners or company thought leaders, etc.
If you can create your content in-house great, but a couple of thousand dollars will not get you a qualified niche writer.
MONTHLY CONTENT MARKETING PLANS
Silver
$ 1,100 per month
- Target Market Research
- Targeted SEO Blog Post 1/Mo
- LinkedIn Professional Building 1 Person
- LinkedIn Group ▪ Targeted White Paper ▪ Thought Leadership▪ Webinar/Placement
- Monthly Marketing ▪ IT Media Strategy Meeting
Gold
$ 2,200 per month
- Target Market Research
- Targeted SEO Blog Post 1/Mo
- LinkedIn Professional Building 3 People
- LinkedIn Group ▪ Targeted White Paper or Thought Leadership Webinar/Placement
- Monthly Marketing ▪ IT Media Strategy Meeting
- Thought Leadership Article 1/Qtr
- White Papers Based on Your Research 1/Qtr
- Webinars/Presentation 1/Qtr
- Coaching - W/P 3 Hours
- Funnel Email Series ▪ Hot Off the Press ▪ In Case You Missed It
- Quarterly Master Messaging Roadmap
- Press Release
Platinum
$ 4,800 per month
- Target Market Research
- Targeted SEO Blog Post 2/Mo
- LinkedIn Professional Building 3 People
- LinkedIn Group ▪ Targeted White Paper or Thought Leadership Webinar/Placement
- Monthly Marketing ▪ IT Media Strategy Meeting
- Thought Leadership Article 1/Qtr
- White Papers Based on Your Research 1/Qtr
- Webinars/Presentation 3/Qtr
- Coaching - W/P 6 Hours
- Funnel Email Series ▪ Hot Off the Press ▪ In Case You Missed It
- Quarterly Master Messaging Roadmap
- Press Release
- Targeted Keynote Presentations with Coaching
- Thought leadership Coaching 8 Hours

WEBSITE DESIGN ▫ IMAGES ▫ GRAPHICS ▫ INFOGRAPHICS
Call for a FREE Website Consultation & Evaluation! 303-362-0498
Conference Submittals and Attendance
Remember, you should be speaking to your target clients, gathered in one room!
- Submittals as a speaker Fees $500 - $3000
- Conference Registration $1500 - $2500
- Conference Hotel Room Rates $250 – $350 + tax
- Travel and expenses
We budget five thousand per person as a working number, including travel and expenses.
Website Refresh - $250 to $500 per page
New Website / New Content - $500 - $1000 per page fully SEO’d etc.
Does Your Marketing Director Have the Time to Do This in Addition to Their Normal Packed Workload?
Hire them a Specialized Professional to Help and Guide
Actionable Time – Staffing and Workflow
Now make sure you have followed the SMART Content Marketing Goals and schedule the hours for each task.
Metrics to Measure your marketing Plans Success
We recommend reviewing your yearly and quarterly master messaging roadmap monthly with weekly targets. Adjust for trends.
It is essentialnt to have metrics to track and measure success. We’ll go into this with another article that will follow.
Executive summary
When you know the outline of all your pieces, you can create an executive summary that combines all the pieces with a marketing budget.
A well thought out marketing plan serves as a resource to get your content marketing started. Always test each piece to see the results and adjust your strategy for maximum success.
If You Need Help Give us a call Now 303-362-0498
Need help Orchestrating Your Marketing Planning Meeting?
Give us a call Now 303-362-0498
Cheri Lucking and Peter Lucking Co-CEO's
We have a passion for Communicating in Words, Images, and Actions.
We put your Brand Strategy and success first. Our team offers a comprehensive selection of marketing services for Small Business', Consultants, Start-ups, and Professional Practices.
Services
- Website Design – Websites that Generate Leads 24/7/365
- Premium Content
- Images ▪Graphics ▪Infographics
- Coaching
- Refresh Your Brand
- Editorial Services
- Thought Leadership
- Design + Construction Industry experts
- Consulting
Content Branding Solutions, Denver, Colorado – Consulting Refresh Your Brand SEO
World-class websites ▪ Digital marketing for the Small Businesses, Consultants, Start-ups, and Professional Practice's