Drama #1: No Marketing Budget

Welcome to the Marketing Money Spender Club! (Leo is the president. JK!)

About 16 years back, when I kicked off my career in marketing and advertising, I thought it was all sunshine and rainbows, where creativity was the ultimate game-changer, and the pinnacle achievement was snagging a spot at Cannes Lions, or maybe just getting a nod on some traditional media to shout, "Hey mom, look, I'm on TV!"… Awww, poor lil' thing I was... When I started as a junior copywriter around 2008, my only job was to churn out ideas that were "out of the box," "kick-ass," "unforgettable," and all that jazz. And that was the goal. But hey, as time passed, I realized pretty thoughts alone ain't gonna cut it if you can't hustle to make 'em happen! Surprise, surprise! Farewell, rookie bliss.

As life unfolded, and I leaped from the creativity realm in agencies to a more strategic view as Marketing Manager at Chuck E. Cheese's (psst! not just munching pizza and gaming all day here), I found myself drowning in Excel sheets flooded with numbers. And not just that, slapping a price tag on every proposed strategy, where I had to justify why I wanted to blow dough on balloons for a grand opening or plonk a giant mouse on a billboard, became a real head-scratcher. Why? Well, let's be real, if there's one thing we all care about in biz, oh yeah... it's the darn money, and how we gonna make it rain!

Obviously, from then on and throughout my work experiences, it was all about crafting profitable marketing strategies and almost always convincing the bigwigs why investing in marketing and advertising matters for a successful business. I've had countless moments where I was asked to work magic with the smallest marketing budget possible until, through trial and error, and, of course, some solid advice, I had to learn not just to pitch pretty ideas but ideas that packed a punch in ROI, backed by solid justifications, so they'd finally trust the Marketing department and loosen their purse strings 'cause clearly, our strategies ain't living on air, right?

So, if you've found yourself in that spot where your boss goes, "Why the big spend?" and you're already a card-carrying member of the Marketing Money Spenders Inc., I invite you to check out some tips that helped me get almost a 100% buy-in for my proposals (I'm staying positive here 'cause we're all about that motivational vibe).

Stay Ahead of the Game

Show 'em you're not just about the vanity of saying, "I did that campaign." After you've got a solid grip on the objectives you need to hit, build your plan within a budget. Don't go all out planning without knowing how much dough you're playing with. If it's unclear, check out past executions (if any) or do some good ol' market research so when you roll out your magical idea with the budget in tow and they freak out, you can calmly say, "Based on *insert competitor here's strategies, the budget is..." and boom, you know what you're proposing is legit and not just shooting in the dark.

Divide and Conquer

Yep, when you sign up for marketing, the last thing you'd think is you'd be eyeballing numbers or Excel sheets all the time, but one way to start is by visualizing all the efforts you plan to execute, considering media, social media investment, sales tools, etc., and allocating budget to each thing, thus prioritizing based on objectives. If you have no clue where to start, here is a simple template to help you get a clearer picture of where you're investing, making it easier to justify your project to clients or bosses.

Get Creative

*Note: If you're a financial director or the tough boss, please skip this point. (JK!)
Sometimes, unfortunately, the budget can be a real buzzkill, and even though your boss or client loves marketing, they ain't got no money to help your strategies shine. What do I suggest? Use the opportunities of content marketingand digital platforms bring; many times, you can build a solid brand strategy through content, always tied with a coherent brand narrative and relevance, so they'll take notice. Who knows, you might achieve great results on a shoestring.

Powerful Presentation

Once you've crunched your numbers and have your strategy clear, it's time to prep for the big sell. I recommend putting together a detailed presentation with deadlines, creative concepts, graphs, brand justifications, and make sure your numbers are crystal clear, showing reach, and above all, return on investment. If you make it clear how much they're really spending and what they expect to get, the debate will be smoother, and you're sure to win 'em over.

If you dig my tips, give 'em a shot, and let's get all us marketing folks off the list of foolish spenders and keep creating more powerful brands for successful businesses.

Have you experienced a Budget Drama in Marketing?
Share it with me! I´ll love to hear about it.