We’ve all heard it before. You want to revamp your company’s online presence, but you have a tight budget. So, you need a cheap solution. Oh, and it has to be effective.

To paraphrase the old saying, your online presence can be good, or it can be cheap, but it can’t be both. So before searching for the least expensive solution, ask yourself these online marketing questions:

 1)   What’s the priority?
If you have to choose one, is it “cheap” or “respectable?” There’s a price to pay with each: your money or your brand’s reputation. Think about your budget and how far you’re willing to extend it? If given a detailed map to success, would you pay more to execute the plan? 

2)   What’s your current online presence?
What channels are you using? What’s working and what’s underperforming? How exactly are you defining “success” in these channels – awareness, followers and engagement? Take a step back and determine the area of greatest need in order to create (or reevaluate) your current social media strategy.

3)   What resources do you have available?
Upon implementing a new strategy, do you have the resources to keep it going? How much time are you able to put in? The biggest social media tactic is to be present. Can you be active on each of your channels? Are your decision-makers onboard with the plan?

4)   What are your competitors doing?
Do an overall blogging & social media strategy audit on each company you compete with in your industry. How do they engage with their audience? Are they communicating with both customers and industry professionals?

5)   Are you willing to take a risk?
In order to rise to the top, what kind of risk will you take? A brand new social media campaign? A pledge to blog three times a week? What can you do to get your brand voice out there?

 Building a respectable online presence does not have to break the bank, but it does come at a cost. In order to engage your target audience with a social strategy, you must stay active on your channels. Being successful can take time, resources and money. So before you begin, pause and evaluate.