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You are here: Home / Archives for budgeting

How to Undercut Google’s Pay-to-Play Model and Advertise on a Budget

Last Updated: October 26, 2020

It’s genuinely depressing to think about the totality of words we’ve wasted whining about Google’s pay-to-play model.

Not because we regret the time spent educating our readers, but because we wish this weren’t the reality of digital marketing in 2020. Especially during a crippling pandemic.

And we know this situation is just as depressing for all of the small, local service providers out there who feel like they don’t have a fighting chance.

But we’re done with despair. It won’t do anything to combat Google’s nefarious greed.

That’s why, today, we’re showing all you small business owners how to fight back.

In this blog post, we’ve compiled some of our best tips to market yourself online without handing all of your hard-earned money to Google’s coffers.

READ MORE: How Google’s Greed Is Slashing Your Website Traffic

Use Social Media Ads

Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Yelp, or Twitter, your audience’s favorite social platform is the perfect place to advertise your business.

In fact, designing a quick ad and paying for clicks or impressions on one of these platforms will be much cheaper and potentially more cost-effective than Google Ads in terms of ROI. Just a small investment in time and money could pay off big.

After all, the endless social media scroll is how most people are exercising their thumbs these days. Might as well take advantage of it!

Use Word of Mouth

We know, we know: Nobody likes talking in person anymore!

Thing is, that’s not entirely true. Sure, people consistently prefer texting over calling on the phone, but that doesn’t mean everything takes place virtually. People talk!

Especially people who are close friends and family. In casual conversation, they’re likely to recommend contractors and service providers whom they had a good experience with. So, there’s no harm in giving your customers a little nudge to spread the word!

However, there is such a thing as virtual word-of-mouth, too. For example, you can use platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and NextDoor to join local groups, stay up to date on community events, and even network with other small business owners.

There are so many ways to get your name out there organically. Think outside the box!

Use Offline Materials

This might sound odd coming from a digital marketing team in 2020, but we’re big proponents of including offline materials in your overall marketing strategy. Such materials include:

  • Flyers
  • Brochures
  • Business cards
  • Direct mail
  • Branded calendars, pens, coasters, tote bags, etc.

With memorable marketing materials, unique branding (including logos and signage), personal referrals, and face-to-face networking in your community, you can supplement your online efforts and really stamp out a place for your business on the local scene.

Keep Fighting!

It’s easy to feel discouraged when you realize how much the Google game is rigged–but, frankly, that’s not productive. Instead, stay in the ring and keep swinging. There are so many other avenues you can take to market yourself that don’t involve draining your bank account straight into Google’s gullet.

And if you need any assistance with creating a Facebook ad or designing a business logo, don’t hesitate to contact us! There’s nothing Prospect Genius loves more than helping small businesses stick it to the big guy.

How to Keep the Holidays From Ruining Your Online Marketing

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

It’s no secret that most of us stretch our budgets a little thin over the holiday season. With parties to host and gifts to buy, money disappears quickly. And for many small business owners, the slightly blurred line between personal and business finances means the holidays can impact some of your company’s operations—like online marketing.
If you’re feeling the squeeze of the holidays on your small business’s budget, it’s fine to tighten your belt—but don’t let it affect your online marketing. Canceling your marketing campaign temporarily or skipping a payment may reduce your expenses in the short term, but did you know there can be seriously negative consequences? The fallout will outlast the holiday season and your savings may turn into losses.
How can that be? Keep reading to find out.

Canceling Your Campaign Sets You Back for Months

Canceling an SEO-based campaign, even just for a month, can jeopardize your future profits. To explain how, we’ll use the way Prospect Genius works as an example.
When a client cancels their campaign with us, it’s our policy to immediately take down their website, pull down their listings, and halt all lead generation services. (Most advertisers have a similar cancellation policy.) Your business will stop receiving traffic and leads right away. So canceling your campaign for the holidays will likely cause you to stop getting new customers for at least a month, or however long it takes for you to restart your campaign.
There’s more. Now, whenever you decide to restart your online marketing, you’ll have to wait another few months for your web presence to ramp up again. Why? Because SEO is not something you can drop and pick up where you left off. As soon as you stop SEO, everything goes back to zero.
As Prospect Genius clients may recall, there’s typically a 90-day buildup period after you start a new campaign. This ramp-up window is unavoidable, regardless of how many times you’ve started and stopped your online marketing. So after all is said and done, you lose several months of business even though you only canceled for one month.

Skipping a Payment Is Hard to Bounce Back From

Another thing that some business owners do is let their marketing payments slide for a month. They think it’s the harmless alternative to canceling entirely. While it’s true that making a late payment is better than canceling, it’s far from harmless. For example, when you miss a payment with Prospect Genius, your account is partially disabled until payment is received, causing a dramatic decrease in leads received.
But the real kicker comes later: After delaying one payment, most business owners find it difficult to get back on track with their monthly billing cycle. This is because they now only have a couple of weeks, instead of a full month, to save up for the next payment. Often, this begins an unfortunate pattern of falling behind that’s difficult to stop.

What Can You Do?

We aren’t trying to scare you. We understand there are peaks and valleys in every fiscal year and that the holidays can be especially trying. If money is tight, here are some things you can do that won’t hurt you in the long run:

  • If you’re doing AdWords or any other PPC campaign, pause it. While you can’t turn SEO off and on again easily, PPC can be started and stopped with ease.
  • Budget wisely. Plan out all of your income and expenses for the month to see how much money you’ll realistically have for gifts, decorations, food, and, yes, marketing costs.
  • Pay in advance. If you think there’s a chance you’ll overspend on holiday goods and not have enough money at the end of the month to pay your bill, be safe and pay your bill ahead of time—before your money runs out.

Remember: You’ve invested a lot in your online marketing. Don’t let your web presence come crashing down by canceling your campaign or not paying your bills. You might save a monthly payment, but it will cost you much more down the road.
Questions or concerns? Please don’t hesitate to reach out for help.

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