Let’s say you have a paltry marketing allotment for the year – $500.  You can’t attend a single out of town conference for that much.  Some organizations’ membership dues are more than $500.  What can you possibly do with $500?  Actually, a lot.  This is your $500 annual marketing budget. 

 Stationary      $75

 You’re going to purchase pre printed stationary that has your name, firm name and firm address across the top and on the top left corner of the envelopes.  For that amount, you’ll have enough stationary to write at least two handwritten letters to colleagues and contacts each week.  You’ll have enough to write 3 and even 4 handwritten letters a week, but let’s stick to two.  Every Tuesday and Thursday, you will select a name from your contacts, a possible referral source, and write them a pleasant, thoughtful note, thanking them for something, appreciating them in some way or congratulating them for something they recently did or accomplished.  You’re not going to ask for business.  You’re not going to include your business card.  You’re just going to write a pleasant, handwritten note.  The recipient will be grateful, will be appreciative and will think of you if they have a matter arise.  Let’s say you mail out 100 handwritten notes for the year, and you get only 2 or 3 cases.  That’s the best $75 you’ve spent.

 Coffee            $250

 Instead of lunch, or drinks or tickets to an event, you’re going to meet potential referral sources for coffee first thing in the morning.  You’re going to order a small black coffee and you’re going to offer to pay for your guest’s coffee, or latte, or tea, or whatever they want.  If you go to the same coffee shop throughout the year, you’ll earn perks and a few free coffees along the way.  You’ll meet with your contact for about 20 minutes, catch up, talk shop and you’ll accomplish effective marketing for $8 or less.  Try to schedule a coffee meeting at least every other week, and if possible once, a week.  On average, with you buying a small coffee and your guest likewise get a modest coffee, you’re going to average $6 or less per coffee meet, which is about 40 or so coffee meets for the year if you allot $250 for coffee for the year. 

 Special business card $75

 Business cards are so ubiquitous but you can use them in new and novel ways to your advantage.  You can write and give away your own e-books which you can write and design with one or more of the programs or platforms your firm already uses.  E-books don’t have to be long and they don’t have to give away all your expertise, but should have enough content so you’ll be giving something away of value.  On your business card, you’ll have a QR code or a link that takes the recipient of the card to the book, which they can read for free.  You reap what you sow in this world, and you get what you give, and the more you give the more you get.

 Holiday cards $100

 If you search online, you’ll find several websites and several outlets where you can buy holiday cards in bulk.  Not just Christmas cards, but Thanksgiving, Halloween, Birthday, etc.  Imagine getting a large box of generic birthday cards and sending personalized birthday cards to contacts (you can easily find anyone’s birthday these days on their social media pages).  Like the handwritten cards, signed birthday cards, with a little note, goes a long way to building relationships that lead to business.

 So there you have it.  A $500 marketing budget that will lead to referrals, matters and cases.