“My branding budget is low – where shall I spend it?”

“Your offer exceeds our budget. We’re going to go somewhere else.”

WAIT! No, you’re totally free to go. But before you do, consider why is somewhere else cheaper? Do they value, value? Are they offering a template that they’ve offered 200 other businesses’?

We understand budgets. We have our own too. But if your budget is your only concern, we can help make a lower offer. Less work, less money. Easy. But the things we keep in the offer will still be high quality. Your brand is an investment. You don’t have to invest all in one go.

Start with less, not cheap. 

If my budget was low and I was starting out, this is what I would get, in order.

1. Business Cards.

Small. Easily replaceable. People lose them all the time. But you get your contact information out there. Easy. Low cost, low value risk. 

2. Leaflets

Again small enough. People bin them often. But you have your information out there. Again low cost, low value. In the current state of the world, people are going to value something they can hold and keep in their hands.

The biggest cost is the print. Start with a smaller quantity. If you see a demand you up the quantity. Or move on to number 3. 

3. Social Media

This could be either 2 or 3 honestly. Depending on your business. But social media is your digital leaflet. As people scroll, you slide your post in through their metaphorical letterbox. They can scroll away (bin it) or actually take a moment to read.

Pick a platform you know your target audience uses and stick to it. It’s hard to post on multiple platforms, and it’s even harder to know what to post on each. 

To make this easier for you. We have worked on creating 4 different packages for you to choose from. With the lowest package offering only 4 posts a month, giving you consistency at a lower budget. With the option to add more platforms to this. But if your budget is low. Our smallest package will help you move along to number 4. 

4. Logo

Now that people know who you are. Give them something to remember you by. Leaflets and business cards can easily be replaced. The cost of altering a design to add the logo is also very low. The logo itself is a bigger investment. But you exist! Your brand has customers. And now it’s time to help them have something to remember you by. 

To also help you make the most of your budget – you guessed it! We also have packages to help you choose something that will help your brand and keep you within budget. You don’t need brand guidelines at this stage, don’t let others pressure you into going big before you’re ready. Even our lowest package will keep your needs satiated for years. 

5. Banners & Posters

Honestly at this stage your brand exists. You’re good to move on with the bigger more permanent things like banners and posters. Not all at once, maybe start with a roll up! You can take that with you. It’s big and makes an impact but stores small. Maybe a poster in front of your shop or salon in one of those people stoppers/swing signs. 

One at a time, until you make more money to refill your budget. 

What can absolutely wait whilst you’re growing

Like I mentioned before, a full set of brand guidelines. They take time to make and time means money. If you stick with the same good designer. They’ll have the brand guidelines in their head. They’ll follow them without you needing to ask.

An ecommerce site.  Selling something? Go to Etsy, Ebay, Vinted. There’s lots of sites that will host your shop for free or a small fee. Building a shop from scratch is a big investment. It’s not one you need when you’re just starting up. And if it’s built wrong, or cheaply, you’ll look like a scam and scare away more people than its worth. Avoid.

A full expanded website can also be costly. We understand that appearing online is important. SEO and all that website lingo.. It’s important. We might have a solution that’s cheaper. Again – you guessed it, we have packages! 

Packaging and merchandise. Would you wear a shirt or hat with a logo you know nothing about? Unlikely. Maybe your candle company has a beautiful expensive label, but if the label costs more than the candle, or forces your candle cost to triple and no one is buying it, is it worth it? Nobody has ever continued to buy something just because it looks nice, if the product underneath is sh*t. I said what I said. 

Build a brand that lasts, not one that’s trending

I know how easy it is to fall for the trends. The pretty colours. The pretty fonts. They are pretty. For now. But one thing is certain. Trends end. If your brand is built on the current trending visuals and more, it’s very likely to end when the trends do.

You don’t want to have to rebrand in a year or two. That costs money, and it confuses your customers and clients. Build a solid good brand now. One thing at a time. Don’t let yourself say, “I’ll just make the leaflets and logo with an AI tool. It’ll save me money now, and I can always change them later.” You can. You can change them later. But when you hurt your reach and reputation from the very beginning, will your brand even reach a ‘later’? 

Not to be doom and gloom. But people on earth rotate – if you know what I mean. The ‘younger’ people are starting to become our target audience. And those ‘younger’ people are all actively choosing to not work with AI. Refusing to work with or buy from those they see use it.

So you choose. Do you want to use the current trends? Be like everyone else? Use AI like so many other businesses that are starting out and blend in? Contributing to the AI slop era?

Or do you want to build a brand that will last? One small investment at a time? 

We’re not going anywhere. When you’re ready, we’ll have your back. Get in touch, let’s see what we can do with your budget.