Think strategically: don't just cut your marketing budget 10 percent across the board.

• Author: Hoffman, Jeff
• Position: Marketing - Brief Article - Column

When budgets are tight there needs to be a focus on "different," instead of just less. There is no principle that says a smaller budget cannot be new, different and exciting. Unfortunately, the most common approach to budgeting is to go through everything and cut what can be cut the easiest. Instead, marketing budgets should be developed from the bottom up.

In other words, start with the objectives that need to be achieved and product or message that must get across. Allocate resources to that initiative, probably more than you would normally, and let the chips fall where they must. Narrow the focus on objectives, on targeted customers, on product, on message and on strategy.

The most dangerous thing companies do in difficult times is implement across-the-board budget cuts in sales and marketing, and then try to cover all the same bases they covered last year. Whatever the budget is, it needs to be allocated strategically, not cut evenly across product lines or departments. A marketing campaign reduced by 10 percent across the board is not 10 percent less effective--it is probably 50 percent less effective.

Companies should identify the strongest-performing product, or most important message, and put more resources behind them to generate some real impact. To do what you did last year, but just less of it, positions you as smaller and has less impact.

An effective wade-show program is a proven vehicle for accelerating sales, as well as building image, branding and visibility. Leads generated in a comprehensive tradeshow program cost up to 56 percent less to close than field sales calls without a trade show program. Your wade show program is the one place that every dollar you spend affects your marketing as well as your sales effort. An effective trade show program reduces the cost of generating sales leads, as well as the cost of closing sales.

Use your trade-show plan to accelerate sales and improve market share. However, you won't accomplish that by repeating what you did last year. Make your tradeshow program work for you by following these guidelines:

* Simplify. You have 4 to 6 seconds to capture the attention of...