6 ways to get more out of your digital marketing budget

If you’ve got to stick hard and fast to your digital marketing budget, your job is likely a challenge.

Chalk it up to declining profits, stagnant sales, or any one of a number of financial realities businesses face, but the fact remains that budgets aren’t always as big as we’d like them to be.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still excel and even exceed expectations — getting more than a full return on your investment.

If you’re looking to get more from your current digital marketing budget, you’re in the right place — and the best frame of mind to see some big changes.

In fact, you can learn how to make the most of your budget by checking out the following six tips.

How to get more from your digital marketing budget

(Read more...). Boost your social media presence

You probably already have a presence on Facebook and Twitter, and you may even be active on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Google Plus.

Whatever stage your social strategy is currently in, why not expand it? Check out some newer platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and even Mix.

Just make sure you have the bandwidth to keep up with new accounts — if you don’t, you’re simply wasting your time.

2. Track results

Use Google Analytics for free or check out HootSuite and keep a close eye on where your best traffic is coming from.

If you’re not constantly tracking and tweaking your strategy, you may end up spinning your wheels.

Focus your efforts on the platforms that give you the best bang for your buck, and cross low performers off the list.

Remember, even though Twitter may be working out well with your competitors, that does not guarantee it’s the best platform for your organization.

3. Improve content

One of the best ways to get more out of your digital marketing budget is to improve your content.

Make sure anything you post is factual, topical, and easy to understand.

In other words, always strive to create content that exceeds the expectations of your audience — quality over quantity is a good rule of thumb to follow when it comes to content creation.

4. Ramp-up content dissemination

Whenever you put up a new blog post, make sure it’s linked to your social media accounts, as well.

Several tools out there can automate this process for you — HubSpot and Hootsuite are two of the best.

Share your content wherever you have a digital presence and spread the word as much as possible.

Plus, using these automated services will free up a lot of your time scheduling and posting content, which will help you get more bang for your buck when it comes to saving time and money.

5. Drill down to identify your target market

Are you truly reaching your target market? If you’re unsure, send out surveys and conduct research to find out, and get yourself back on track if need be.

If your preferred market is on Snapchat, for example, start devoting more time and energy to that platform.

6. Take full advantage of videos and relevant images

According to MDG Advertising, posts with relevant images get 94% more views. And, “more than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube every day,” reports Buffer.

So, by posting high-quality eye candy in the form of photos and videos, you can draw in a much more significant crowd.

Final thoughts

Once higher-ups set your budget, accept it and work with what you have.

If you can increase your brand exposure with limited funds, you’re sure to come off as golden to your supervisors.

That’s a feather in your cap that’s going to be hard to argue with the next time performance reviews come around.

What other ways can you think of to get more out of a digital marketing budget?

Brian Stokes is a digital marketing executive with over 20 years of related experience. He consults and writes for dozens of marketing firms and websites. He lives in New York.