We help raise the profile of your business, even on tight budgets, with real manageable plans, promotions and strategies that work for you. Making you stand out from the rest Over 20 years of marketing experience covers all aspects of the marketing mix including: Marketing plans Advertising and media buying Sales promotion PR

With half the budget you need to be twice as clever

I often get asked how to stretch budgets and get a pint out of a quart pot (as the old saying goes). In fact, in today's economic climate many marketing teams are finding their budgets dramatically cut and more innovative ways are needed to get the best value for your buck! So now is a good time to consider using PR to your advantage to help raise awareness of your business and drive sales. At Sore Thumb Marketing we are always searching for new ways to reach audiences without having to pay for traditional advertising and for us, PR is the key tool all businesses should use.You may think that seeing your name in print in a newspaper, means handing over lots of cash. It doesn't. Obviously you can place advertisements in newspapers and these do cost money, but before going down this road, try and use the newspapers to your advantage.Local newspapers and radio stations are often crying out for stories to fill their pages and airtime and you could be it. Make sure you tell them about anything you are doing. Become the local media's friend and expert on your area of expertise. If you have organised an event even if it is just going along to the local school to give a talk on what you do, let them know. Phone the news desk and then follow up the call with a press release. Take photos and then if they don't turn up, ring them again and email them the photos. Keep the pressure on and it will pay off!Competitions are another good way of maximising editorial coverage. They allow you a degree of editorial control, as you can ensure all your key messages are included, and are much more cost effective than advertising. These provide you with the opportunity of securing editorial coverage for the cost of providing products for prizes. The offers could be linked to questions whose answers are found on your website, to drive traffic and awareness of the site's contents. It's also a good idea to offer all the non-winners a chance to get a discount of their first purchase if they make purchase by specified date. So go on, take the plunge and have a go. The power of local media should not be underestimated and it's great fun to see your name and photo in print too! Makes for an interesting after dinner chat too!