Design On A Dime

~NOTE~ If you're reading this hoping to find out what you can do to your website to give it the high dollar look, please read my previous post entitled "The Web Real Estate" and also "Less Is More...or wait..."

Is it possible to have a fully functioning website on a tight budget? Maybe, the better question would be is it possible to have a marketing plan that can be implemented on a tight budget as well? The answer, of course, is yes. You're saying, I want in...how can I do this?

There are different options you can try when looking for a way to market without spending big money. My first suggestion would be to tap into resources you may already have. Do you have a current employee who knows how to build a website? If not, do you have an employee with a passion for marketing design who would be willing to learn web work and graphic arts? Working solo? Do you have any friends or good acquaintances who does this line of work? Maybe, you have a passion for learning to do this stuff.

If the resources just are not there, shop around for a good company to help you out. Is there anyone local that can? If not, Blu Avenu would love to help and I'm confident we could. BUT, this post is NOT about me trying to get business. So, shop around. My opinion has always been that it's best to find a company that you can form a continuing relationship with. In effect, they become your employee. In other words, quick fixes aren't the answer. An example of a quick fix would be someone who builds you a website and gets it semi completed (or maybe even totally completed...for now) and then leaves you to find someone who can maintain it, or do it yourself. It's best if you find someone who will invest time into your company as well as you; someone who will grow to understand your needs as well as understanding the necessity for keeping current with the market.

Sounds like a lot of money, I know, but it doesn't have to be as much as you think. If you've just starting reading my blog, and you're looking to do the design stuff yourself, please see some of my previous posts...specifically, "The Web Real Estate" and also "Less Is More...or wait..." as well as "NEVER HIDE". All of my other previous posts have some tight budget tips also.

NEVER HIDE

I'm a huge, huge fan of advertising campaigns. My all-time favorite to date is Ray-Ban's "Never Hide" campaign. You can't flip through a Rolling Stone magazine without seeing a full-page "Never Hide" ad. In fact, I had purchased 3 different wayfarers (RB2140). I chose the style I did because of the image in the ad. 

Ray-Ban's "Never Hide" ad 

So, what kind of campaign can I come up with for my company? Campaigns can be just about anything you want them to be. Maybe it's as simple as a free car wash to advertise your dealership. Maybe it's a fundraiser drive with a unique slogan. Or, maybe it's an interactive web drive where people post images of themselves wearing your product. Whatever it is, it will get your name out! If you are proud of your company and your product, then "never hide." Get your name and your product out in front of people and keep it out in front of people. Having a website, a Facebook page, a Twitter page, and a LinkedIn account can only get you so far. It's kind of like the old days when these tools were just coming on the scene. Everyone was saying, it's not enough to just have your store. You need those other things to compete. Now that you have them.....so what, now what? They've become extended storefronts. They're useful, don't get me wrong, but they aren't enough. 

Posters and slogans and billboards...oh my. And you're thinking, $$$. But campaigns don't have to be that. One of my clients took part in a campaign a couple of years ago that people in their demographic still talk about to this day! All they did was go out into the community and helped clean it up a little bit. Their slogan was Don't Go To Church, Be the Church. They actually went out on a Sunday morning, instead of having church service, and did work in the community with the idea in mind that we preach it every week, now it's time we do it! Their budget was small, but the campaign made an impact. It got their name out there.

So, whatever it is you do, do it to for the sake of growing your company. Tailor it to fit your company's personality and remember..............never hide!