Marketing budgets are smaller than ever these days, and shrinking budgets allocated to marketing for any particular Christian product or service continues to be one of the biggest hurdles marketers face. The best thing marketers can do is plan their marketing mix well in advance of product launch and develop relationships with core advertising partners like FrontGate so they have trustworthy reps who can help them increase the value of what their budgets can achieve.

Here are a few helpful hints when finalizing your marketing plan to ensure your budget gets stretched to the max:

• Match Your Product to the Right Audience. This is perhaps the single most important tip in this entire article. If your Christian film, book, album or other product or service doesn’t match the audience, you will not see good results. This may seem like common sense, yet so many marketers shoot themselves in the foot before they even begin their campaigns by incorrectly matching products with target audiences. The very first thing our Engagement Specialists do when planning a marketing campaign with one of our FrontGate clients is to research the audiences who would most likely purchase that product or service. Finding the groups that best reflect the ideas, opinions and benefits showcased in your product or service is critical. Be sure to match the needs of a specific audience to the features of the product or service you are providing.

• Stay Within Budget. Just because you don’t have a lot to work with doesn’t mean you have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Commit to staying firmly within the confines of your budget. That’s where your relationships with advertisers, like FrontGate, come in. Ask your advertiser for help. Ask them what they can do even on a limited budget, and be sure to always ask about value-adds. Don’t spend more budget just to meet some minimum buy amount.  Instead find the outlets that best match your target audience and which will provide the best value.  Minimum buys tend to only benefit the outlet.  Most advertisers, especially ones that you work with on a regular basis, will be willing to throw in some text links, social media or additional impressions to help you garner the best results possible. Many media outlets will be willing to partner with you if you’re upfront about your limited budget. If you are realistic on the front-end about what you can and cannot spend, you’ll save time and effort in the long-run by setting up and executing the right budget from the start.

• Hand-pick Options. When dealing with a limited budget, sometimes the best thing you can do is choose one or two specific things that will make a quality impact over the few expensive things that reach a larger audience. When money is tight, it’s best to narrow your focus. FrontGate  is adept at providing a broad overview of everything our audiences offer while giving marketers the opportunity to pick and choose the items that best suit their product needs and their budget. Ask your Engagement Specialist what’s proven effective in the past, what the average results have been for similar campaigns, and what they would recommend. Remember, they know their media outlets better than anyone, and you know your product or service better than anyone. Combine your expertise together to create a campaign that’s creative, savvy and cost effective.

• Look for Remnants. If you can afford the time to facilitate last-minute buys, remnants can be a great way to make your budget stretch. Normally, the last week of the month is the best time to hit up your advertising partners for any remnants that might still be available. The last-minute nature of remnants also means you, as the marketer, have to be ready to quickly and effectively execute your campaign. That means you need to have someone ready to sign the insertion order paperwork, and that you need to immediately have your website live with your creative completed and ready for delivery. Keep in mind that these last-minute buys also mean inventory is slim. When playing the remnant game, you don’t always have first pick at timing, placement and impressions. However, remnants can prove extremely effective for leftover budget dollars or if you are wanting to try a new and unique audience. You might just be surprised at how far a small budget spend on a remnant can take you.

FrontGate Media’s slogan continues to be “We Deliver Audience.” We mean what we say, and we want to help you find the right marketing mix for your product or service. We will strive to work within your budget to help you reach the right audience and get the most bang for your buck. Click here to contact us.