Budgeting for 2014

November is budgeting month for most of our clients. We have some great tips on how to proceed in budgeting for your needs in 2014 so you make the most of the upcoming year.

1) If you didn&rsquo;t redesign your web site in 2013, you probably don&rsquo;t have a responsive web site . This is the currently the standard for web...

November is budgeting month for most of our clients. We have some great tips on how to proceed in budgeting for your needs in 2014 so you make the most of the upcoming year.

1) If you didn&rsquo;t redesign your web site in 2013, you probably don&rsquo;t have a responsive web site . This is the currently the standard for web sites. If your site is not responsive, you probably are lagging behind in converting your mobile traffic. Might want to plan for a new site.

2) Adjust you expectations on Social Media . Do you need to be using social media? Yes. Our programs include sponsored stories in your budget so you can grow your reach. If you don&rsquo;t know what sponsored stories or reach are&hellip; you are a beginner. That is ok. Dog Star has some affordable programs to teach you how to use social media. You can scale the program to your budget.

3) Don&rsquo;t undervalue paid search . In 2013, we saw a lot of clients drop or reduce their paid search. In many cases, it affected their overall web performance and their balance sheets. The problem is the direct return each month was not satisfying based on the amount being spent. This has led more practices to evaluate how well they are selling on the calls that come in. So, two tips here: 1) remember that paid search is part of a bigger cocktail of blended strategies, not a stand-alone plank in a plan and 2) focus on sales communications. The least expensive and most impactful marketing program we have is The Virtual Sales Managers . For $150/month you can teach your whole team how to sell better and erase most of your perceived conversion problems with mediums like paid search.

4) Don&rsquo;t over-reach. When a small business over-invest in a service thinking it will change everything, it is often a recipe for disaster. This is why Dog Star Media tiers its services , allowing you to access an appropriate level of service and try multiple services without breaking the bank.

5) Most important of all, don&rsquo;t forget who you are. Small businesses, including medical practices and dental practices, need to be able to sell. Managing this is critical and the best way to do that with full accountability is to use a tracking telephone number. This is the smallest marketing expense you will make each year but it is by far the most valuable.

If we can help you with the planning and budgeting process, please let me know. And, if you are ready for affordable, effective services along the lines of some of these suggestions, please let me know at <a href="http://dogstarmedia.com/index.php?option=com_contactenhanced&amp;view=contact&amp;id=1&amp;content_title=ZDcyZmM4NWU5M2IzZWNjYmFiMTRmYTk3ODc2YzM1MTRUR0YwWlhOMElHSnNiMmNnWlc1MGNtbGxjdz09&amp;content_url=ZDcyZmM4NWU5M2IzZWNjYmFiMTRmYTk3ODc2YzM1MTRhSFIwY0RvdkwyUnZaM04wWVhKdFpXUnBZUzVqYjIwdllteHZaeTlzWVhSbGMzUXVhSFJ0YkQ5bWIzSnRZWFE5Wm1WbFpDWjBlWEJsUFhKemN3PT0=&amp;encodedrecipient=7fa72b6b5f412f526f71e480bb777c86&amp;tmpl=component&amp;" class="ce-modal mailto2ce" rel="{handler: 'iframe', size: {x:800, y:480}} nofollow">donald@dogstarmedia.com .

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Donald Griswold

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