by Amy Taylor

Created on: January 29, 2009

What do marketing and fireworks have in common? They are both about getting the most bang for your buck. This is particularly important for small businesses in a slow economy. One of the biggest, but easiest, mistakes a business can make is to cut their marketing budget when sales are slow. One month sales drop off a little so you cut your marketing budget a little, the next month sales are even lower, so you cut your budget some more, eventually no one is walking through your door because they have all forgotten you exist. And by not marketing you are doing nothing to remind them.

It is quite possible to have a very successful marketing campaign on a limited budget as long as you remember one principle...the less money you spend the more work you have to do. So this plan will not be of the sit-back-and-wait-for-the-customers-to-beat-down-you r-doors variety but with a little elbow grease, some pounding of the pavement, beating of the bushes and any other hard work clich you can think of your marketing plan can help your business not only survive but thrive even in troubled financial times.

1. Increase the impact, not the expense. When it comes to mass media like radio and television advertising, most small businesses will do one of two thingsthey will ignore it completely thinking it is too expensive or they will sink their entire marketing budget into a limited number of spots and therefore get limited results. If you are considering a radio or television ad buy talk to your salesperson about a 10 or 15-second spot instead of the typical 30-seconds. You can squeeze a surprising amount of information into 10 seconds and you may even be able to place your ads during peak listening times like the local weather, traffic or sports segments. Another idea is to approach your local radio station about doing a few short spots during their broadcast of local sporting events or providing giveaways for their morning show contests or other special promotions.

2. Team up with other businesses. If there are other businesses in your area, say a downtown or a historic shopping district, see if you can work together to buy a print ad and split the cost. This can also be done with complimentary businesses such as a bridal shop, a florist and a catering company. You may also want to develop a system where you display each other's flyers and business cards in a prominent place in each of your respective businesses and act as referrals for one another.

3. Speaking of team, why not

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