Shoestring Marketing: Successful marketing not driven by big money

Alf Nucifora is an Atlanta-based marketing consultant.

All too often, I hear marketers complain about the limitations of their marketing budget. The competition is always spending more and management seems predisposed to doling out fewer marketing dollars and demanding more in return.

While I sympathize with the fact that most companies are suffering the combined impact of reduced budgets coupled with growing marketing cost, the hard reality is that successful marketing depends upon more than a generous support budget. It's primarily an integration of the three A's.

Attitude, application, accountability

Attitude is nothing more than the desire to make the marketing effort succeed. It's tied to an evangelistic belief in marketing's capacity to influence customers and move product. It should come as no surprise that successful marketers are not always the best funded or the most experienced.

Instead, they have the ability to apply a common-sense approach to the marketing process. They try to get inside the customer's mind. And, they're always trying to find a way to do it better.

Application demands that action be taken. All the planning and the strategy, essential as it is, must be accompanied by execution. Money has to be allocated, responsibilities assigned and timetables met.

Accountability is increasingly the operational philosophy in greatest demand, particularly as marketing budgets are held to the same return on investment responsibility as other functional spending. Smart marketers understand that a marketing dollar should never be spent unless it can be measured and analyzed.

I recently had in-depth exposure to Imaginatik, a fast-growing company that develops innovation and idea management software for companies seeking to capture business ideas from employees, suppliers and customers. This nine-year-old company, with 10 employees and revenues in the $3 million range, lists among its client base, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Nestl's and Cadbury Schweppes.

What impressed me most about the company was the attitude of its CEO Mark Turrell, and his approach to the marketing process.

Eight-point program

Turrell is obsessive about applying basic marketing tactics, all of which are executed with a minimum of dollars.

"By setting a very low budget, I have ensured that my team and I have got to be creative," said Turrell. But, it's his fanaticism in applying the three A's that compensates for the spending shortfall. The passion, discipline and obstinacy show in his voice, "We actively try not to spend money. Money is an easy way out. Instead, we try to think through the business problemsto look for the anglesto get the most impact," he says.

Search engine marketing: Imaginatik showcases its Web site primarily as a store window allowing prospects to use it for research. The company fights for high rankings on major search engines, particularly Google, and buys on a "pay per click" basis. In a search for subjects such as "knowledge management," "innovation management," and "new product development," Imaginatik's name will appear prominently.

Web stats analysis: Every visit is tracked. Web site data and information is changed constantly. Leads are tracked and stored for a subsequent proactive mailing effort, particularly prior to tradeshows where an invitation to meet is extended. The company's sales process itself is constantly modified based on what Web site visitation and trend data reveal.

Tradeshows on a low budget: Imaginatik doesn't buy an exhibit booth. Instead company personnel always secure speaking slots (20 a year) with the help of partners. And, if they can't get a speaking slot, their people are always the first to ask a question during question and answer sessions. The name of the game is visibility.

Analyst briefings: Turrell conducts briefings to get the firm's software mentioned in analysts' reports which, in turn, communicate much desired credibility about the young company.

Public relations: Turrell understands the basic rule of PR law never give up. This persistence has paid off. He made sure that two recent Wall Street Journal articles on his clients featured positive mentions of Imaginatik. It's also a major reason why he's the subject of this column.

More thought leadership: Turrell noticed that 65 percent of the visitors to his Web site left quickly. There was nothing to keep them hanging around. He's reduced that number to 10 percent with stick time increasing from 5 minutes to 23 minutes on the average. He did this by constantly adding information to the Web site that visitors were interested in reading.

What can we learn

The first issue is integration. Every marketing tactic and program must work synergistically with the whole. After that, it's a matter of focus knowing your resource limits and staying committed to priorities.

There must always be a link back to a business objective. If not, the money is inevitably wasted. Experimentation and trial should be constant.