Shoestring Marketing
Low Budget / High Impact Marketing
Chris Houchens
www.ShotgunConcepts.com

Cheap vs. Effective
ROI is more important than cost

Marketing?
• To communicate a consistent intended
message to a specific intended audience.
• Marketing is NOT just advertising.
• Marketing is NOT just PR.
• Marketing is NOT just sales.
• Marketing helps CREATE the sales
opportunity.
• Successful marketing develops long
term relationships

Healthcare Marketing Trends
• One word :: Choices
– Consumers in charge of healthcare decisions
– Self-Diagnosis is on the rise
• Google tried to outdo the CDC last flu season
– “Doctor says” no longer the force it was
– Consumers have more disposable income
– Insurance / HMO / Flex Account / etc
• The idea of Customers vs. Patients
• Everything is about to change

Do you have a
marketing plan?
Do you ever look at it?

A Marketing Plan...
• Defines Marketing Costs
• Shows Marketing Value
• Defines Mission / Provides Focus
• Written Game Plan
• Evolving Document
A Marketing Plan is
On Paper…On Purpose

Where do we want
the money to go?
as opposed to
Where did the money go?

Most prevalent marketing mistakes
• “Me Too” Competitive and following fads
• Campaigns designed around cutesy or non-
relevant centers
• Marketers trying to reach themselves
• Money Issues
– Focus on costs rather than effectiveness
– Thinking that $$$ = Success
– Accepting proposed prices
• Forgetting multiple media maximizes the
message
• No marketing plan

Save Money with Media Buys
• You should always BUY advertising
• Never be SOLD advertising
– (There’s a difference)
• Salespeople are NOT “Marketing
Consultants”
• Ask for a rate card, but never use it

The key to cheap marketing
Think Small
Narrowcasting vs. Broadcasting

Working with a
Small (no) Budget
• There’s never enough people, time, or money
• Solutions
– Media Relations and PR
– Brand Strategy
– Guerilla Marketing
– Online
• The true key is to have a (marketing) plan and
spend smart through
– Strategy
– Segmentation
– Leverage
– Measurement

Budgeting #1: Strategy
• Is this marketing initiative a priority?
• What is the LONG TERM goal?
– More members?
– More exposure?
– More credit?
• How much of the pot should this get?
• What’s the needed ROI?

Budgeting #2: Segmentation
• Who are we really trying to talk to?
• Stop wasting money / time / resources:
– playing to the board
– trying to retail a wholesale product
– firing canons instead of rifles
• Figure out who is making the decision and
find the best / cheapest / quickest way to
reach them at the right time

Budgeting #3: Leverage
• Use current customers to gain new
• Word of mouth
• Cross - promotions
• CRM: always collect e-mail addresses and
other contact info (and follow up)
• Use the web
• Let viral and other networks grow the
investment exponentially

Budgeting #4: Measurement
• Measure actual ROI as well as responses
• Measure satisfaction and “stickiness” as
well as the actual numbers
• Use the info to make adjustments
You can’t manage what
you can’t measure

Every marketing
budget should be
developed using a
Zero-Based
Strategy

Does this belong in
MY marketing budget???!!!
• Employee programs
– The Christmas party?
• Waiting Room magazines
• Chamber of Commerce / Association dues
• Classified employment “ads”
• Travel
• Etc. Etc. Etc.

Your table
of brochures
ain’t workin’
(and is
expensive)

Low Cost “Guerilla” Marketing
• #1 Method - Word-of-Mouth / “Buzz”
– Referrals from customers, friends, vendors, etc
• Brochures / Posters / Printed Literature
• Build marketing into current paper trail
– Business cards, fax sheet, letterhead, e-signatures
• On-Hold Message
• Community Events / Trade Shows
• Articles / Publishing
• Ad Specialties / Gifts
• Cross Promotions / Alliances
• Networking
• Seminars / Workshops
• Public Relations - Press Releases - Media Show

Strokes Happen
• Baptist Health
System in San
Antonio
• 80 Mannequins
– # of San Antonio
stroke deaths annually
• Actors at restaurants
had “strokes”
• Web e-cards

3 weird guerilla ideas
that would take bravery,
but just might work

Do an Informercial

Heart Attack Coupons

Develop a Loyalty Program

Database marketing has high ROI
• Direct Mail
• Email
• Telemarketing
• Watch out for HIPAA!
– Most “marketing” activities are excepted
– Just buy a list

Public Relations
• What is PR?
– Coverage in the media
– NOT public perception (that’s your brand)
• A PR program is PART of your marketing
strategy....... not the other way around
• Extremely effective & credible
• OVERALL GOALS of a PR Program:
– Establish credibility and become a “source”
– Media Coverage

Media Relations
• 3 key roles on your media relations and
PR team
– Media Coordinator
• Makes contacts and develops relationships
– Spokesperson
• Face / Voice of the Organization
– Writer / Producer
• Provides consistent content

Successful
branding makes
other aspects of
marketing easier
and cheaper.

Brand Consistency
• Touchpoints
– All interactions with the target
• Messaging
– Slogans / Taglines
– Advertising
• Design
– Logo / Identity
– Packaging
– Colors / Fonts
• Pricing

Branding Success
Microwave vs. Slow Cooker

You’re spending
too much money
in the wrong
place with your
online strategy

Online budget here?
Or there?

Fundamental E-Marketing
• Online Spending
– Budget for Website
– Banner Ads
– Contextual Search Advertising
– SEO – Search Engine Optimization
• E-mail Marketing
– Phishing / Spam
– Permission-Based
• Blogs / Social Media

The Website
• Cannot just be an online brochure
• Must be dynamic
• Content is King
• Simple is best
– Just because you can – doesn’t mean you
should
• When was the last time you visited your
own website?

Search Engine Optimization
• Text not graphics
• Write text with SEO in mind
• Inbound links
• Metadata
– Keywords
– Descriptions
– <title>Title Tags</title>
– Graphic alt tags

Email Marketing
• Anticipated, personal and relevant messages
delivered to people who actually want to get
them
• PERMISSION
– Sign-ups
– Opt-outs
• Keys to success
– The List
– Subject and “from”
– Permission

What do you mean by
Social Media?
• Blogs • Wikis
• Microblogs • Photo
– Twitter – Flickr
– Photobucket
• Video
• Virtual reality
– Google & YouTube
– Revver – Second Life
• Social Networks • Social / News Bookmarks
– MySpace – Digg
– Facebook – Reddit
– Del.icio.us
Community / user generated content

Traditional Marketing
Brand
Consumers
Strategy
&
Media
Public
&
PR
Press
Efforts
Advertising
Word
Gatekeepers Of
Corporate
Mouth
Messages

Social Media Marketing
Brand
Consumers
Strategy
&
Public
PR
Efforts
Advertising
Word
Of
Corporate
Mouth
Messages

“Blogs, short for weblogs”
“Juicy”

Social Media are
mass media.

Warhol Revisited
“In the future,
everyone will be famous for
15 minutes.”
With social media,
everyone is famous to
15 people.

Blogs work when they are based on:
• Candor
• Urgency
• Timeliness
• Pithiness
• Controversy
If you can't be at least four of
the five things listed above,
please don't bother.
--Seth Godin

Do NOT use Social Media as
a press release machine

• Kaimana
• Shanti
• Aurora
• Humphrey
• Mikaela
• Kaimana

Mr. Splashy
Pants

Tracking / Effectiveness
\"I know that half my advertising works.
I just don't know which half.\"
John Wanamaker (1838- 1922)
If you say the same thing...
STOP ADVERTISING.

Thank You
Shoestring Marketing
Low Budget / High Impact Marketing
Blog: ShotgunConcepts.com
Web: ChrisHouchens.com
Twitter: @shotgunconcepts
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