Managing your marketing efforts can be overwhelming. In fact, marketing seems to be the first department to experience cuts when a company starts to downsize. But, with the ever-changing social media and internet marketing landscape, there is tremendous opportunity to reduce marketing costs while still remaining active. Here are three ways that you can handle some online marketing on a budget.

Use Your Phone Camera

If you have a modern smart phone, it probably has an amazing camera. I'm a smart phone cameras are capable of producing high resolution photos that can be used for social media, websites, and even printing. Best of all, these cameras are very easy to use. By handling your own photography you get to immediate benefits. First, you don't need to pay outrageous rates for a professional photographer. This seems particularly wasteful when your photos are only going to be used on the Internet. A professional obviously uses much better camera, but the final image will need to be scaled down to the same resolution as a smart phone photo. With some basic photo composition knowledge, you can conveniently and affordably handle your online and social media photography. It might not be wise to try to handle your own print photography, because it is much more technical.

Use Social Media

Another way to save money is to start a social media account. No matter what field you are in, you can find a great use for Facebook, Instagram, and even Twitter. These accounts are totally free and easy to manage. You definitely shouldn't be overwhelmed because you can post as frequently as you want. The great thing about social media is that it allows you to reach a new demographic and reach customers that might not otherwise ever know about your brand.

Third-Party Marketing Firms

Another surprisingly great way to save money on your marketing is to hire a third-party marketing firm. This is particularly cost-effective if this firm is just handling your online and/or social media accounts. As already explain, these simple forms of marketing are time efficient. However, professionals are even more efficient than you with these platforms. They also understand analytics and can help you maximize the return of your investment. You really save money when hiring a third-party firm because it allows you to focus on other efforts within your business that can drive your brand forward. For instance, social media is easy to use, but you probably don't want to waste your time trying to figure out how to make an Instagram post if your efforts and manpower could be directed somewhere else where they would be more productive.