Tight Marketing Budget? Social Media could be the Solution.

News comes from Blackburn and Darwen Council that due to budget cuts, they are having to reduce the number of people in their marketing and communications teams. These not only take care of the Council's, but also the local NHS's media and advertising projects. Manchester City Council are in a similar situation and it's a safe bet that others will follow.

Here at eskimosoup, where we specialize in Social and Public Health Marketing, we've heard the same is true of some PCT's. Tight budgets and uncertainty about the future have led to somewhat of a freeze on activities. If, as planned, responsibilities for Public Health moves over to Councils, their smaller teams may struggle even more with the extra work.

All in all, it looks like Social and Public Health Marketing will suffer through this time of change and austerity.

It's often the case with Private firms, especially the smaller ones, that the Marketing budget is the first to feel the pinch when money is tight. People tend to hold on to what they've got and try to weather the storm, rather than speculating to accumulate.

It's obviously different with Social and Public Health Marketing, with the end result not being to make more money. However, as the outcome is generally better population health and the method is preventative, there should be savings in reduced hospital and clinician time with less patients.

But as with Corporate Marketing, television and newspaper adverts, leaflets, posters and the rest, do cost money and the budget for a campaign can be high. Whether Commercial or Public Sector, Marketing should always be measured against targets and outcomes, and justifying a large layout when attaining those outcomes and targets isn't certain, can be difficult.

Which is why, time and time again I find myself extolling the virtues of Social Media. It's reach and influence far outstrips any other marketing method and the costs involved are tiny. Even with huge budgets, it would be a struggle to match what Social Media can do for much less financial investment..

It's the perfect solution to continuing marketing with limited funds and I urge anyone considering abandoning campaigns to consider how they could be run through Social Media. We're here to help, if anyone would like further advice.