With marketing budgets facing significant reductions across the board, each dollar spent needs to do more. This is only possible when you think about your most effective marketing campaigns and scaling those activities to achieve true success. When times are difficult for marketing budgets, improving performance is a must.

Do more with your shrinking marketing budget. This is easily done when you consider the power of viral marketing. The purpose of viral marketing is to leverage others - customers, prospects, friends, and connections to help you sell your products and services. Here are a few other ideas you can use to jump start your marketing.

Start by making the most of what you have. A business of any size needs to consider leveraging each touch point. When you speak to a customer, call someone on the phone, or send and email, use that as an opportunity to educate or inform. When you think about all the touches you make on a daily basis, they really add up.

Ask for referrals. You would be surprised by the low percentage of businesses who ask for referrals. To jump start any referral campaign, offer a small benefit to those who refer a customers. At the very least, get your referral program up and running and be sure to send a thank you note for making the connection.

Focus on your communications. If you are sending letters, giving away business cards, or packing someones groceries, be sure to include a flier or message about other products and services you offer. You may even consider a special offer that can be included with each of these touch points.

Test new campaigns. When budgets shrink and times are difficult, it's common to stop testing or spending on new campaigns. But what works during good times may not be as effective when times are difficult. Dedicate a portion of your budget towards new campaigns, messaging, or offers.

Improving marketing results does not have to cost you money. In fact, some of the best, most successful marketing ideas were started with little or no money. Think viral. How can you leverage the assets you already have? By taking what you have and making it better or expanding it, your results will often scale. To many people stop short of fully riding out their marketing campaigns and enjoying the results they can achieve if only they persist.

Consider a free giveaway. A great place to leverage the power of free is with your website, store, or marketing communication. Ask yourself how you can attract more visitors or improve conversions. How can you acquire valuable information that will help you make a sale at that moment or at a later date. In today's world, consumers understand that free doesn't mean free. But consumers are often willing to provide a little information about themselves for something of value.

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