By Dina Giolitto
Like any budget-conscious business owner, you may feel uneasy about spending money on marketing. A few hundred here for website tweaks, a few hundred there for articles... it doesn't take much to swing the other way, from marketing optimist to doubtful, stingy, money-hoarding pessimist... does it!
Scrimping on the marketing, cutting back on the copywriting. Failing to keep pushing your name out there. Losing the customer advantage that steady search engine marketing brings.
This is what happens when you let your Inner Marketing Miser and Copywriting Curmudgeon get the best of you.
You needed complimentary advice and the copywriter came through? Great!
A friendly designer took the time to plug you on his blog, for fr^ee? Awesome!
It feels so good to know that we have online consultants rooting for us, helping us extend our marketing reach, offering support and guidance when we need it.
But as soon as we start talking bank, the friend boundaries grow blurry and we falter.
Fees and rates, negotiating project pricing... ah, the dirty words that lend a squirmy feeling of discomfort to your otherwise pleasant professional relationships.
What's a fair rate for the work that you need?
Even if you really love one copywriter's samples, should you turn them down in favor of another one who's maybe a little less impressive, but can offer you a great deal?
Seems to me, the real culprit that stands in the way of us getting our needs met, and not spending an arm and leg to achieve that, is FEAR.
People have a FEAR of asking for what they desire and deserve. And all that fear results in is NEVER GETTING what we could have, if we'd only spoken up.
For me, and the clients whom I trust, compromise works to overcome this fear, further cement our bond, and bring us closer to our respective goals while saving money in the long run.
And in most cases, budgeting your marketing requires having a long-term vision about your business goals.
Before you negotiate with your preferred copywriter or marketing expert, remember this:
Your money is their time. They set their rates keeping the time in mind that they will spend thinking and communicating on your behalf.
And also remember:
Their time is your money. So if circumstances make it difficult for them to carry out your request, that takes up more time, and there goes your money.
(I realize I just digressed, but it was worth pointing out anyway.)
Let's say that you work with a copywriter who charges $200 to write a press release. (Notice I didn't say "submit" a press release - that takes hours more research, time, and therefore, money).
You feel inspired and want to "put it out there." So you pay the $200. The writer delivers your goods, you send out the PR, and then sit back and wait for the action to happen.
Not a lot happens. Maybe you get a few nibbles and a flurry of hits. And then when the press release peters out, you're back to where you started, or so it seems.
And now you're thinking, what next? An article? A blog? I don't know what to do... but I do know that this marketing stuff is costing me money, and that hurts!
The problem here, is that there is no long-term vision. Marketing won't work if you do it once or twice. Marketing works when people keep on seeing your company name, news and advice popping up everywhere. That's the real foundation on which Big Brands are built.
And that's why if you DO have a copywriter or marketing pro whom you trust, it really does pay to just sit down and have an open discussion about your long-term goals.
What would you like to accomplish in a year? How much money are you comfortable spending on marketing, per month?
How much effort will it take to extend your scope of influence and develop mass awareness of your brand?
And finally... if you're talking about an ongoing relationship with one marketer, can you reach a compromise, in terms of hours and rates? Because, like any trust-based relationship... if you can't compromise, it's simply not going to work.
How long will it take, each month, to write and submit articles, press releases, manage a blog, publish an ezine, send out brochures, or do the things you know you need to increase exposure?
Is it true that if one copywriter keeps working on your material on a steady basis, it will take LESS time to draft new marketing pieces, than it would for someone who's doing it out of the blue?
(Yes, that IS true).
So: how much compromise is it worth to both you and your chosen copywriter and/or marketer, to establish an ongoing relationship where you entrust your monthly marketing needs to them, and they in turn help push your brand out there and bring you more customers?
If you propose to a copywriter that you'd like them to come down on their fees, in exchange for consistent work on a monthly basis, I guarantee that they will be open to such an arrangement.
(Because that's the thing that every freelance copywriter wants: steady work).
And then you could be looking at a considerable reduction in your marketing expenses, that you would NEVER have enjoyed had you just kept doing the "sporatic and impulsive" type of marketing that "feels" like you're spending less, but really you're spending MORE.
Commitment and compromise is what it all boils down to. And when you enjoy working with somebody, and you admire their talent, and you can feel that they are happy to communicate on your behalf, and you know they appreciate the work you do? Well, those are the best reasons of all to Have No Fear about asking for what you want in terms of regular advertising and then getting it.
So: do I have to come over there and wrestle a long-term marketing plan out of you? I've got copy and you've got product... time's a wastin'.
Copyright 2006 Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing. All rights reserved.
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