Marketing Costs for Small Businesses and Non-Profit Organizations

Marketing Costs for small businesses and non-profits

 

One of the first questions a potential client asks us is, “How much will our marketing costs be if we work together?” Conserving budgets and spending in key areas is more important than ever for small businesses and non-profits.  We know this well, as we’re not only a small business, but we’ve also been supporting small brands in the outdoor, travel, and wellness industries for over 20 years!

Tight budgets, limited staff, rising costs, and competing priorities can make it difficult to spend on things like marketing and advertising, especially when you are just trying to stay afloat.

 

Marketing can often feel like both a necessity and a luxury.  You want to be smart, cost-effective, and gain expert support without the overhead of a full-time employee.  But how much should you spend, who should you hire, and what are the trade-offs?  Let’s dive in!

 

In this blog, we’ll cover the following:

 

• Why Outsource Your Marketing
• How To Determine Your Marketing Costs and Needs
• Who Should Manage Your Marketing
• What Services are Included in Your Marketing Costs

 

Why outsource your marketing

 

When you outsource, you’re hiring external professionals, freelancers, agencies, or consultants to handle some or all of your marketing needs. This could include:

• Website management
• Content creation
• Paid advertising
• Public relations and media outreach
• SEO and analytics

 

For small businesses and non-profit organizations, outsourcing some of your marketing needs provides flexibility and access to specialized skills without the commitment of full-time salaries or benefits.

 

How to determine your marketing costs and needs

 

In order to figure out what your marketing costs might be, whether you are a bicycle shop or a lifestyle brand, start by deciding which marketing tasks you can continue doing easily and which ones you need to offload.

 

Taking a look at the marketing services listed above, which are you most comfortable continuing to manage?  Which ones do you need help with?  If you’re a one-man or one-woman show, it’s critical to be honest with yourself about the amount of time you can dedicate to marketing.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

 

• Are tasks like daily social media management or sending weekly email newsletters something you enjoy?
• Do you have the time and resources to manage these tasks?
• Should you be spending your time elsewhere?

 

For example, if you are a fundraiser at a non-profit organization, you should not split your time between managing fundraising and marketing tasks.  Instead, you should be out having meetings with big donors, making phone calls, and pitching corporate partners to bring in high-dollar gifts!

 

 

Who should manage your marketing?

 

There are four main options for small businesses or non-profit organizations to manage their marketing:

1. Connect with a freelance marketing specialist
2. Hire a digital marketing manager (full-time or part-time)
3. Hire a marketing agency
4. Work with a CMO or Marketing Consultant

 

We’ll review each below.

 

 

1. Connect with a freelance marketing specialist

 

A freelance marketing specialist is Ideal for individual tasks like blog writing, social media management, or graphic design.  Expect to spend $700 – $1,500 a month for a good freelance marketing specialist.  Sites like Fiverr, Freelancer, or Upwork can help you find freelancers in your price range.

 

Best for: One-off projects or small ongoing needs
Pros: Affordable, flexible, specialized
Cons: May lack strategic guidance or availability for fast turnarounds. May need to share your logins and passwords with a complete stranger.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Hiring a Digital Marketing Manager

As a small business or a non-profit, you may be ready for a full-time or part-time digital marketing manager.  As long as you can provide the overall marketing strategy and structure, your digital marketing manager can handle things like social media management, copywriting, email marketing, and website updates.  Marketing costs for a full-time digital marketing manager range between $55,000 to $85,000 a year here in San Diego, California.

 

 

Best for: Regular, ongoing support
Pros: Can work independently on projects once given direction
Cons: Expensive and will require standard employee benefits and compensation

 

 

3. Hire a Marketing Agency

What about hiring a marketing agency?  The benefits include a better ‘package deal’ where you can add on more services, you’ll have more resources at your disposal, and more experience in tough areas like SEO.

However, hiring an agency to manage your marketing costs between $850-$4,500 a month for a small business or non-profit.  Of course, these costs can be as high a $20K or more, depending on your goals and your budget.

 

Best for: Regular, ongoing support
Pros: Can offer a package deal, provide access to resources, and has more experience
Cons: May require a larger upfront investment or a long-term contract

 

As an example, at Top Rope Media, we work with many small businesses and non-profits on a monthly retainer to help them manage their marketing needs, such as social media, email marketing, and paid advertising.  We allow for flexibility in the marketing services we provide each month; you’ll never pay for something you don’t need, and we do not require a long-term contract.  Read more about our marketing services here.

 

4. Work with a CMO or marketing consultant

Thinking a CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) or marketing consultant might be better suited to help your small outdoor brand or non-profit grow its wings?  A Marketing Consultant or CMO, whether part-time (often called a fractional CMO) or full-time, can build you a comprehensive marketing strategy, define your KPIs, and lead your outsourced team.  This is the perfect choice if you do not know where to start.    

Best for: High-level support and startups
Pros: Great for audits or company restructuring
Cons: Will not execute and dig into the details, expensive, and not invested in your business long-term

 

So, while the short answer to “What will our marketing costs be?” is ‘it depends’, these key choices above will help you narrow things down. Below, we’ll address a few other areas you’ll want to think about when you search for marketing help. 

 

What services are included in your marketing costs 

 

As a small business owner, when you search for a service you need, you want to know early on how much it will cost.  However, when you start your search for marketing help, you may feel like you have reached a ‘gatekeeper’.  They will not give you the pricing details, but are more than happy to set up a sales call.  Grrr…this can feel incredibly frustrating.

If you’re wondering why there’s such secrecy in marketing costs, this is because an agency may not want its competition to know its pricing.  Or, they may feel like they could be leaving money on the table if they provide you with upfront pricing.  As we loathe those sales calls as much as you do, we’ve created a Services & Pricing page to give our customers a better idea of their marketing costs if they decide to work with Top Rope Media.

 

To further complicate marketing costs, several services fall under the marketing umbrella.  Prices will range greatly depending on the services you need.

 

First, let’s talk about what should be included in your pricing.  Your typical marketing manager, freelancer, or marketing agency should be expected to perform the following tasks:

• Social Media Management
• Content Production and Blog Writing
• Email Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Paid Social, and Google Advertising

 

A big plus if they also have experience in the following areas:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Graphic Design
• Photography + Videography
• Web Development
• Public Relations

 

final thoughts on determining your marketing costs

 

Now that you have a better idea of what your marketing costs might be and what they include, you are ready to take the next step!  Remember to ask lots of questions.  Become familiar with the current marketing trends and platforms you may need to use before you bring someone in to manage them for you.

 

If you’ve got a question, drop us a line and let’s navigate the marketing wilderness together!  Lastly, if you’re seeking more tips on do-it-yourself digital marketing, check out these posts:

• Best Email Marketing: Improve Clicks and Open Rates 
• How to Use Your Website to Generate Better Leads
• 8 Steps to Kickstart Your Online Advertising with Facebook and Instagram

 

Until next time, happy marketing friends!

Meredith, Top Rope Media