So we have got to the point in our new business where we have accumulated some spare funds which we want to allocate fully to marketing (bearing in mind Red Giant is only 3 months old). As soon as our website is complete (very nearly there) we are going to begin with full fledged marketing.

What I would like to find out from you is what your opinion is on the most effective ways to spend this money (+- 10k) in order to market a small business. Let's keep in mind that we are in the design (web, corporate, photography) industry and it's an extremely saturated market.

What we have in mind at the moment is the following:

1. Facebook advertising. Great since it is able to target our ideal customers specifically, and we have an awesome special to market to them. This is on top of my list at the moment.

2. Marketing Motor. This program comes highly recommended by Dave and Neville. I'm interested in trying it out, HOWEVER I am not so sure whether it would be as effective in our overcrowded niche. It does help that we aren't just "web designers" and that we target a specific niche within the industry, being small businesses and entrepreneurs.

3. Pamphlet promotions. Not so sure on the effectiveness of this approach. If we did decide to do it, it would be a full fledged thing at a busy street corner/shopping mall with promotion girls and big signs and a lot of hype, rather than some random walking around lackadaisically handing out flyers here and there.


We do have other ideas but these are the main ones, bearing in mind our budget and target market. We are also wanting to target South Africans, and more specifically, South African business owners at the moment.

Do you guys have any better ideas or comments on the above ideas? I'd just like to make sure that I'm spending our limited funding wisely rather than using a shotgun approach to marketing.

Perhaps you have better methods for marketing small businesses which are low-cost, yet effective methods for bringing in new leads?