By Erika Turan, APR, Senior Account Executive

Marketing budgets are among the first to be trimmed when organizations need to tighten their belts. Then there are companies whose marketing budgets are tight no matter what, sometimes due to the nature of their finances, like non-profits or small businesses, sometimes because leadership or finance doesn’t yet see the value of allocating for marketing.

Whether your annual budget is $10,000 or $1 million, there’s a simple way to help you work more efficiently, stretch your dollars and keep your message tight: re-purpose your tactics.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Event Promotion Visuals. You’re having an event. Maybe it’s an informational seminar. Maybe it’s an interactive workshop. Whatever it is, create a simple, eye-catching graphic that tells people what it is, when, and why they should attend. Don’t clutter it up with location, time or other details; your audience can find those on the webpage you direct them to. Instead, focus on captivating their attention with the benefits of attending.

Then, use that graphic for a multitude of purposes: make it poster-sized for display in key locations. Make it a thumbnail for use on all your social media channels, in e-blasts, and on display monitors. Turn it into a flyer to leave on doorsteps or hand out at customer-interaction points. That graphic might cost $200 to develop, but has the potential to reach thousands.

2. New Product Content. You have a new product or service. Maybe it’s a great home gadget, or an item with the potential for strong on-line sales. Start by writing a blog about whatever it is. Explain the benefits, the problems it solves, the needs it fills. Include details like size, where to purchase, any special facts about how it’s made and so forth.

Now publish the blog on your website, and on LinkedIn. Pull facts and phrases from it for use in social media. Perhaps create a simple landing page using information from the blog. Re-purpose the blog into talking points for your sales efforts. Send an eblast, and direct recipients to the blog for more information.

Whenever possible, tie your tactic to some measurements: social media engagement; event registrations; website traffic etc. Use that data to seek increases in your marketing budget. Win win!