Whether you’re part of a large company tightening its belt, or a small startup trying to stand out, your team has probably run up against the limits of a tight marketing budget.

Here’s how to get the most from your marketing strategy without spending a lot more.

1. Focus on return on investment (ROI)

If you trim your marketing, don’t automatically axe the most expensive tactic. Instead, consider the results you’re getting.

If you have an expensive marketing technique that still has a high ROI, don’t cut it. Instead, reduce or eliminate efforts that may have poor results, even if they’re low-cost. This can free up your time and other resources to make your budget go further.

2. Use email marketing

In terms of ROI, email marketing remains one of the best tactics: 4400% ROI and $44 for every $1 spent.

With email, you not only get more results for low cost, but valuable data, as well. Email marketing solutions can let you know which messages were opened, which links were clicked, and by which recipients. Plus, even if email campaigns don’t directly lead to a sale, they can still leave an impression and increase brand recognition.

(Don’t have an email list? Start building one–set up a way to capture emails at a point of purchase or by offering free downloads.)

3. Use social media wisely

Social media can help get your company and its message across for little or no cost, but the growing number of social-media options can be overwhelming.

When opening a social-media account, less is usually more. The difficulty of maintaining multiple accounts often leaves some of them abandoned or dormant. Abandoned profiles can damage your company’s online presence in the long run.

Instead, choose one or two social-media platforms appropriate for your target audience. If your company is highly visual, such as architecture or design, then consider Instagram or Pinterest. If you market to high-level professionals, make sure you use LinkedIn.

Give your chosen platform your full attention with regular, high-quality content. Be sure to mix organic content with paid posts for the best traffic and exposure.

4. Leverage reviews and testimonials

While we’re throwing around cliches, how about the old saying, “Talk is cheap”? This certainly applies to the use of reviews and testimonials in your marketing.

A survey by PatientPop shows that nearly 70% of respondents consider a positive online reputation to be very or extremely important in a healthcare provider. When customers leave positive reviews through Yelp, Facebook, Google, or a form on your own website, they do a large portion of the marketing for you, and at little or no cost to you.

Encourage clients and customers to leave reviews, whether directly on your website or a registered page, such as Yelp or Google. You might occasionally request a testimonial to share on your site or social-media page.

Even a negative comment is a marketing opportunity. Answer negative reviews with a courteous, timely response, and provide a way for the reviewer to contact the company to resolve the issue. By being proactive in responding to negative comments, you can demonstrate dedication and integrity, and possibly win over some former critics.

5. Demonstrate expertise

Clients need to trust a company’s expertise before spending money on them, especially a smaller or newer company. Start getting credit for your expertise by offering free content that provides value to users.

Some examples include maintaining a company blog with quality content that offers valuable information about your industry. You (or a ghostwriter) can also write guest articles or blog posts for other outlets, including popular blogs or national magazines.

Non-written options to help your experts and company stand out include hosting Q&As online, contributing to a podcast, and involvement in community or industry events.

Stretch your marketing budget further

When your marketing team is strapped for time and resources, an outside writer can help you produce quality content and meet tight deadlines without the time and expense of hiring another staff member.

I help healthcare organizations and medical professionals produce marketing content and sales copy to help them communicate with their audiences and share information more effectively. Visit emjwriter.com to learn more about what I can do for you.