How do you make a marketing budget?

i am a small business owner. we make custom funiture and cabinets. we don't have outside salesmen or anything like that. we do one trade show per year, advertise in magazines, and get a lot of word of mouth business. i don't know what kind of cap to put on sales. please check out our web site and give comments or critisism. www.julianandsons.com

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5 Responses to “How do you make a marketing budget?”

  1. wigginsray says:

    Marketing should always be brand driven. A brand is established by a loyal customer base and/or word of mouth. The brand is sustained by continuing to provide value to that customer base. The difficult part is establishing the value – is it by price or by service or a combination – that’s what you have to communicate via the marketing plan.

  2. rick r says:

    it is usually about 4 % of your sales but you should use what you feel comfortable using that leaves you with a reasonable profit to live on and save some extra for emergencies always have emergency cash on hand.

  3. Costa Financial says:

    Unless you have a large marketing budget, I have not found magazine advertising to be very cost effective for smaller companies. Trade shows may be a good idea for your product, just make sure to maximize your event. Have qualified people at your booth and make certain to follow up your leads.

  4. Wonder says:

    Your web site is fantastic. Since everything you offer is custom, there is no way to affix a cap. You’d budget time, materials, salaries, benefits, overhead and then profit. The Small Business Admin (sba.gov) has a host of information that will be useful to you.
    (Try to ignore the jackasses that respond to your inquiries.)
    -MM

  5. Computer Lady says:

    Most small businesses ‘wing it’ when determining marketing budget, so I commend you on putting some thought into setting limits. Assuming you’ve been in business for more than a year, start by gathering facts such as previous years earning statements. Be conservative – at least at first – and dedicate roughly 1% to 2% of the revenue earned to marketing. As you’re already paying for some advertising, be sure to include those costs in your analysis.

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