There are many ways in which you can spend your money when it comes to your marketing. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be looking at the various avenues open to the owner of the small business.

Online or traditional?

Probably a bit of both! The internet has played an enormous part in the way in which people have been able to find products and services, so get an online presence as soon as you can. This doesn’t mean you necessarily need to spend thousands, but people will find it strange if you have no web presence.

Websites

If you can’t afford to pay for a website you can always look at free methods of developing some kind of web presence. For example, join Facebook and set up a page or start a blog; these activities will cost you nothing and with some effort, can be made to look very professional. The most important factor is to create something that is relevant to your audience and that they find easy to use.

If you can afford a designer, do your homework! There are literally hundreds to choose from, so make sure you put together a detailed brief, outlining exactly what you want, look at some of their previous work and obtain a few quotes. Make sure they know something about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and ensure they make the site with a Content Management System (CMS) so you can update it yourself, which costs less than outsourcing this to somebody else.

  • Jo Spencer heads up the Lake District branch of GAP PR and Marketing Ltd with colleague Polly Winder. Together, they help local businesses decide on the right marketing strategy for them – www.gapgb.com