Marketing is critical to success, particularly in today’s internet-driven age and in competitive industries. This is how you raise awareness about your brand, improve your reputation and stand out from the crowd, so it is an area that all businesses need to consider, and there is always more marketing that you can do for your business.
Marketing can also be a high cost, but it is recommended that this is an area that you invest heavily in – while good marketing usually pays for itself over time with high ROI, you will still need to find ways to initially fund your campaigns, and there are a few options available to you.
1. Reinvest Profits
A smart business owner will always be putting money aside that can be pumped back into the business for growth. Reinvesting profits is the smartest way to fund your marketing campaigns and should help to pull even more money back in, plus you will not have to pay interest or give away shares as with many other forms of funding. Obviously, this is not always possible, especially for new companies, but there are other good options available too.
2. Investors
Going to investors is another good option as it allows you access to large sums to fund your marketing campaigns, plus you can often benefit from expert advice too. Angel investors and venture capitalists can both be approached for this, but you will need to persuade them to invest, which can be a challenge.
3. Crowdfunding
Similarly, you could use crowdfunding, which involves pitching your marketing campaigns online and then getting people from all over the world to invest as much or as little as they’d like. Due to the size and reach of the internet, this means that you can raise large sums through many small investments, but you may need to give up a stake in the business or a small ROI percentage. You can learn how to launch successful crowdfunding campaigns at Entrepreneur.
4. Short Term Loans
Short term loans allow you to quickly get access to large sums for your campaigns without having to give anything up. These are usually paid back in less than a year with fixed monthly repayments along with interest, so you will need to make sure that you can afford this. Still, it is an excellent option if you need quick access to a large amount, and you can often get approved even with a low credit rating.
5. Advance
You may also be able to convince a key customer or strategic partner to give you an advance to finance the marketing campaigns – this is more likely if it is in their own interest for your business to succeed. This is another effective way to raise funds but, again, you need to make sure that you will be able to repay in full and on time.
Marketing is critical to success, so it is an area that needs heavy investment, but this can be expensive, which is why it is helpful to know a few different ways that you can raise funds to cover the costs of high-quality marketing campaigns.
