Post-summer, we’re all back and recharged. There’s about 100 days to go to Christmas, so how best to ensure the remainder of your marketing budget is spent most effectively?
With marketing budgets under constant threat (2022, a CIM survey revealed 18% of CMOs revealed year-on-year reductions), there’s more reason to prove it’s delivering.
We’ve previously talked about how to defend or increase your budget by reframing your Marketing team from a cost centre to a profit centre.
And metrics are clearly import, here being our recommendations for both benchmarking yourself against your competitors, and how well business is performing.
Here are the top 5 most efficient ways to spend what’s left of your marketing budget. We’ve based this on industry insights and stats and focussed on channels and methods that regularly provide the highest ROI.
1. Content Marketing – generates 3x more leads than outbound marketing and costs 62% less.
Content marketing involves creating valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, ebooks, and podcasts.
Content marketing helps build brand authority and trust over time. It's cost-effective, with long-term benefits as content remains accessible and continues to attract traffic. It also supports SEO efforts, driving organic traffic.
Here’s our guide to producing great content;
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – 53% of all web traffic is from organic search
SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords. It involves on-page, off-page, and technical optimizations.
SEO provides a high ROI because it attracts organic (unpaid) traffic over the long term. Once a website ranks well, it continues to draw in potential customers without the need for ongoing ad spend.
3. Email Marketing – ROI of 42:1! Every £1 spent, earn £42.
Email marketing has one of the highest ROIs of any marketing channel. It allows for direct communication with potential and existing customers, personalized messaging, and high conversion rates.
4. Social Media ads – reach 53% of the global population.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to promote content, products, or services are still working well, especially as adss can be highly targeted based on demographics, interests, behaviours, and more.
Extensive analytics to optimize campaigns in real-time – driving even better efficiencies.
Sources A report by Hootsuite showed 53.6% of the global population uses social media, making it a highly effective platform for reaching large audiences . https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-statistics-for-social-media-managers/
5. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) – Google ads deliver 200% ROI
PPC ads that appear on search engines (like Google Ads) or other platforms (like display networks).
PPC provides immediate visibility and can target specific keywords or audiences. It is flexible, allowing marketers to control their budget, adjust bids, and measure performance in real-time.
Source: Google Ads has been found to deliver an average ROI of 200%, indicating that businesses earn $2 for every $1 spent. www.webfx.com/blog/marketing/what-is-the-roi-of-google-ads/
In summary, five areas delivering most effective returns
Content Marketing – Builds long-term brand authority and trust.
SEO – Attracts long-term, organic traffic with a high ROI.
Email Marketing – Direct, personalized communication with high conversion rates.
Social Media Advertising – Cost-effective, highly targeted ads.
PPC Advertising – Immediate visibility with controlled spending and measurable results.
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